Air Canada Launches New MSP Route to Montreal

There are more air travel options north of the border for Minnesotans this summer. Air Canada announced a major network expansion with the release of its 2022 summer schedule, which includes a new route between Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport (MSP) and Montréal-Trudeau International Airport (YUL).

Air Canada will begin the daily, year-round route between MSP and YUL on June 2 using 76-seat CRJ-900 aircraft. This will be Air Canada’s second destination from MSP. It’s currently operating daily service to Toronto (YYZ).

“It’s encouraging to see Air Canada’s expanded commitment to MSP with the airline’s first-ever service between the Twin Cities and Montreal,” said Brian Ryks, CEO of the Metropolitan Airports Commission, which operates MSP. “The new transborder service is a sign of continued recovery in air service demand and the opportunities that provides for airlines and communities.”

Pre-pandemic, approximately 17,000 people traveled between MSP and YUL annually. Air Canada operates out of Terminal 1, in Concourse E.

MSP has 195 active routes in March, up from 170 in 2021, but down from 225 routes just prior to the pandemic two years ago.

Kim Stevens

Kim Stevens is the publisher of State Aviation Journal, which he founded in 2009. A longtime commercial-rated pilot, he was introduced to state aviation in 1992 as Director of the Nebraska Department of Aeronautics, later serving as Deputy Division Director for the Arizona Department of Transportation's Aeronautics Division. From 2013 to 2018, he was Director of Communications and Operations for the National Association of State Aviation Officials (NASAO) in Washington, D.C. Relocating to North Carolina, Kim worked for the Raleigh-Durham International Airport for two years and now concentrates solely on the Journal. Prior to his aviation career, Kim spent a decade in the newspaper and magazine business.