Air Canada Removes 2 Boeing 737 MAXs

Air Canada has said goodbye to 2 more of its Boeing 737 MAX 8 jets as they are formally transferred to its leisure brand, Rouge, for continued service.

C-FSDB, first delivered to the Canadian flag-carrier on 31 January 2018 on a flight from Seattle (BFI) to Kelowna (YLW), is now with the same registration to be operated by the Rouge division, and, with that, sees a shift in its operations toward more leisure routes.

C-GEHI is the next 737 MAX to be transferred. This was first delivered to the airline in January 2019, where it completed a delivery flight to Windsor (YQG) and has since been serving the network, despite several periods of storage ranging from 2019 through 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic and 737 MAX crisis.

These aircraft will now both adequately serve the Rouge division and follow the removal of the first Boeing 737 MAX in February as part of fleet overhaul and business reoptimisation efforts. This one, C-FTJV, was first delivered to the business, then underwent a cabin retrofit in Kelowna before returning to service.

Why 737 MAXs Are Being Removed

Air Canada’s transition away from the 737 MAX for its mainline operations is calculated, and part of efforts to move the aircraft to Rouge, where the leisure model will be well-suited to an aircraft of this capability.

The higher-density seating and lower unit costs matter to Rouge, which has been required to overhaul its fleet for some time. The Rouge operation features much older Airbus A320ceo family jets and the MAX, bringing a new level of efficiency to the business.

With the expected arrival of the Airbus A321XLR into the mainline operation, there’s also to be a fundamental shift in single-aisle operations with the removal of Boeing and a shift towards all-Airbus single-aisles for short to medium haul flying on a narrowbody aircraft.

The MAX is an important aircraft to the Group, not just the mainline division, and now these adjustments see existing assets essentially involved in a Group-wide reshuffle and reset across cabins, fleet age, and the right jets to match the right brand.

A New Era For Air Canada

These fleet changes are designed to bring in a new era for the Group’s narrowbody network, making it ot just cleaner but more efficient and on a platform that’s easier to scale in the future.

The 737 MAXs heading to Rouge create a more refreshed mainline fleet and a clearer split between premium mainline flying and leisure-focused short-haul operations, which, in turn, hopefully leads to more robust cost control with schedules that remain flexible to match the flexibility of inbound aircraft.

Fewer aircraft types per division mean a simpler crew planning procedure, and this extends to maintenance and day-to-day consistency for the airline, too.

Air Canada Rouge Set To Benefit

For Rouge, the move strengthens its role as the leisure arm of the business, with a fleet that’s more modern and higher-density, allowing for better seat capacity on holiday and sun routes. The 737 MAX’s range also opens up a plethora of new markets within reach as demand surges.

All in all, the Air Canada Group, and certainly with Rouge, can compete more effectively in leisure markets, which are already price-sensitive and show a strong appetite for competition from other businesses, without having to stretch its margins under the current fleet structure.

Bottom Line: A Planned Removal

Air Canada has now ultimately transferred two more of its 737 MAX jets, part of the mainline vision, to its Rouge leisure brand, part of a calculated transfer to overhaul single-aisle operations across the business.

With the highly anticipated arrival of the A321XLR, the need for continuity within the business and a reshuffle for executives now feels like the right time to implement the action neccesary to make this a reality.

Over the coming months, the Canadian flag-carrier will continue to transfer more of its 737 MAX jets to the Rouge division until it operates exclusively with Airbus single-aisle jets.