Air Canada launches Billy Bishop-O’Hare service

Air Canada has launched service between Chicago O’Hare International Airport and Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport.

The route gives travellers a direct link between Chicago and downtown Toronto, supplementing Air Canada's existing service to Toronto Pearson.

The Chicago Department of Aviation joined Air Canada to mark the launch of the carrier’s first route between O’Hare and Billy Bishop.

“On behalf of Mayor Brandon Johnson and the entire City of Chicago, I’m honoured to welcome the historic launch of O’Hare’s first-ever service to Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport,” CDA commissioner Michael J. McMurray said. 

“This new service underscores O’Hare’s world-class connectivity and provides a convenient, nonstop link for Chicagoans to access the heart of Canada’s most populous city.”

Billy Bishop is located on the Toronto Islands southwest of downtown Toronto and has U.S. Customs preclearance facilities.

“Chicago and Toronto are sought-after destinations for business and leisure travel, and we are excited to link Chicago directly to Canada’s financial capital in downtown Toronto,” said Alexandre Lefevre, vice president, network planning & global sales at Air Canada. 

“Our newest route to O’Hare complements our flights from our primary global hub at Toronto Pearson. With border preclearance facilities at Billy Bishop Airport, travel to Chicago is convenient for both business travellers and for people living in the downtown Toronto area. We look forward to welcoming customers on board!”

The twice-daily route operates on a 78-seat, all-economy Dash 8 turboprop aircraft. 

Billy Bishop does not allow commercial jet service.

Flights depart O’Hare at 7:25 a.m. and 2 p.m., while arriving flights land at O’Hare at 1:10 p.m. and 8:16 p.m.

The route complements Air Canada’s service to Toronto Pearson, which operates five times per day.

Scheduled departing seats from Chicago to Canada across O’Hare and Midway International Airports are up 13 per cent this year from pre-pandemic 2019 levels and up 12 per cent from July 2025.

The increase is attributed to the new Air Canada service, as well as Porter Airlines’ expansion of Billy Bishop service and United Airlines’ added Halifax and Edmonton service over the past year.

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