Air India and WestJet have launched an interline partnership that significantly expands Air India’s reach across North America. Travellers flying Air India to Toronto or Vancouver can now connect onward via WestJet to 31 additional cities, all on a single ticket.
If you’ve been booking separate tickets to connect from a smaller Canadian city to India, this removes a real pain point.
What the Partnership Covers
The interline agreement, announced on April 17, 2026, lets passengers book combined Air India and WestJet itineraries as a single ticket. That means coordinated baggage handling, protection if you misconnect, and no need to collect your bags and re-check them at your Canadian gateway.
Through WestJet’s domestic and transborder network, Air India passengers connecting in Toronto (YYZ) or Vancouver (YVR) can reach 17 Canadian cities: Calgary, Edmonton, Montreal, Winnipeg, Halifax, Ottawa, Saskatoon, Regina, Kelowna, St. John’s, Victoria, Prince George, Comox, Nanaimo, Fort St. John, Terrace, and Cranbrook.
On the U.S. side, 14 cities are accessible: San Francisco, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Atlanta, Orlando, Nashville, Phoenix, Tampa, Detroit, San Diego, Fort Lauderdale, Palm Springs, Santa Ana, and Fort Myers.
Previously, searching Calgary to Delhi on Air India’s website would have returned no results. Now, as shown above, you can book a WestJet connection from Calgary through Vancouver onto Air India’s non-stop to Delhi – all on one ticket, starting at $1,439 (CAD) in economy or $4,813 (CAD) in business class.
If you’re based in Halifax or Saskatoon and fly to India regularly, this is the first time you’ve had a proper single-ticket option without piecing together two separate bookings through Toronto or Vancouver.
Air India’s Routes to Canada
Air India currently operates 17 non-stop flights per week to Canada – 10 weekly to Toronto and seven weekly to Vancouver.
The partnership also extends through Air India’s European gateways. Passengers connecting through London Heathrow (49 weekly flights), Paris Charles de Gaulle (14 weekly), Amsterdam Schiphol (seven weekly), or London Gatwick (five weekly) can book onward WestJet connections as part of the same ticket.
Air India has been on an upward trajectory since its acquisition by the Tata Group. The carrier recently debuted its first retrofitted 787-8 with an all-new cabin product, and completed its merger with Vistara, consolidating India’s full-service carrier market under one brand. If you haven’t flown Air India recently, it’s a different airline from what it used to be – check out our review of Air India’s A350 business class.
What This Means for Points Bookings
Air India is a Star Alliance member, so you can already redeem Aeroplan points for Air India flights to India. This interline partnership is separate from any loyalty program, though. For now, these combined WestJet + Air India itineraries are available as cash bookings only, through Air India’s website, mobile app, or a travel agent.
If you want to use points, your best option is still to book the Air India leg through Aeroplan and handle the domestic WestJet connection separately with WestJet points or cash.
Airline partnerships do tend to deepen over time, though. WestJet’s relationship with Copa Airlines followed a similar arc – it started as an interline before expanding to let you earn and redeem WestJet points on Copa flights. The Korean Air partnership also evolved from interline to full codeshare. It wouldn’t be surprising to see WestJet points become redeemable on these combined itineraries down the road, but nothing has been announced on that front yet.
Conclusion
This partnership is most relevant if you regularly fly between India and a Canadian city that isn’t Toronto or Vancouver. If you’re based in Calgary, Halifax, or Winnipeg and have been stitching together separate tickets, the single-ticket convenience and misconnection protection alone make this worth using.
It won’t change how most Miles & Points enthusiasts book these routes – Aeroplan redemptions on Air India remain the stronger play. But for cash bookings, having 31 more cities accessible on a single itinerary is a practical upgrade for one of the busiest international corridors out of Canada.
Interline itineraries are available for booking now on Air India’s website.
This story originally appeared on princeoftravel
