All Airbus: Air Canada Rouge Goes Full Narrowbody

From Simply Flying – link to source story – Thanks CW

by James Pearson | September 20, 2021

Air Canada Rouge, the lower-cost subsidiary and leisure airline of the Canadian flag carrier, took to the skies again in September. With the B767-300ER gone, its 39-strong fleet is now exclusively Airbus. They’re used on 60 routes until the end of the year as it rebuilds its network.

The A321 is crucial to Air Canada Rouge, with this example delivered directly to the carrier in 2015. Photo: Liam Allport via Flickr.

Air Canada Rouge has resumed flying

Air Canada Rouge relaunched with an initial three routes from Toronto: Las Vegas, Orlando, and Regina, in the distant province of Saskatchewan. These were joined by Toronto to Cancun and Tampa a few days later, with all five routes using 200-seat A321ceos.

These were its first flights since February, with the seven-month grounding due to Canada’s non-essential travel ban and the suspension of all flights to the Caribbean and Mexico – two of its essential markets – at the request of the Canadian government. Rouge’s resumption coincided with Canada reopening its borders on September 7th to fully vaccinated foreigners.

Most international routes are by the A321 with stronger economics than the A319/A320. Remember, it is a lower-cost airline, i.e. about the cost of production rather than fares. Photo: Air Canada.

Now exclusively Airbus

Rouge’s fleet is now entirely narrowbody, ch-aviation.com shows, with 20 A319s, 14 A321s, and just five A320s. This follows the retirement of its B767-300ERs, of which it had 25 at one point.

Its 767s were, of course, mainly used long-haul, including across Europe and South America, and the type’s routes had an average of 2,378 miles, OAG indicates. At 5,063 miles, Toronto-Athens was its longest-ever 767 route, but Toronto to Las Vegas had the most flights.

Air Canada Rouge has 20 A319s, with an average age of 23.5 years. Photo: Air Canada.

Currently, five aircraft are active

According to Planespotters.net and confirmed by Flightradar24, only five of its 39-strong fleet – some 13% – is currently active, all A321s. Its A321 fleet has an average age of just 6.1 years, far younger than its A319s (23.5 years; to be retired) and A320s (14.2 years). The younger A321s were delivered directly to Air Canada Rouge.

No widebodies go hand-in-hand with Rouge previously saying that it’ll concentrate on routes within narrowbody range. Air Canada will instead operate suitably good-performing long-haul routes – many have already switched – in a rejigging of networks and focusing on relative strengths.

One of many examples is Toronto to Edinburgh, which was by Rouge’s 767s and from 2022 will instead be by its parent’s Boeing 737 MAX 8s from June 1st. It’ll compete directly with WestJet. Another: Toronto to Bogota, in Rouge’s hands from 2016, is now by Air Canada’s B787s and A330-300s.

Air Canada Rouge had up to 25 B767-300ERs. Photo: Tomás Del Coro via Flickr.

What’s the plan to the end of the year?

Between September 20th and December 31st, Rouge has scheduled 60 routes. Thirty-nine of these are to/from Toronto, with most of the rest from Montreal. With over 2,700 outbound flights planned, the domestic market has almost four in ten departures, comprising eight routes from Toronto.

This is Air Canada Rouge’s network between September 20th and December 31st. Image: OAG Mapper.

Toronto to Québec City has the most flights

Some 13 international countries will welcome Rouge’s flights, with the US the most-served, followed by Cuba, Mexico, Dominican Republic, and the Cayman Islands. Toronto to Miami has the most international flights, as shown below, although the 456-mile domestic link from Toronto to Québec City (YQB) is the most-served, with 28 weekly departures from November.

1. Toronto-Québec City
2. Toronto-Moncton
3. Toronto-Thunder Bay
4. Toronto-Miami
5. Toronto-Las Vegas
6. Toronto-Tampa
7. Toronto-Fort Myers
8. Toronto-Fredericton
9. Montreal-Orlando
10. Montreal-Miami

Air Canada Launches Two New Connections to Florida and More Frequent Flights to Mexico and the Dominican Republic from Quebec City

• New connections to Orlando and Fort Lauderdale starting in November 2021
• The airline is resuming its international service to Punta Cana and Cancun with more frequent flights

MONTREAL, July 29, 2021 /CNW Telbec/ – Air Canada is pleased to announce two new winter services departing from Jean Lesage International Airport (YQB): Orlando and Fort Lauderdale, two very popular sun destinations in Florida, highly favoured by Quebecers. Flights to Fort Lauderdale will start on November 19 and flights to Orlando on December 17. Starting December 4, Air Canada will also be offering more flights to Punta Cana and Cancun.

“We’re excited to be launching these two new routes to Florida from Quebec City, a first for Air Canada. We know that, for many Quebecers, Florida is a popular place for winter vacations,” said Mark Galardo, Senior Vice President, Network Planning and Revenue Management at Air Canada. “Punta Cana and Cancun are also among the most popular tropical destinations, and we are happy to be able to bring back these connections. These routes will not only provide more diverse flight options for Quebec City residents but will also strengthen our foothold in a growing market and better serve the Jean Lesage International Airport, our long–time partner. Now that restrictions are easing, it’s time to start travelling again and book your escape to the sun. We can’t wait to see you back on board.”

“We’re delighted that Air Canada is resuming its international flights from Quebec City to destinations as popular as Cancun, Punta Cana, Orlando and Fort Lauderdale,” said Stéphane Poirier, President and CEO of Jean Lesage International Airport (YQB). “Not only has Air Canada decided to bring back some pre-pandemic connections, but it has also chosen to invest in our market by increasing the frequency and adding two new destinations to the schedule for winter 2021. Now that we can finally travel again, it’s essential that the people in the Greater Quebec City area are able to depart from YQB. This announcement is the result of a fruitful and beneficial collaboration between Air Canada and YQB.”

Air Canada flights out of Quebec City will be operated by Rouge on Airbus A319 planes that can accommodate 136 passengers. Seats can be booked on aircanada.com or the Air Canada app, as well as through Air Canada service centres and travel agencies.

Connection	Frequency	Start date
Quebec City– Fort Lauderdale	Up to 4 x weekly	November 19
Quebec City–Orlando	1 x weekly	December 17
Quebec City–Punta Cana	2 x weekly	December 5
Quebec City–Cancun	2 x weekly	December 4

Travel policy, for booking with complete confidence

Air Canada’s new refund policy will apply to all tickets purchased. The airline offers a full refund based on the original form of payment, an Air Canada travel voucher or the equivalent in Aeroplan points, plus an additional 65 per cent if the airline has to cancel a flight or change the schedule by more than three hours.

Are you travelling abroad? Check our COVID-19 hub or IATA’s Timatic website for the most recent government entry requirements. Passengers are responsible for making sure they meet all government entry requirements. In particular, they will need to have all required travel documents, visas and health certificates and comply with all other entry criteria that apply to the flights for which they have purchased tickets. Government requirements may change at short notice.

About Air Canada

Air Canada is Canada’s largest domestic and international airline and, in 2019, was among the top 20 largest airlines in the world. It is Canada’s flag carrier and a founding member of Star Alliance, the world’s most comprehensive air transportation network. Air Canada is the only international network carrier in North America to receive a Four-Star ranking according to independent U.K. research firm Skytrax. In 2020, Air Canada was named Global Traveler’s Best Airline in North America for the second straight year. In January 2021, Air Canada received APEX’s Diamond Status Certification for the Air Canada CleanCare+ biosafety program for managing COVID-19, the only airline in Canada to attain the highest APEX ranking. Air Canada has also committed to a net-zero emissions goal from all global operations by 2050.

Air Canada Eyes The A321LR As More A220s Set To Be Delivered

From Simple Flying – link to source story

by Jake Hardiman | May 7, 2021

While Air Canada does fly the Boeing 737 MAX series, most of its narrowbody aircraft belong to Airbus families. These include the five-abreast A220 series, of which the airline is set to receive a further 15 examples by the end of 2022. Interestingly, the Canadian flag carrier has also revealed an interest in Airbus’s long-range A321LR model.

The A220 has become popular among Air Canada’s passengers. Photo: Vincenzo Pace | Simple Flying

Four A220s delivered in Q1

Air Canada announced today at its first-quarter earnings call that it has continued its short-haul fleet modernization despite the industry’s present challenges. The Airbus A220 is leading the way in this regeneration, with Air Canada favoring the A220-300 variant.

This next-generation narrowbody has won favor among both employees and passengers for its enhanced efficiency and comfort levels. According to Planespotters.net, Air Canada presently has 19 137-seat A220-300s in its fleet, of which 17 are active. Of these, more than 20% arrived in Q1 of 2021. Indeed, the airline confirmed on the aforementioned call that “we took delivery of four Airbus A220 aircraft in the first quarter.”

C-GNBN sports a stunning retro TCA livery. Photo: Air Canada

These four first-quarter arrivals came in the form of the following aircraft.

• C-GNAM, delivered January 29th.
• C-GTZH, delivered February 19th.
• C-GNBE, delivered March 25th.
• C-GNBN, delivered March 26th with a retro Trans-Canada Air Lines livery.

Next 15 deliveries also secured

The introduction of the A220 has played a significant role in the regeneration of Air Canada’s short-haul fleet. The type will replace its remaining A319s, which have an average age of 24 years. Amid the pandemic, it has not been unusual to see carriers defer orders. However, regarding its remaining A220s, the airline confirmed that:Advertisement:

“In March 2021, Air Canada concluded a committed secured facility totaling US$475 million to finance the purchase of the next 15 Airbus A220 aircraft scheduled for delivery in 2021 and 2022.”

Air Canada will receive its remaining A220s by the end of 2022. Photo: Vincenzo Pace | Simple Flying

Potentially a place for the A321LR as well

In the longer term, Air Canada will be hoping that it can resume its longer-haul services to transatlantic destinations such as the UK and mainland Europe. However, ongoing uncertainty remains regarding different countries’ restrictions and vaccination rates.

As such, it may not see the demand levels that it had become accustomed to before coronavirus. With this in mind, the airline is open to trying new aircraft types in order to adapt to market fluctuations. For example, it stated that:Advertisement:

“We’ve done a pretty good job covering ourselves for growth beyond our expectations, but certainly also for even further fine tuning. (…) That gives us the opportunity to then potentially step into new types of aircraft. Like the A321LRs, for example, that we like, and that certainly have a potential place in Air Canada’s fleet as we go forward.“

Air Transat operates both first-generation (pictured) and ‘neo’ variants of the A321, including the latter’s ‘LR’ version. Will Air Canada follow suit in this respect?  Photo: Vincenzo Pace | Simple Flying

Of course, the carrier would not be the first Canadian airline to deploy this long-range version of the Airbus A321neo series. Indeed, Air Transat, whose merger with Air Canada was recently canceled, has operated the type since 2019. Last October, Air Transat even set the record for the world’s longest flight using the aircraft.

This saw it fly non-stop from Montréal, Canada to Athens, Greece. This represented an impressive distance of 7,600 km (4,100 NM), although it has since been beaten by Azores Airlines. Nonetheless, with the aircraft being an ideal fit for ‘long thin’ transatlantic markets, Air Canada’s interest is understandable. 

Air Canada A319 crew failed to hear landing clearance

News provided by FlightGlobal.com – link to full story

30 October 2019 by DAVID KAMINSKI-MORROW, FlightGlobal.com

Canadian investigators have disclosed that an Air Canada Airbus A319 touched down at San Francisco despite its crew’s not hearing the landing clearance.

The aircraft (C-FZUJ) had been operating from Toronto on 3 October, says Transportation Safety Board of Canada.

It states that San Francisco controllers cleared the aircraft to land.

“However, it was not heard by the flight crew because the approach frequency had not been switched to the tower frequency,” it adds.

The aircraft landed without further incident.

None of the 110 occupants was injured, says the safety board. Air Canada is conducting an investigation into the event.

Lithuania’s GetJet provides ACMI service for Canada’s Sunwing

News provided by Air Transport World – link to full story, with a hint from P.N.

Jack Wittman 24 September 2019

GetJet Airlines A319

Lithuanian wet-lease provider GetJet Airlines has entered the Canadian market with a contract to perform flights for leisure carrier Sunwing Airlines.

GetJet began flying on behalf of Toronto-based Sunwing Sept. 2 with an Airbus A319 under a short-term contract. The additional capacity was needed to help compensate for the grounding of Sunwing’s four Boeing 737 MAX 8s, GetJet said.

“Canada is a new strategic destination for us—until now we have mostly been operating in Europe,” GetJet CEO Darius Viltrakis said. “Entering the Canadian market has been a long-term goal for GetJet Airlines, and one for which we have been preparing carefully and thoroughly. This partnership will strengthen our position in the international market [as we] embark on further expansion in North America after this very promising beginning.”

Vilnius-based GetJet provides aircraft, crew, maintenance and insurance (ACMI) and charter services with a fleet of 17 aircraft: three Airbus A319s, six A320s, an A330 and seven Boeing 737s.

Jack Wittman, jack.c.wittman@informa.com

Air Canada Announces Increased Capacity and Enhanced Services to Atlantic Canada

Provided by Air Canada/CNW

• Toronto-Saint John, NB, Flights to be operated by Air Canada Rouge starting this winter
• Halifax-Calgary year-round service on Air Canada starting March 1, 2020
• Toronto-Charlottetown Air Canada Rouge service now year-round
• Halifax-Gander additional daily flight
• Moncton, Fredericton-Toronto flights now operated year-round by Air Canada Rouge

MONTREAL, July 3, 2019 /CNW Telbec/ – Air Canada today announced a host of enhancements to Atlantic Canada services starting this winter. Overall capacity will increase by 8% as some routes will transfer to Air Canada Rouge, and other Air Canada Rouge and mainline services will be extended to year-round.

“Leisure travellers and business customers alike will benefit from these service enhancements which clearly demonstrate our commitment to these markets as we increase capacity on numerous routes in Atlantic Canada, which we have been serving year-round since 1942, longer than any other carrier,” said Mark Galardo, Vice President of Network Planning at Air Canada. “With the introduction of Air Canada Rouge service to Saint John, NB, the extension of Rouge on Charlottetown-Toronto and the expansion of Halifax-Calgary flights to year-round service, Atlantic Canada will enjoy an improved product and convenient connections throughout Air Canada’s extensive North American and global network.”

“Air Canada has been a valued partner for many years,” said Saint John Airport President and CEO Derrick Stanford. “Their decision to enhance YSJ’s current offering with bigger aircraft will mean more capacity, business-class service and faster flight times to connection banks like Toronto, something our business passengers have come to depend on. We look forward to working together to serve the Saint John community for many years to come.”

“We are very pleased with Air Canada’s announcement today of Air Canada Rouge service in Charlottetown for Winter 2019/2020. These larger Air Canada Rouge jets will offer added capacity on the Charlottetown-Toronto route and is a direct response to demand in the PEI market in the winter time”, said Doug Newson, CEO of the Charlottetown Airport Authority. “This will result in more travel options for Islanders and those wishing to visit or do business here. The increased capacity to and from Air Canada’s Toronto hub also means Islanders have more options to connect to Air Canada’s extensive global network.”

Beginning October 27, 2019, twice daily Saint John-Toronto flights will be operated year-round by Air Canada Rouge using an Airbus A319, replacing the Bombardier Q400s. This represents a 16% increase in available seats, while also offering an upgraded customer experience on the A319 which features Premium Rouge and Economy cabins, as well as streaming in-flight entertainment.

Air Canada operates out of four airports in New Brunswick with roughly 1,600 daily seats available for travellers. Also continuing year-round will be Air Canada Rouge service from Toronto to Moncton (three times a day) and Fredericton(twice a day), also operated by an Airbus A319, representing a 16% capacity increase through the winter season.

Charlottetown-Toronto flights operated by Air Canada Rouge in the summer will become year-round service as of December 16, 2019, with two daily flights operated with an Airbus A319. Air Canada offers nonstop flights from Charlottetown to Halifax, Ottawa, Montreal and Toronto.

Air Canada is also adding a second daily flight between Gander, NL and Halifax during the winter season. Flights between Halifax and Gander will be operated year-round on the Bombardier Q400.

From Halifax, Air Canada mainline will operate year-round non-stop service to Calgary on an Airbus A319 beginning March 1, 2020.

Air Canada also recently inaugurated non-stop service between Montreal and Sydney, Nova Scotia, for the summer season.

All flights provide for Aeroplan accumulation and redemption, Star Alliance reciprocal benefits and, for eligible customers, priority check-in, Maple Leaf Lounge access, priority boarding and other benefits.

Air Canada in the Community

The Air Canada Foundation is active in several charitable organizations throughout Atlantic Canada, helping a variety of organizations.

In New Brunswick, the Foundation assists The Big Brothers & Big Sisters of Saint-John, the Canadian Cancer Society (Saint John), the Atlantic Wellness Community Centre and Moncton Headstart.

Nova Scotia organizations includes the IWK Foundation in Halifax, the Canadian Allergy, Asthma and Immunology Foundation in Orleans and Dreams Take Flight.

In Prince Edward Island, the Foundation is involved with the heart and stroke Foundation, Big Brothers and Big Sisters of P.E.I and The kidney Foundation of Canada.

Similarly, in Newfoundland and Labrador, the Foundation also assists the Big Brothers and Big Sister as well as The Janeway Children’s Hospital Foundation, the Eating Disorder Foundation and the Easter Seals.

Air Canada prepares rouge subsidiary for ULCC competition

From Air Transport World – 9 August 2018 – Sean Broderick

As the Canadian ULCC market heats up, Air Canada said it is prepared to leverage the significant flexibility of its rouge subsidiary to ward off competition, from adding flights in major domestic markets to re-configuring aircraft to match rivals’ all-economy offerings.

“We have been preparing to ensure that we have all the tools necessary to offset [low-cost competition] and ensure that we are not negatively impacted,” Air Canada passenger airlines president Ben Smith said.

Set up five years ago as a leisure-destination operation, rouge’s network is heavily transborder and international, with only a handful of year-round and seasonal routes within Canada. None of them link any of the country’s six largest metropolitan areas—Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, Calgary, Ottawa and Edmonton—part of the carrier’s strategy to preserve mainline margins.

Calgary-based WestJet and its ULCC subsidiary Swoop are following a similar network strategy, but unlike rouge’s two-class aircraft, Swoop operates 189-seat all-economy Boeing 737-800s.

Fast-growing ULCC Flair Airlines is taking the strategy a step further, operating single-class, 158-seat 737-400s on popular domestic routes such as Toronto-Calgary and Vancouver-Calgary. The Edmonton-based carrier’s recent announcement to move its Hamilton services to Toronto will make it even more prominent, and it plans to follow rouge and Swoop into transborder services.

While Montreal-based Air Canada set up rouge as a hybrid low-cost leisure carrier, the company has flexibility to transform its subsidiary to meet market needs, thanks in part to a 2017 amendment to its pilot agreement. The deal lifted Rouge’s fleet-size cap of 50—25 widebodies and 25 narrowbodies—by permitting more narrowbodies based on Air Canada’s mainline operation and permits rouge aircraft to replace regional feeder flying.

Air Canada is already taking advantage of the narrowbody cap’s removal. Its 53-aircraft fleet includes 22 Airbus A319s and six A321s, and it plans to add three A320s next year. It also is evaluating its rouge deployment strategy in light of shifting market dynamics.

“We have not deployed one of our options, which is rouge on any of the major markets. We can do that,” Smith said. “We can also modify the rouge model …. We can densify the rouge aircraft to bring down the CASM. So, a lot of flexibility.”

Usage of the A320s will be determined by the best opportunities. While the strategy could change, Smith said three options are being considered: adding domestic capacity, flying attractive “southern” routes to Florida, Mexico, and the Caribbean, or replacing regional-feeder flying.

“We’re quite pleased with the position we’re in,” he said.

Sean Broderick, sean.broderick@aviationweek.com