On April 15th 2022, Air Canada carried 100,701 customers, a clear indication of pent-up demand for airtravel.
The dark clouds of the COVID19 pandemic are behind us, international borders are open for tourists, and all the travel restrictions are finally over. To top it all, the sunny, holiday season is upon us and everyone, families, tourists, backpackers, solo travelers, groups of friends, and businessmen have made a mad rush to fly. All over the globe, airports are running at full capacity and airlines are facing workforce shortages to meet the passenger demands. At such times, when the majority of airlines have increased their flights, one Airline has broken all records. Air Canada has flown more than 100,000 customers in a single day for the first time since early in the pandemic as passenger loads continue to rebound with customers returning to travel. We have selected Air Canada as our Airline of the Week.
Passenger Statistics
The last time Air Canada carried more than 100,000 customers in one day was March 13, 2020. During the pandemic, passenger loads fell as low as 2,175 on April 23, 2020, as global air traffic ground to a virtual halt. In 2019, prior to the pandemic, Air Canada carried on average nearly 150,000 people daily and its single-day, the passenger-load record was 187,000 customers on August 16, 2019.
Kevin O’Connor, Vice President of Air Canada’s Systems Operations Control said, “We were very pleased to have had 100,701 customers board our planes on April 15, 2022, as travelers steadily return. Clearly, there is a pent-up demand for travel that is matched only by our enthusiasm to welcome back our customers. It is also significant that we passed this milestone smoothly, indicating Air Canada has recovered operationally from COVID-19’s effects and is prepared to safely and conveniently transport customers during the busy summer ahead.”
Air Canada expanded its summer schedule with the recent service resumption announcement of 34 routes to Europe, Asia, Africa, and The Middle East. Its international network extends to 67 airports from its Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver hubs, as well as from Calgary and Halifax, and 96 total routes.
Expansion plans
Air Canada is planning to add 26 extra-long-range versions of the Airbus A321neo aircraft to its fleet as travel demand has jumped after a blip caused by the Omicron coronavirus.
Canadian carriers are seeing a bounce in spring travel as COVID-19 shows signs of ebbing, but surging oil prices due to the Russia-Ukraine crisis are casting a shadow ahead of the busy summer vacation season.
The extra-long-range version of the A321neo will replace Air Canada’s older aircraft and is expected to be more fuel-efficient. The new version will have a range of about 8,700 kilometers (5405.93 miles) and can fly up to 11 hours. Air Canada would lease 15 aircraft from Air Lease Corp and five from Dublin-based AerCap Holdings while six aircraft would be acquired from Airbus under an agreement that includes purchase rights to buy an additional 14 planes between 2027 and 2030.
The aircraft deliveries will begin in the first quarter of 2024 with the final aircraft to arrive in the first quarter of 2027. They are currently in the process of selecting an engine manufacturer for the extra-large version of the A321neo.
Commitment to net zero emissions by 2050
Air Canada has committed to a net-zero emissions goal from all global operations by 2050, demonstrating its long-term commitment to advancing climate change sustainability throughout its business. To reach this, Air Canada has set absolute midterm GHG net reduction targets by 2030 in its air and ground operations compared to its 2019 baseline. To achieve this, they began the fleet renewal program with ultra-efficient 787 Dreamliners that comprise 50 percent of their widebody fleet and deliver an approximate 20 percent improvement in fuel efficiency over the aircraft they replaced.The Airbus A220-300 and 737 MAX 8 aircraft are expected to average approximately 20 percent less fuel consumption per seat and emit 20 percent less CO2 and 50 percent lesser nitrogen oxides than their previous fleet. In March 2022, Air Canada announced an order for 26 Airbus A321neo extra-long-range aircraft. It projects the A321XLR will yield up to 17 percent lower fuel burn per seat than the previous generation narrow-body on a typical transcontinental flight and up to 23 percent versus previous generation wide-body aircraft on a transatlantic flight.
Travel Boost
There is a bounce in spring travel after a slump due to the spread of the Omicron coronavirus variant, with the country’s largest airport bracing for its busiest travel day since the onset of the pandemic. But just as COVID-19 shows signs of ebbing, surging oil prices due to the Russian-Ukraine crisis and high regulatory costs are casting shadows ahead of the busy summer vacation season.
Canadian air traffic is recovering more slowly than in the United States due to tougher virus restrictions.
Toronto Pearson International Airport said, “As expected March 11 turned out to be the busiest travel day since the start of the pandemic, with about 85,000 passengers arriving or departing ahead of spring break.”
Help for Ukraine
Air Canada denoted 100 million Aeroplan points to support the Canadian government’s initiative to bring Ukrainians to Canada. The points will contribute towards facilitating transportation and can be used on flights operated by Air Canada and its Star Alliance partners including Lufthansa, LOT Polish Airlines, SWISS, United Airlines, and other carriers. The Shapiro Foundation is also contributing to this effort and Miles4Migrants, a non-profit charity will manage and facilitate the flight bookings.
Michael Rousseau, President and Chief Executive Officer of Air Canada said, “Together with our employees, we are ready and prepared to assist and support the Canadian Government’s plans to bring Ukrainian people to Canada. With our 100 million Aeroplan points donation, we offer our global network and the strength of our Star Alliance partnerships, in facilitating travel to Canada. We are proud to work with other organizations and international programs to contribute towards a goal to enable up to 10,000 people to travel to Canada as quickly as possible.”
Air Canada’s support for Ukrainian relief aid to date includes:
- An Air Canada donation of $10 per booking made on its website starting March 22 for a total donation of $250,000 to Ukraine relief aid;
- Air Canada employees and the Air Canada Foundation donated $170,000 to support Ukraine relief;
- On March 9 Air Canada operated a humanitarian special cargo flight on behalf of Airlink and other aid partners to transport hospital beds, humanitarian and medical supplies to Warsaw, Poland, and medicines destined for Lviv, Ukraine;
- Ongoing transportation of medical supplies to Europe with a final destination in Ukraine;
- Transportation of rapid response teams to scale up operations in Europe to help to arrive.
About Air Canada
Air Canada is Canada’s largest domestic and international airline, the country’s flag carrier, and a founding member of Star Alliance, the world’s most comprehensive air transportation network. Air Canada has a combined 214 aircraft in its mainline and Air Canada Rouge fleets, including 136 single-aisle, narrow-body aircraft as of December 2021. Last year, Air Canada was struggling with a collapse in traffic due to the pandemic and was able to proceed with its planned purchases of 33 Airbus SE 220 airliners after it signed a C$5.9 billion ($4.69 billion) government aid deal.
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Awards and Accolades
Air Canada is the only international network carrier in North America to receive a Four-Star ranking from the independent U.K. research firm Skytrax, which in 2021 also named Air Canada as having the Best Airline Staff in North America, Best Airline Staff in Canada, Best Business Class Lounge in North America, as well as an Excellence award for its handling of COVID-19. Also in 2021, Air Canada was named Global Traveler’s Best Airline in North America for the third 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.
