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Air Canada
Air Canada Logo.svg
Founded 10 April 1937; 88 years ago (1937-04-10)
(as Trans-Canada Air Lines)
Commenced operations 1 January 1965; 60 years ago (1965-01-01)
(as Air Canada)
AOC #
  • Canada: 5262
  • United States: ARNF245C
Hubs
Focus cities
  • Calgary
  • Halifax
  • Ottawa
Frequent-flyer program Aeroplan
Alliance Star Alliance
Subsidiaries
  • Air Canada Cargo
  • Air Canada Express
  • Air Canada Jetz
  • Air Canada Rouge
Fleet size 353 (including subsidiaries)
Destinations 195
Headquarters Saint-Laurent, Quebec, Canada
Key people
Revenue Increase CA$16.5 billion (2022)
Operating income Decrease CA$–187 million (2022)
Net income Decrease CA$–1,524 million (2022)
Total assets Increase CA$29,507 million (2022)
Employees 36,000 (2023)

Air Canada is the main airline of Canada. It is the largest airline in the country based on its size and the number of passengers it carries. Air Canada's main office is in Saint-Laurent, Montreal, Quebec.

The airline started in 1937. It offers regular and special flights for people and goods to many places around the world. Air Canada is one of the first airlines to join the Star Alliance, a big group of airlines. Its main busy airports are Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ), Montréal–Trudeau International Airport (YUL), and Vancouver International Airport (YVR).

Canada's national airline began in 1936. The Canadian government created Trans-Canada Air Lines (TCA). TCA started its first flights across Canada in 1938. In 1965, TCA changed its name to Air Canada. In 1988, the airline became a private company. On January 4, 2000, Air Canada joined with its biggest competitor, Canadian Airlines. In 2003, the airline faced financial challenges. It reorganized and became part of a company called ACE Aviation Holdings Inc. in 2004. In 2019, Air Canada flew 51.5 million passengers. In October 2021, the Government of Canada bought a small part of Air Canada (6.4%). This was to help the airline during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Air Canada uses large planes like the Airbus A330, Boeing 777, and Boeing 787 Dreamliner for long flights. For shorter flights, it uses planes like the Airbus A320 family (A319, A320, A321), Boeing 737 MAX 8, and Airbus A220-300. The airline also has special parts of its business. These include Air Canada Cargo (for shipping goods), Air Canada Express (for regional flights), Air Canada Jetz (for private jet trips), and Air Canada Rouge (for fun, leisure travel). Air Canada Vacations, another part of the company, offers holiday packages to over 90 places. With its partners, Air Canada flies more than 1,613 scheduled flights every day.

Air Canada's Fleet of Planes

C-FSNQ - Boeing 737 MAX-8 - Air Canada
A Boeing 737 MAX 8 operated by Air Canada

As of December 2023, the Air Canada fleet has 187 main passenger planes. These are a mix of Airbus and Boeing planes. They include both smaller narrow-body and larger wide-body jets.

Also, other parts of Air Canada have their own planes:

  • Air Canada Cargo uses seven Boeing 767-300F cargo planes.
  • Air Canada Express has 50 turboprop planes and 67 regional jets.
  • Air Canada Jetz uses four Airbus A320 planes. These planes are set up with only Business class seats.
  • Air Canada Rouge, the leisure airline, has 40 jets from the Airbus A320 family.

Main Passenger Planes

This section shows only the planes Air Canada uses for its main passenger flights. It does not include planes used by Air Canada Cargo, Air Canada Express, Air Canada Jetz, or Air Canada Rouge.

Aircraft In service Orders Passengers Notes
J W Y Total
Airbus A220-300 33 27 12 — 125 137 New planes arriving until 2026.
Airbus A319-100 3 — 14 — 106 120
2 12 124 136 Some planes still have seats from Air Canada Rouge.
Airbus A320-200 19 2 14 — 132 146 8 planes will be updated by 2025.
Airbus A321-200 15 — 16 — 174 190 All planes will be updated to 196 seats by 2025.
1 180 196
Airbus A321XLR — 30 14 — 168 182 New planes arriving from late 2025 to 2029.
Airbus A330-300 16 1 32 24 241 297 One plane to be delivered in 2024.
2 — 30 255 285
Boeing 737 MAX 8 40 5 16 — 153 169 5 leased planes joining the fleet in 2025.
Boeing 777-200LR 6 — 40 24 236 300
Boeing 777-300ER 12 — 40 24 336 400
7 28 398 450
Boeing 787-8 8 — 20 21 214 255
Boeing 787-9 31 1 30 21 247 298 New planes arriving until 2024.
Boeing 787-10 — 18 TBA New planes start arriving in late 2025.
Heart ES-30 — 30 — — — 30 New planes start arriving in 2028.
Total 188 118

Gallery of Planes

Past Planes Air Canada Has Used

Air Canada has used many different types of planes over the years. Some of these include:

  • Douglas DC-8-63 planes were used for passengers until 1983. Some were changed into cargo planes.
  • Douglas DC-9-15s were used until 1968. Later models, the McDonnell Douglas DC-9-32s, were used from 1967 to 2002.
  • Canadair CRJ-100 planes were used from the mid-1990s to early 2000s. They were then moved to a regional partner airline.
  • Airbus A340-500s were retired in 2007. They were replaced by Boeing 777-200LRs.
  • Airbus A340-300s were retired in 2008. They were replaced by Boeing 777-300ERs.
  • Boeing 767-200ER planes were retired by the end of 2008.
  • The McDonnell Douglas DC-10-30 and Boeing 737-200 planes were used by Canadian Airlines International. Air Canada took them over when the airlines merged.
  • In 2020, Air Canada stopped using its Embraer E190 and Boeing 767-300ER planes. The E190s were replaced by the Airbus A220-300 and Boeing 737 MAX 8. The 767-300ERs were replaced by the Airbus A330-300 and Boeing 787s. Some 767-300ERs are now being changed into cargo planes.
  • Air Canada also planned to retire its Airbus A319 fleet. While some were retired, Air Canada still uses 5 A319s in its main fleet as of September 2023.

Services on Air Canada Flights

Air Canada offers three types of service on its flights:

  • Business/Signature Class
  • Premium Economy
  • Economy Class

On most long international and short flights using large planes, you can find Signature Class, Premium Economy, and Economy Class. Most shorter and domestic flights have Business Class and Economy Class. All main Air Canada seats have entertainment systems where you can watch movies and listen to music. They also have special mood lighting.

Planes used by Air Canada Express usually have Business Class and Economy Class. Other Air Canada Express planes have only Economy cabins. Most main Air Canada planes and some Air Canada Express planes have Wi-Fi.

In 1987, Air Canada started testing no-smoking flights between Canada and New York City. After a survey showed that most passengers liked the ban, Air Canada made all its flights smoke-free.

Cabin Crew Uniforms

On February 9, 2017, Air Canada showed off new uniforms for its cabin crew. This was to celebrate Canada's 150th birthday and Air Canada's 80th anniversary. A Canadian fashion designer named Christopher Bates created the new uniforms. They are mostly black or grey with red letters and the famous maple leaf symbol.

From 2004 to 2017, Air Canada uniforms were a dark blue color. These were designed by another Canadian fashion designer, Debbie Shuchat.

Aeroplan: Air Canada's Loyalty Program

Main article: Aeroplan
Air Canada Priority Check-in@PEK (20140405151039)
A priority check-in line at Beijing Capital International Airport for members of "Air Canada Altitude", the airline's frequent flyers program.

Aeroplan is Air Canada's program for frequent flyers. It lets you collect points when you fly or use certain credit cards. You can then use these points for flights, upgrades, or other rewards. It also gives you special status and benefits as an Air Canada customer.

In May 2017, Air Canada announced it would create a new loyalty program. On January 10, 2019, Air Canada bought Aeroplan back from its previous owner. In 2020, Air Canada's older loyalty program, Altitude, joined with Aeroplan. Now, Aeroplan is the main program.

Aeroplan Elite Status

Air Canada has different levels of membership in its Aeroplan Elite Status program. These levels are: Basic, Prestige 25K, Elite 35K, Elite 50K, Elite 75K, and Super Elite 100K. The top three levels (Elite 50K, Elite 75K, and Super Elite 100K) are called "Top Tier" levels. They give you extra travel benefits. These benefits can include:

  • Upgrades to better seats
  • Access to airport lounges
  • Faster service for check-in and luggage
  • Bonus points when you fly

To reach these levels, you need to earn a certain number of miles or flights, and spend a certain amount of money on flights.

Members at Prestige and Elite 35K levels get Star Alliance Silver status. Elite 50K, Elite 75K, and Super Elite 100K members get Star Alliance Gold status. This means they get benefits when flying with other airlines in the Star Alliance.

Your status is checked every year. If you reach a higher status level, you get those benefits for the rest of the current year and all of the next year.

Privacy on the Air Canada App

In February 2019, a tech news website reported something important. The Air Canada mobile app for iPhones used special software. This software recorded what users did on the app. It sent this information, including credit card details and passport numbers, to other computers. This happened without people knowing or agreeing to it. This was a concern for users' privacy.

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Air Canada para niños

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