Hokkaido’s Sapporo airport has just scored another feather in its cap with the news that Air Canada will soon be offering nonstop flights to the region popular for the annual Snow Festival and easy links to world-class skiing destinations.
New Chitose Airport (CTS), the primary gateway to Hokkaido, is the closest international airport to Niseko—roughly 110 km away—making it a key entry point for winter travellers.
This will be the only direct flight from North America and will launch for the first time for the 2026 snow season.
Air Canada says the seasonal Vancouver (YVR)–Sapporo New Chitose (CTS) service will operate three times weekly on Boeing 787 Dreamliners from mid‑December 2026 through late March 2027, with flights on sale now.
The route is big news for snow enthusiasts given New Chitose is about two hours from Niseko and Furano by car and roughly 90 minutes’ to Rusutsu—cutting overall travel time compared with indirect connections.
The service will join other seasonal links to Sapporo, including Singapore Airlines’ winter six-week run. What a time to be alive.