London Gatwick welcomes first ever flights to Ottawa with new Air Transat route
- Air Transat has launched new direct flights from London Gatwick to Canadian capital Ottawa for the first time
- The service operates on Sundays, Thursdays and Fridays
- London Gatwick is offering passengers the choice of nearly 230 destinations this summer, including 56 long-haul services
London Gatwick has celebrated the launch of the first-ever direct flights between the airport and Ottawa, giving passengers a direct new link between the UK and Canada’s vibrant capital city.
The award-winning Canadian leisure airline proudly operated its inaugural service today (Friday 15 May), marking another milestone moment for London Gatwick’s long-haul network.
The new seasonal route will operate three times a week, offering UK passengers even greater choice when planning holidays or visiting friends and family in Canada. Flights depart London Gatwick at 09:40, arriving in Ottawa at 12:40 local time, with return services leaving Ottawa at 19:40 and landing back in London at 07:55 the following day.
Operating on Sundays, Tuesdays and Fridays, the 7-hour 15-minute non-stop service will run throughout the summer season until 23 October 2026.
Ottawa offers visitors a rich mix of history, culture and easy access to Canada’s great outdoors, while the new route also strengthens connections for Canadian passengers travelling to London and beyond via London Gatwick’s extensive short- and long-haul network.
Jonny Macneal, Head of Aviation Development, London Gatwick said: “This exciting new service to Ottawa is a fantastic addition to London Gatwick’s extensive long-haul offering and a real boost for passengers on both sides of the Atlantic. Canada is an important market for us, and this route opens up the country’s capital with faster, more convenient journeys. We’re delighted to celebrate this first-ever connection and look forward to welcoming even more passengers travelling between London and Ottawa this summer.”
Sebastian Ponce, Transat’s Chief Revenue Officer said: “The launch of our inaugural London Gatwick–Ottawa service gives UK travellers a new, easy and inspiring way to discover Canada. As the country’s capital, Ottawa offers a unique mix of culture, nature and year-round experiences, while also serving as a convenient gateway to explore even more of the region. Through our partnership with Porter Airlines, customers will benefit from seamless connections via Ottawa to destinations across Canada and select cities in the United States, all through an airport that is simple, efficient and easy to navigate. This new route reflects our commitment to offering travellers more choice, greater flexibility and a smoother journey as we continue to strengthen our long-term presence in the UK–Canada market.”
London Gatwick is offering passengers the choice of nearly 230 destinations this summer, including 56 long-haul services across North America, the Caribbean, Africa and Asia.
With around 43m annual passengers, London Gatwick is the UK’s second largest and one of Europe’s top airports. It is a vital piece of national infrastructure that drives both the national and regional economies by generating £5.5bn GVA and supporting over 76,000 jobs (2023). More than 60 airlines fly from the airport to over 160 short-haul and more than 50 long-haul destinations. With a declared maximum capacity of 57 movements an hour, London Gatwick is the most efficient single runway airport in the world.
The airport is located 28 miles south of the UK capital and is extremely well-connected, with more than a quarter of England’s population (15m people) – including all of London – less than one hour away by road or rail. A six-year, £2bn sustainable growth programme includes an ambitious plan to be a net zero airport by 2030 and to increase capacity by bringing the airport’s existing Northern Runway into routine use, alongside its Main Runway. VINCI Airports owns a 50.01% stake in the airport, with Global Infrastructure Partners managing the remaining 49.99%.
VINCI Airports, as the leading private airport operator in the world, manages the development and operation of more than 70 airports located in 14 countries. VINCI Airports draws on its expertise as a comprehensive integrator to develop, finance, build and operate airports, leveraging its investment capability and know-how to optimise operational performance and modernise infrastructure while bringing about their environmental transition. In 2016, VINCI Airports became the first airport operator to commit to an international environmental strategy, setting itself the aim of reaching zero net emissions (scope 1 and 2) across the network by 2050 while supporting the territories’ local climate transition.
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Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP), a part of BlackRock, is a leading infrastructure investor that specialises in investing in, owning and operating some of the largest and most complex assets across the energy, transport, digital infrastructure and water and waste management sectors. With energy pragmatism central to our investment thesis, we are well positioned to support the global energy transition.
GIP’s scaled platform has over $170bn in assets under management. We believe that our focus on real infrastructure assets, combined with our deep proprietary origination network and comprehensive operational expertise, enables us to be responsible stewards of our clients’ capital and to create positive economic impact for communities. For more information, visit www.global-infra.com .
