Summary
- Air Canada has acquired 4 ex-Alaska Airlines Airbus A320s ahead of its planned expansion this summer.
- The aircraft can be deployed on routes across North America and the Caribbean upon delivery.
- Air Canada is currently eyeing the addition of several recent destinations within the US and Mexico from its hubs at Toronto and Montreal.
As demand for narrowbody jets continues to surge, Air Canada has found a nifty solution in picking up several old Alaska Airlines Airbus A320-200 airframes to satisfy capability demand.
Former Alaska Airlines Airbus A320 Makes An Emergency Landing At San Antonio International Airport
The plane’s speed decreased below 150 miles per hour at 15,000 feet.
Continued fleet development
4 ex-Alaska Airlines A320s, averaging around 14 years, have been acquired by Air Canada, with their registrations freshly updated from their former US N designation to Canada’s C. In line with ch-aviation, three aircraft, C-FCZF (ex-N637VA), C-FCQX (ex-N847VA), and C-FCYX (ex-N853VA), are currently undergoing maintenance at Piedmont Triad International Airport (GSO) in Greensboro, North Carolina. The oldest aircraft to be delivered, C-FCQD (ex-N632VA), stays in storage at San Antonio International Airport (SAT) after experiencing issues during in-flight testing earlier this week.
An extra ex-China Southern Airlines A320, B-6267, previously stored at Larnaca International Airport (LCA), is predicted to be delivered to Air Canada as C-FDGQ after its current lease expires on January 31.
Photo: Vincenzo Pace I Easy Flying
With 28 A220-300 and A321XLR within the order books, the upcoming A320s will likely support Air Canada’s growing short and medium-haul segment. Air Canada’s existing fleet of 16 A320-200s is currently deployed on a mixture of routes, including domestic services between its bases at Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ), Winnipeg James Armstrong Richardson International Airport (YWG), Montréal–Trudeau International Airport (YUL), Ottawa/Macdonald–Cartier International Airport (YOW), and Vancouver International Airport (YVR), in addition to tourism-targeted services to Southwest Florida International Airport (RSW) in Fort Myers, Punta Cana International Airport (PUJ) within the Dominican Republic, and Miami International Airport (MIA), amongst others.
As of January 2024, Air Canada’s energetic short and medium-haul fleet comprises a mixture of 34 previous-generation A319, A320, and A321 aircraft, 28 A220s, and 28 Boeing 737 MAX 8, excluding wet-leases.
Air Canada Now Offers Realtime Baggage Tracking For Domestic Flights
The brand new feature on the airline’s mobile app will enable passengers to trace their very own baggage and mobility aids.
Added capability ahead of growth
Throughout the 2024 summer travel season, Air Canada is eying further medium-haul expansion from its hubs in Toronto and Montreal, with over 120 destinations across North America and the Caribbean on offer.
12 months-round flights to Tulum International Airport (TQO) are set to launch on May 3 from Toronto and May 4 from Montreal, running twice every week and day by day, respectively. Toronto will see day by day direct Air Canada services to Charleston International Airport (CHS) from March 28, while Montreal will add services to Austin–Bergstrom International Airport (AUS) and St. Louis Lambert International Airport (STL) in May. Some existing services will increase frequency through summer, with other seasonal flights set to resume.
Photo: Air Canada
In a press release shared in December, Air Canada’s Executive Vice President of revenue and Network Planning, Mark Galardo, celebrated the carrier’s latest expansion through North America, adding,
A Lot Of Love For Tulum As JetBlue & Air Canada Arrive
Next yr, five US carriers and one Canadian will launch flights to Mexico’s newest airport.
What are your thoughts on Air Canada’s decision to tackle ex-Alaska Airlines Airbus A320s? Tell us within the comments.