Air Canada has extended the suspension of its flights between Toronto and Dubai until the end of March 2027, citing the continuing security situation in the Middle East.
The decision comes as international airlines take different approaches to operating in the region. While some carriers have gradually restored limited services to cities such as Dubai, Doha and Tel Aviv, others have delayed planned resumptions amid the absence of a ceasefire and renewed flare-ups in parts of the region.
Dutch carrier KLM has repeatedly postponed the return of several key Middle Eastern routes from Amsterdam since the US-Israeli strike on Iran in February 2026.
British Airways, meanwhile, recently scrapped its planned London Heathrow-Abu Dhabi service, which it had initially intended to operate daily throughout 2026.
Air Canada’s latest move affects its Toronto Pearson International Airport-Dubai International Airport route.
In an update published on its website, the Canadian carrier said, “due to the situation in the Middle East, flights to and from Dubai (DXB) will remain cancelled until the end of March 2027.”
Before the February 2026 attack that triggered the latest regional instability, Air Canada operated a daily Toronto-Dubai service. The route was launched in 2023 using a 298-seat Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner as demand for travel to Dubai increased.
The airline had also previously operated a seasonal service between Vancouver International Airport and Dubai. By the beginning of 2026, however, Toronto was its only Canadian departure point for Dubai.
The latest postponement means Air Canada will not serve Dubai or the wider United Arab Emirates market until March 2027 at the earliest.
The airline had previously planned to resume its Toronto-Dubai service in January 2027, after an earlier restart target of mid-September. Its Toronto-Tel Aviv service had been scheduled to return on November 30.
Air Canada said decisions concerning the resumption or continued suspension of individual routes would be based on “a thorough review of the security environment in the region.”
The airline previously operated a service to Doha, Qatar, but suspended that route in 2023 for commercial reasons unrelated to the current security situation.
Its Toronto-Tel Aviv route remains scheduled for a November restart.
For now, however, Air Canada has no active services to the Middle East while its Dubai and Tel Aviv routes remain suspended.
Josh Bandura, founder of the Frequent Flyer travel blog, said travellers should not rely on Air Canada immediately restoring its Gulf services.
“A suspension running this long is effectively an exit, and travelers holding Aeroplan points earmarked for the Gulf shouldn’t wait around for a reversal,” Bandura told TheStreet.
“Anyone with plans on these routes should be looking at partner redemptions or repositioning through another hub now, rather than banking on Air Canada coming back in 2027.”
Other major US carriers are also maintaining lengthy suspensions. American Airlines and United Airlines currently have March 2027 restart dates for their respective routes to Doha and Dubai.
As international carriers reduce or suspend operations in the region, UAE-based airlines Emirates and Etihad have become key options for passengers travelling to and from the country.
Emirates currently operates flights from Dubai to Toronto and Montréal-Trudeau International Airport, while Etihad, based in Abu Dhabi, also serves Toronto from the UAE capital.
