Berlin Brandenburg Airport is preparing for a landmark year in 2026, as a wave of new routes from Air Canada, Air Transat, Emirates, Delta Air Lines, Eurowings, Wizz Air and Ryanair promises to significantly deepen the German capital’s global connectivity. From fresh transatlantic links to expanded European coverage and strengthened Middle East and leisure networks, the combined moves point to a maturing hub that is increasingly central to both business and leisure flows across Europe and beyond.
Air Canada Leads a New Transatlantic Chapter for Berlin
At the heart of Berlin’s 2026 transformation is Air Canada’s decision to return to the German capital with a nonstop link to Montréal. The Canadian flag carrier will inaugurate a three-times-weekly seasonal service between Montréal and Berlin in early July 2026, operating through mid-October. The route is planned with the new Airbus A321XLR, a long-range narrowbody that allows Air Canada to pair efficient economics with a full long-haul product, including lie-flat business class seats and a modern economy cabin.
For Berlin, the Montréal service delivers a major new North American gateway. Passengers from Germany’s capital will gain one-stop access via Montréal to a wide Canadian network and onward destinations across the United States, the Caribbean and Latin America. For Canadian travelers, Berlin joins Air Canada’s growing portfolio of European capitals and cultural centers, offering a nonstop gateway into one of Europe’s most dynamic urban destinations.
Air Canada is positioning its 2026 transatlantic schedule as one of the most extensive in North America by number of destinations, and Berlin is a key piece of that strategy. The Montréal–Berlin route is part of a larger expansion that also adds new links from Canada to Brussels, Nantes, Ponta Delgada, Palma de Mallorca, Catania and other cities. In this context, Berlin is not an isolated bet but a deliberate commitment to re-engage with a market the airline last served before the pandemic, this time with a more efficient aircraft and a better-connected Canadian hub.
The choice of Berlin underscores a wider trend among long-haul operators: favoring high-demand cultural and tech hubs that can support strong year-round demand spreads. Berlin’s growing base of creative industries, start-ups and research institutions, as well as its tourism pull, neatly matches Montréal’s own profile as a cultural and innovation center, giving the route a solid foundation on both ends.
Air Transat Deepens Canada–Berlin Leisure Ties
Air Transat, another major Canadian player, has already placed a spotlight on Berlin with its own seasonal routes, and its presence is expected to complement Air Canada’s in 2026. The leisure-focused airline has previously committed to nonstop summer service between Toronto and Berlin using fuel-efficient Airbus A321LR aircraft, targeting price-sensitive vacationers and visiting-friends-and-relatives traffic.
While Air Transat’s primary focus is leisure, the airline’s network strategy has important implications for Berlin’s connectivity. By funneling passengers from across Canada into its Toronto hub, often via a joint venture and interline partnerships, it effectively expands the catchment area feeding Berlin beyond the Greater Toronto region. For German travelers, the route offers a direct gateway not only to Toronto but also to secondary Canadian destinations that might otherwise require multiple connections.
In tandem, Air Canada and Air Transat are turning Berlin into a much more accessible European entry point for Canadian travelers. Rather than relying solely on traditional hubs such as Frankfurt, Munich or Paris, Canadians heading to Germany or Central and Eastern Europe will have more flexibility to enter the continent through Berlin, then continue on with low-cost or full-service European carriers. This fragmentation of transatlantic demand across multiple European gateways is a long-term structural shift, and Berlin is now clearly part of that pattern.
For Berlin’s tourism and hospitality sectors, additional Canadian capacity means a broader mix of visitors with differing spending profiles and trip purposes. From long-stay urban explorers to shorter city-break travelers, airlines like Air Transat are instrumental in diversifying the inbound market and smoothing out seasonality through competitive fares and targeted holiday packages.
Gulf and U.S. Carriers: Emirates and Delta Expand Global Reach
Alongside the Canadian push, long-haul carriers from the Middle East and the United States are also recalibrating their presence in Berlin. Emirates has long viewed Germany as a crucial market, and industry expectations point to the Gulf carrier reinforcing its role in Berlin’s long-haul landscape in 2026. Additional capacity or refinements to schedules would give Berlin-based travelers more flexible access to Dubai’s global hub, connecting them one-stop to destinations across Asia, Africa, the Indian Ocean and Australasia.
For Emirates, Berlin represents an underserved combination of strong corporate, governmental and leisure demand that is not fully captured by Germany’s traditional southern hubs. Strengthening its Berlin offering in 2026 would align with the airline’s broader strategy of consolidating its position in key European capitals, especially those with robust tech and cultural sectors that generate premium demand. For Berlin, more seats into Dubai mean enhanced connectivity to markets where direct German links are limited or non-existent.
Delta Air Lines, for its part, continues to view continental Europe as a growth area and has been methodically rebuilding its transatlantic joint venture network with European partners. As U.S. carriers progressively restore and extend their European route maps after the pandemic, Berlin stands out as a logical candidate for renewed or expanded service, particularly from hubs such as New York or Atlanta. A strengthened Delta footprint in 2026 would dovetail with surging U.S. interest in Berlin’s culture, nightlife and start-up scene.
For North American travelers, the combined effect of Air Canada, Air Transat, Delta and possibly other U.S. carriers is straightforward: far more choice and flexibility. Depending on pricing, schedules and loyalty programs, passengers will be able to mix and match itineraries, flying into Berlin on one carrier and out on another, or pairing transatlantic segments with European low-cost connections. From Berlin’s perspective, this diversity helps stabilize demand, reducing reliance on any single long-haul partner.
Eurowings Drives Regional and Intra-European Growth from BER
Among the European players, Eurowings is set to become one of the key short- and medium-haul architects of Berlin’s 2026 network. The Lufthansa Group low-cost and leisure brand has announced a significant expansion of its operations at Berlin Brandenburg Airport for the summer 2026 season. The plan includes basing additional aircraft at BER, growing the stationed fleet to nine aircraft, and rolling out an enlarged route map that covers both city-break favorites and sun destinations.
In 2026, Eurowings will add new capital city connections from Berlin to London Heathrow, Lisbon and Sarajevo, alongside fresh holiday routes to Olbia, Naples and Kavala. Sarajevo and Kavala will see their first ever nonstop links from Berlin, representing a notable step in opening up under-served corners of Southern and Southeastern Europe to travelers from Germany’s capital. At the same time, Eurowings will increase frequencies to popular destinations such as Palma de Mallorca, Stockholm, Zurich, Split, Bilbao, Faro, Helsinki, Gothenburg and Larnaca.
The scale of the Eurowings build-up is significant. By summer 2026, the carrier expects to serve around 43 destinations in 20 countries from Berlin, creating a dense European network that functions as the short-haul backbone of the airport’s connectivity. These routes cater to a wide mix of passengers, from price-conscious leisure travelers chasing beach holidays and city breaks, to small- and medium-sized enterprises seeking affordable point-to-point business travel options without the need to route through major hubs.
For long-haul partners like Air Canada or Emirates, Eurowings’ expanded presence adds important feeder and dispersal capability. Passengers arriving on transatlantic or Middle East services can connect to a broad array of European destinations with minimal backtracking, while incoming short-haul traffic can flow into the long-haul departures. Even though Berlin is not yet a classic banked hub in the style of Frankfurt or Amsterdam, this widening network makes the airport more attractive for airlines looking to build sustainable long-haul services.
Wizz Air and Ryanair: Low-Cost Giants Reshape Short-Haul Dynamics
Ultra-low-cost carriers Wizz Air and Ryanair continue to play a decisive role in Berlin’s connectivity story, even as they periodically adjust capacity in response to cost pressures and regulatory environments. For 2025 and the 2025 to 2026 winter season, Ryanair has signaled a modest reduction in seats at BER, citing high aviation taxes and rising airport charges in Germany. Some routes, including links to Brussels, Krakow and other destinations, are expected to be trimmed or suspended during the colder months.
However, summer 2026 is likely to see a renewed push by low-cost operators, including both Ryanair and Wizz Air, to compete aggressively on high-demand leisure and migrant-worker routes in Central and Eastern Europe. Wizz Air, which has historically focused on connecting German airports with cities in Romania, Bulgaria, Hungary and the Western Balkans, is well positioned to capture demand from Berlin’s diverse and highly mobile population. As new routes and frequencies are added, Berlin’s role as a gateway into Eastern Europe will only be reinforced.
For travelers, the presence of Wizz Air and Ryanair at Berlin Brandenburg Airport keeps fares in check and widens the array of direct options, particularly to smaller regional cities that are not priorities for full-service airlines. These carriers often operate at times and on days that complement, rather than duplicate, the schedules of other airlines, giving passengers more flexibility to plan weekend trips, extended holidays or complex multi-city itineraries.
From the airport’s perspective, maintaining a healthy mix of ultra-low-cost, hybrid and full-service carriers is key to resilience. While Ryanair’s temporary cuts highlight the challenges posed by Germany’s cost environment and air travel taxation, both Ryanair and Wizz Air have demonstrated a long-term appetite for the Berlin market. New route announcements and seasonal adjustments are likely to continue into 2026, especially as broader economic conditions and fuel prices evolve.
What the 2026 Network Means for Travelers and the Capital Region
The combined schedules of Air Canada, Air Transat, Emirates, Delta, Eurowings, Wizz Air and Ryanair in 2026 effectively reposition Berlin Brandenburg Airport as a far more prominent player in the European airport hierarchy. For travelers, the tangible benefits fall into several categories: more nonstop destinations, better long-haul connections, increased competition on key routes and greater flexibility in trip planning.
North American travelers, in particular, will notice that reaching Berlin becomes easier and more direct. With multiple Canadian carriers serving the city and potential U.S. options through Delta and its partners, the need to route through Frankfurt, Munich or Amsterdam diminishes. This not only saves time but also spreads traffic more evenly across the European network, easing pressure on the most congested hubs.
For residents of Berlin and the surrounding Brandenburg region, the 2026 network improvements translate into a richer menu of holiday and business destinations. Sunseekers will gain more choice of Mediterranean and Atlantic resorts, city-break enthusiasts can pick from a growing list of European capitals, and long-haul travelers will find better options to reach North America, the Middle East and beyond. Enhanced connectivity can also have secondary benefits, such as attracting international conferences, start-up investment and foreign students.
Local tourism authorities are likely to view the new routes as a platform for targeted marketing campaigns in Canada, the United States, the Gulf region and selected European markets. As airlines roll out their 2026 schedules, coordinated promotions highlighting Berlin’s cultural calendar, museum scene and surrounding nature could help stimulate demand, particularly during shoulder seasons when airlines are keen to fill additional capacity.
Operational Challenges and Strategic Outlook for BER
The growth story at Berlin Brandenburg Airport is not without challenges. Periodic weather disruptions, such as recent ice storms that temporarily halted operations, have exposed the need for robust de-icing capacity and contingency planning during winter months. As more long-haul and high-frequency short-haul services arrive in 2026, ensuring operational resilience will be critical to maintaining airline confidence and passenger satisfaction.
At the political level, debates over infrastructure and operating constraints continue. Proposals to relax the strict night-flight curfew or to consider a third runway in the distant future underscore the tension between local noise and environmental concerns and the region’s ambition to grow as an international aviation hub. While no immediate expansion of runway capacity is on the table, strategic discussions are intensifying, driven in part by the very demand that new routes in 2026 are expected to generate.
From a strategic standpoint, Berlin’s path forward seems to lie in cultivating a balanced role between point-to-point gateway and emerging connecting hub. The airport is unlikely to rival the massive transfer operations of Frankfurt or London Heathrow in the near term, but it can carve out a distinct niche as a nimble and well-connected capital city airport. The presence of multiple carrier types, from Canadian and Gulf long-haul airlines to European hybrids and ultra-low-cost operators, is a strength rather than a complication if managed effectively.
Over the medium term, sustained growth will also depend on ground connectivity. Investments in rail and road links to the wider metropolitan area are essential to ensure that residents of Berlin and Brandenburg can easily access the expanded air network. Integrating flight schedules with high-speed rail connections can further extend the airport’s catchment area into neighboring states and even neighboring countries, amplifying the impact of new routes introduced in 2026.
How to Make the Most of Berlin’s 2026 Connectivity Wave
For travelers planning ahead, the wave of 2026 route announcements offers an opportunity to rethink how Berlin fits into their European itineraries. North American visitors might consider flying directly into Berlin on Air Canada or Air Transat, using the city as a base for onward exploration by rail or low-cost carriers, then departing Europe from another gateway. This open-jaw approach often delivers better value and allows for more diverse trip designs.
European travelers, on the other hand, can leverage Eurowings, Wizz Air and Ryanair’s expanding networks to add side trips or weekend escapes to their Berlin stays. With more frequent services to Mediterranean beaches, Nordic capitals and Balkan cities, it becomes easier to combine a cultural city break in Berlin with a few days by the sea or in the mountains, all within a single holiday.
Business travelers should pay close attention to schedule details as airlines finalize their 2026 timetables. Early morning departures and late evening returns on key routes can dramatically increase the viability of same-day trips within Europe, while well-timed transatlantic services open the door to efficient two- or three-day itineraries in North America. Loyalty program members may also find new opportunities to earn and redeem points as code-share agreements and partnerships evolve around the expanded Berlin network.
Ultimately, the developments slated for 2026 mark a turning point for Berlin Brandenburg Airport. With Air Canada, Air Transat, Emirates, Delta, Eurowings, Wizz Air and Ryanair all contributing in different ways, the German capital is set to become more globally connected than ever. For travelers, that means more options, better value and a compelling reason to put Berlin at the center of their future journeys.