Air Canada To Resume 767 Passenger Flights

Air Canada will resume 767 passenger flights on a temporary base as the airline battles considerable aircraft delivery delays.

Such a move by the Canadian flag carrier is seen as another measure by the airline to help cope with aircraft delays, which are becoming a widespread industry problem.

The Boeing 767 has been an essential pillar of Air Canada’s operation for quite some time. In 2020, however, the carrier discontinued passenger flights on the aircraft when the COVID-19 pandemic broke out.

Instead of completely removing the 767 from its business, the airline responded to spiking cargo demand. Conversions occurred, and 767s previously operated within the passenger network were switched to the freight division.

The removal of the 767s made way for a more efficient operation and was in response to the drop in demand; however, what would follow was unprecedented and not what Air Canada or, for that matter, any airline was to expect.

When restrictions began to ease, demand levels surged back quicker than anticipated, leaving airlines scrambling to reactivate planes and meet capacity. However, one of the biggest problems came from the availability of new fuel-efficient aircraft.

The global pandemic decimated supply chains and meant manufacturers could not meet delivery deadlines for new aircraft to customers. Unfortunately, despite restrictions easing over two years ago, they have continued, and now airlines are feeling the effects of a lack of aircraft.

Boeing 767 Plans At Air Canada

For Air Canada, not all Boeing 767s were sent to the freight division, with some being retired and moved to long-term storage. Now, the airline has new plans for this aircraft.

Two 767-300ERs will rejoin the Air Canada fleet as a temporary insurance measure to cover lost capacity from 2025 and ensure the airline’s route network isn’t affected.

Air Canada recently published an investor release detailing its aircraft delivery expectations across the next five years. Ultimately, this highlighted the expectation that 90 planes would be delivered, but the next few years would be slower.

By bringing back the 767, the airline can rely on a workhorse and try to build stability as it awaits the delivery of next-generation aircraft, such as the 787-10 and A321XLR.

While the 767s will come back, they won’t be around forever. There is a fundamental reason they were retired, which hasn’t changed. Generally, the return shows the dire situation in which industry leaders such as Air Canada find themselves and the consistent battle of attempting to meet demand with unavailable aircraft.

Two Boeing 767s will return to passenger operations in total, a move that has seemingly been floated around several times in the last few years but has not been acted on until now.