Air Canada
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Founded | 1937 | ||||||
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Hubs | |||||||
Focus cities | |||||||
Frequent-flyer program | Aeroplan | ||||||
Alliance | Star Alliance | ||||||
Fleet size | 338 (+53 orders) | ||||||
Destinations | 240 | ||||||
Parent company | ACE Aviation Holdings Inc. | ||||||
Headquarters | Montreal, Quebec | ||||||
Key people | |||||||
Website | www.aircanada.com |
Air Canada is Canada's largest airline and flag carrier. The airline, founded in 1937, has had its corporate headquarters in Montreal, Quebec since it moved from Winnipeg, Manitoba in 1949. Air Canada provides scheduled and charter air transportation for passengers and cargo to over 240 destinations; it also provides vacation packages to over 90 destinations via Air Canada Vacations. Air Canada is the world's 11th largest passenger airline by fleet size, and its largest hub is Toronto Pearson International Airport. The airline's parent company is ACE Aviation Holdings. Air Canada is a founding member of Star Alliance, an alliance of 18 member airlines formed in 1997. On January 19, 2007, the airline was voted Best Airline in North America.
In 2006, 34 million people flew with the airline. In 2007, Air Canada celebrates its 70th anniversary.
History
Trans-Canada Airlines
Trans-Canada Airlines (TCA) was created as a subsidiary of Canadian National Railway (CNR) on April 10, 1937. Passenger operations began on September 1, with a Lockheed 10A carrying two passengers and mail from Vancouver to Seattle. The company was headquartered in Winnipeg, which was also the site of the national maintenance base. In 1949, the federal government moved the headquarters to Montreal (the maintenance base later also moved east). With the development of the ReserVec in 1953, Air Canada became the first airline in the world to use a computer reservation system with remote terminals.
By 1964, TCA had grown to become Canada's national airline, and in 1964 Jean Chrétien submitted a private member's bill to change the name of the airline from Trans-Canada Airlines to Air Canada. This bill failed, but it was later resubmitted and passed, with the name change taking effect on January 1, 1965. In a late 1970s reorganisation at CNR, Air Canada became an independent Crown corporation.
Air Canada in the 1980s and 1990s
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/89/Air_Canada_B777-333ER_%28C-FITL%29_landing_at_Montr%C3%A9al-Trudeau_International_Airport.jpg/220px-Air_Canada_B777-333ER_%28C-FITL%29_landing_at_Montr%C3%A9al-Trudeau_International_Airport.jpg)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0a/Aircanada.b767-300er.c-ggmx.arp.jpg/220px-Aircanada.b767-300er.c-ggmx.arp.jpg)
In 1987, Air Canada became the first airline in the world to have a fleet-wide non-smoking policy [1], and in 1989 became completely privatised. Air Canada sold the enRoute card business to Diners Club in 1992. Air Canada is a founding member of the Star Alliance, which was launched in May 1997. The airline code-shares with several of the alliance's members.
On September 2, 1998 pilots for Air Canada launched the company's first pilots' strike. At the end of 1999 the Canadian government relaxed some of the aviation regulations, aimed at creating a consolidation of the Canadian airline industry.
21st century
In January 2001 Air Canada acquired Canada's second largest air carrier, Canadian Airlines, subsequently merging the latter's operations into its own. As a result, Air Canada became the world's twelfth-largest commercial airline.
On April 1, 2003, Air Canada filed for bankruptcy protection; it emerged from this protection on September 30, 2004, 18 months later. During the period of bankruptcy protection, the company was subject to two competing bids from Cerberus Capital Management and Victor Li. The Cerberus bid would have seen former Prime Minister Brian Mulroney installed as chairman, being recruited by Cerberus' international advisory board chair Dan Quayle. Cerberus was rejected because it had a reputation of changing existing employee pension agreements, a move strongly opposed by the CAW. At first, Air Canada selected Victor Li's Trinity Time Investments, which initially asked for a board veto and the chairmanship in return for investing $650 million in the airline. Li, who holds dual citizenship from Canada and Hong Kong, later demanded changes to the pension plan (which was not in his original takeover bid), but since the unions refused to budge, the bid was withdrawn. Finally, Deutsche Bank unveiled an $850 million dollar financing package for Air Canada, if it would cut $200 million in annual cost cutting in addition to the $1.1 billion that the unions agreed on in 2003. It was accepted after last-minute talks between CEO Robert Milton and CAW chief Buzz Hargrove got the union concessions needed to let the bid go through.[2][3][4]
ACE Aviation Holdings is the new parent company under which the reorganised Air Canada is held.
On October 31, 2004, the last Air Canada Boeing 747 flights landed in Toronto and in Montreal, ending more than 30 years of 747 service with the airline. The Boeing 747-400 fleet was replaced by the A340 fleet.
As of 2007, Air Canada employed 57,000 staff.
Modernisation
On October 19, 2004, Air Canada unveiled a new aircraft colour scheme and uniforms. A Boeing 767-300 was painted in the new silver-blue colour, and the green tail was replaced with a new version of the maple leaf.
On November 9, 2005, Air Canada entered into an agreement to renew its widebody fleet with Boeing by purchasing 18 Boeing 777s (10 -300ERs, 6 -200LRs, 2 777 Freighters), and 14 Boeing 787-8s. It also placed options to purchase an additional 18 Boeing 777s and 46 Boeing 787-8s and 9s.[5] All of the 777s will be powered by the GE90-115B engine, and the 787-8s, by the GEnx engine.[6] Deliveries of the 777s began in March 2007 and deliveries of the 787s are to begin in 2010. As the 777s are delivered, Air Canada plans to gradually retire its A340 fleet, and as the 787s are delivered, it will gradually retire all Boeing 767s and A330-300s.[7]
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0d/Air_Canada_Boeing767.jpg/220px-Air_Canada_Boeing767.jpg)
In November 2005, Air Canada, in an experiment to reduce aircraft weight and increase fuel efficiency, removed the paint and primer from a Boeing 767-233ER. However, the cost of the aluminum skin polishing and treatments turned out to be greater than the cost of the fuel saved, and the result was regarded as aesthetically displeasing.
On April 24, 2007, Air Canada announced that it has exercised half of its options for the Boeing 787 Dreamliner. The firm order for the Dreamliners is now at 37 plus 23 options, for a total of 60. This makes Air Canada the largest operator of the Dreamliner in North America and the third largest in the world (behind Qantas and All Nippon Airways). It also announced that it has cancelled orders for 2 Boeing 777Fs. The number of 777s now on order totals 17 (11 -300ERs, 6 -200LRs) with options for 18 more, totalling 35.[8]
Air Canada has also taken delivery of 15 Embraer 175s and is in process of taking delivery of 45 Embraer 190s. It also holds options on an additional 60 Embraer 190s. These aircraft are being used to expand its intra-Canada and Canada/USA routes. Additionally, some of the Embraer 190s will replace older A319/A320s.
Project XM
Started in July 2006, and scheduled to be completed by early 2008, Project XM: Extreme Makeover, is a $300-million CAD ($320-million USD) aircraft interior replacement project to install new cabins on all aircraft, except the soon to be replaced A340s and older B767-200s. New aircraft such as the Boeing 777 are being delivered with the new cabins factory installed.[9]
New cabin features include:
- In Executive First, new horizontal fully-flat Executive First Suites in a 'herringbone pattern'.
- New cabins in all classes on all aircraft (except the A340s and some B767-200s).
- Personal AVOD (8.9" touch-screen LCD) in Economy class (domestic and international) providing over 200 hours of video and audio entertainment. Larger AVOD screens available in Executive First Suites.
- Interactive games at all seats.
- 3-prong 120 VAC plugs for laptops in both classes.
- USB ports to recharge iPods, BlackBerry, and other devices.
- USB ports for game controllers.
- XM Radio Canada available at every seat.
The aircraft refurbished with new interiors, denoted with a red star, can be found at:[10].
Destinations
Air Canada operates flights to 240 destinations in Canada, the USA, Latin America, Europe, Australia and Asia.
New routes
Route | Start Date | End Date | Equipment |
---|---|---|---|
Vancouver - Yellowknife | December 1, 2007 | April 5, 2008 | Bombardier CRJ 100ER/200ER |
Toronto - Vancouver - Sydney | December 14, 2007 | Boeing 777-300ER (14th December, 2007 to 31st January, 2008) Boeing 777-200LR (1st February, 2008 - onwards) | |
Montreal - Providenciales [11] | December 20,2007 | March 27, 2008 | Airbus A319 |
Ottawa - Cancun | December 22, 2007 | March 29, 2008 | Embraer 190 |
Ottawa - Montego Bay | December 22, 2007 | March 29, 2008 | Embraer 190 |
Montreal - Santa Clara[12] | December 23, 2007 | April 6, 2008 | Airbus A319 |
Ottawa - Frankfurt [13] | June 1, 2008 | Boeing 767-300ER | |
Toronto - Madrid [14] | June 15, 2008 | Boeing 767-300ER |
Fleet
The Air Canada fleet consists of 206 aircraft, as of August, 2007. [15]
Aircraft | Total | Passengers (Executive*/Economy) |
Routes | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
Airbus A319-100 | 23 | 120 (14/106) | North America | Project XM completed |
Airbus A319-100 | 18 | 120 (14/106) | North America | Project XM to be completed by early 2008 |
Airbus A320-200 | 30 | 140 (20/120) | North America | Project XM completed |
Airbus A320-200 | 7 | 140 (20/120) | North America | Project XM to be completed by late 2007 |
Airbus A320-200 | 5 | 64 Executive | Charter | operated by Air Canada Jetz[16] |
Airbus A321-200 | 8 | 166 (24/142) | North America | Project XM to be completed by early 2008 |
Airbus A321-200 | 2 | 166 (20/154) | North America | Project XM completed |
Airbus A330-300 | 8 | 274 (42/232) | Atlantic & Pacific | Project XM to be completed by early 2008 |
Airbus A340-300 | 5 | 286 (30/256) | Atlantic & Pacific | New interiors will not be installed Replacement aircraft: Boeing 777 |
Boeing 767-200/200ER | 9 | 207 (24/183) | intra-Canada & Canada/USA Atlantic & Caribbean |
New interiors will not be installed |
Boeing 767-300ER | 9 | 211 (24/187) | Atlantic/Pacific/South America/Middle East | Project XM completed |
Boeing 767-300ER | 22 | 212 (25/187) 212 (30/182) 213 (25/188) |
Atlantic/Pacific/South America | Project XM to be completed by early 2008 |
Boeing 777-200LR | 3 (3 orders) |
270 (42/228) | Pacific | Project XM factory-fitted |
Boeing 777-300ER | 5 (6 orders) |
349 (42/307) | Atlantic & Pacific | Project XM factory-fitted Replacing: Airbus A340-300 |
Boeing 787-8 | (37 orders) | Atlantic/Pacific/South America | Project XM factory-fitted Replacing: Boeing 767, Airbus A330 | |
Embraer 175 | 15 | 73 (9/64) | North America | Project XM completed |
Embraer 190 | 38 (7 orders) |
93 (9/84) | North America | Project XM factory-fitted |
*Executive Class is offered on domestic flights, Executive First on international flights.
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/9b/ACA_C-FIUA.jpg/220px-ACA_C-FIUA.jpg)
- Air Canada has an average fleet age of 9.1 years, as of September 2007.[17]
- Air Canada has options for 18 more Boeing 777s, 23 Boeing 787 Dreamliners and 60 Embraer E190s.
- Air Canada was the first North American airline to operate the Airbus A319, A340-300, A340-500, Boeing 777-200LR and Boeing 777-300ER aircraft.
- Air Canada is the largest North American customer for the Boeing 787 Dreamliner.
Jazz fleet
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/7f/Bombardier_RJ.jpg/220px-Bombardier_RJ.jpg)
Air Canada's Subsidiary, Air Canada Jazz has a separate fleet consisting of 132 aircraft as of April 2007[18]:
Aircraft | Number | Passengers (Executive*/Economy) |
Notes |
---|---|---|---|
Bombardier CRJ 100ER | 25 | 50 | |
Bombardier CRJ 200ER | 32 | 50 | |
Bombardier CRJ 705 | 15 | 75 (10/65) | Project XM completed |
Bombardier Dash 8 100/200 | 34 (originally 54) | 37 | Twin-Turboprop |
Bombardier Dash 8 300 | 26 | A:48 B:50 |
Twin-Turboprop |
*Executive Class is only available on Bombardier CRJ 705 aircraft
(AVOD) audio-video on demand
Historic fleet
Air Canada was the first airline to operate a jet freighter with the introduction of the DC-8 and was the first major airline with an all turbine fleet, which allowed an increase in productivity and reduction in maintenance costs. Air Canada was also one of the first airlines to have its entire fleet of unpressurised aircraft equipped with fixed oxygen systems for use by flight crew and passengers, using the rebreathing bag principle.
The following is a list of aircraft that Air Canada has operated since 1937, and are now no longer in the fleet (click on link for a photo):
Type | Used | Picture |
Airbus A340-500 | 2004-2007 | [19], [20] |
Avro Lancastrian | 1943-1947 | [21] |
BAe 146-200 | 1990-2005 | [22] |
Boeing 727-200 | 1974-1992 | [23] |
Boeing 737-200 | 1976-2004 | [24] |
Boeing 747-100 | 1971-1998 | [25] |
Boeing 747-200M (Combi) | 1975-1999 | [26] |
Boeing 747-400 | 1990-2003 | [27] |
Boeing 747-400M (Combi) | 1990-2004 | [28] [29] |
Bristol 31 | 1953-1955 | [30] |
Canadair North Star | 1946-1961 | [31] |
Douglas DC-3 | 1945-1963 | [32] |
Douglas DC-8-40 -50 -60 -70 | 1960-1983 | [33] |
McDonnell Douglas DC-9-30 | 1966-2002 | [34] |
McDonnell Douglas DC-10 From Canadian Airlines | 1971-2001 | [35] |
Fokker F28 | 1986-2004 | [36] |
Lockheed Super Constellation | 1954-1963 | [37] |
Lockheed L-1011 -1 -15 -100 -500 | 1973-1996 | [38] |
Lockheed Model 10 Electra | 1937-1941 | [39] |
Lockheed Model 14 Super Electra | 1941-1949 | [40] |
Lockheed Model 18 Lodestar | 1941-1949 | [41] |
Stearman | 1937-1939 | [42] |
Vickers Vanguard | 1961-1972 | [43] |
Vickers Viscount | 1955-1974 | [44] |
Onboard
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/25/Air_Canada_AirbusA340_Kitchen.jpg/220px-Air_Canada_AirbusA340_Kitchen.jpg)
Air Canada has two classes of service on all aircraft. On longhaul international routes, Executive First and Economy Class are offered. On low-density longhaul international routes, Premium Economy and Economy Class are offered. Shorthaul and domestic routes feature Executive Class and Economy Class.
Air Canada Jazz features two classes of service, Executive and Economy Class, on CRJ-705 aircraft only. All other Jazz aircraft are one class service (Economy Class).
Executive First / Executive First Suites (International Business Class)
Executive First / Executive First Suites is Air Canada’s international business class product. All A340-300s, A330-300s, and most B767-300ERs are fitted with Executive First and all B777-300ERs, B777-200LRs, and some B767-300ERs offer Executive First Suites.
The Executive First Suite is available on all B777-300ER and B777-200LR aircraft, and is currently being rolled out across the B767-300ER fleet. By the end of 2008, A330-300 aircraft will also have been fitted with the Executive First Suite. The Executive First Suites features electronic flat beds, in a 1-1-1 (Boeing 767-300ER) or 1-2-1 (Boeing 777) "herringbone" configuration with a 31" width at the shoulders and a 6'3" pitch. The configuration is similar in layout to Virgin Atlantic's Upper Class Suite and Air New Zealand's Business Premier Class product. Entertainment is personal AVOD (Audio Video On Demand), while music is provided by XM satellite radio. Self-service bar areas are available on all B777-300ER and B777-200LR aircraft, with mood lighting also available on the B777 aircraft. Mood lighting will be rolled out across the B767-300ER fleet at a later date.
On the A330-300 (at present), A340-300 and the majority of B767-300ER aircraft (at present), seats are electronic recliner seats reclining to 151 degrees, with a width of 21” and a pitch of 57-60”. Seat configuration is 2-2-2 on Airbus aircraft, with 1-2-2 or 2-2-1 seating on the B767-300ER aircraft, depending on tail fin. Entertainment is personal AVOD (Audio Video On Demand) on the A330-300 and some A340-300s and B767-300s (in the form of DVD players on these B767s). On other A340-300s and some B767-300s, personal continuous TVs are offered. Music is provided by XM satellite radio.
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/22/Aircanada.a330-300.c-ghkr.arp.jpg/220px-Aircanada.a330-300.c-ghkr.arp.jpg)
Executive Class (North American Domestic First Class)
Executive Class is Air Canada’s North American domestic first class product.
Seat configuration varies between 1-2, 2-2 and 2-2-2 depending on the aircraft. Recline is around 120, 124 or 130 degrees, with a width of 18 or 21” and a pitch of 37-39”. AVOD personal screens are currently being introduced across the whole fleet. On aircraft not yet fitted with the Project XM interior, main screen entertainment is provided. Music is provided by XM satellite radio.
Premium Economy Class (International)
Premium Economy is offered on international B767-200 aircraft on low density routes to Europe and to the Caribbean. The cabin is the North American Executive Class cabin sold as Premium Economy.
Seat configuration is 2-2-2, with seats having a recline of 130 degrees, a width of 18" and a pitch of 38". Main screen entertainment is provided. Music is provided by XM satellite radio.
Economy Class
Seats are pitched 31-34” with a width of 17.2-18.5"” and a recline to around 6". Entertainment is personal AVOD (Audio Video On Demand) on Project XM aircraft or main screen on non-Project XM aircraft. Music is provided by XM satellite radio.
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fd/Embraer_175_%28Air_Canada%29_091.jpg/220px-Embraer_175_%28Air_Canada%29_091.jpg)
Boarding Passes
The letter on a boarding pass corresponds to the named classes shown on the website, a rough breakdown as listed on the 2007 Aeroplan upgrade certificates follows: Tango (R, I, N, G, P, E, T), Tango Plus (B, H, V, Q, L, A), Latitude (M, U), Latitude Plus (Y) and Executive (J, C).
Meal and Beverage Service
Air Canada offers a variety of meals on intercontinental routes, depending on seat class, destination and flight length. They do not offer food on most Canadian and US flights, but do offer hot meals and snacks on flights longer than five hours. A selection of cold food has been made for purchase on-board, paid in either US or Canadian dollars. Beverages like coffee, tea, juices and soft drinks are still free on domestic/US flights, but passengers are required to pay for alcohol.
Entertainment
Movies and music are available on all flights, with newer aircraft/new cabins offering audio/video on demand in-flight entertainment. This on-demand format is planned for all Air Canada aircraft and offers more than 200 hours of video and audio entertainment. Disposable head sets are provided free of charge to all passengers and can be kept for future flights, with noise reduction headsets available in Executive First and Executive First Suites.
Newspapers and Magazines
Newspapers and magazines are available to all Executive & Executive First passengers on Air Canada flights. Air Canada's in-flight magazine, enRoute, is provided to all passengers on all flights.
Cabin Crew
Air Canada has made a change in uniform by changing the dark green for a midnight blue colour. The uniforms were designed by Canadian fashion designer Debbie Shuchat, at a presentation in the Toronto Pearson International Airport hangar, Celine Dion helped the newly-solvent airline debut its new image.
The female cabin crew wears a midnight blue suit jacket with a narrow skirt both lined with blue lining. The jacket sports a red Air Canada maple leaf motif on the left blazer lapel. The uniform is composed by a sky blue blouse, sky blue sweater, a frosted leaf graphic design with a red scarf.
Maple Leaf Lounge
These lounges are open to passengers holding Executive First, or Executive class tickets. Super Elite, Elite, and for a charge, Prestige passengers can also use the lounges. Star alliance Gold passengers can also enter the lounges.
- Calgary International Airport - domestic and international concourse A
- Edmonton International Airport - domestic and international south terminal
- Halifax International Airport - domestic and international
- London Heathrow Airport Terminal 3
- Los Angeles International Airport
- Montreal-Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport - domestic, transborder and international
- Ottawa International Airport - domestic and international
- Charles de Gaulle International Airport - International
- Québec/Jean Lesage International Airport - domestic
- Regina International Airport
- Saskatoon/John G. Diefenbaker International Airport
- St. John's International Airport
- Toronto Pearson International Airport
- Terminal 1 Domestic - Node E Level 3 , Transborder - Node F level 3, International - HammerHead F Level 3, peir E
- Vancouver International Airport - domestic, transborder and international
- Winnipeg James Armstrong Richardson International Airport - domestic and international
Subsidiaries and partners
Aeroplan
- In June 2005, a portion of Aeroplan was spun off by ACE Aviation Holdings as an Income trust on the Toronto Stock Exchange. ACE Aviation Holdings is still the major shareholder. (Subsidiary of ACE Aviation)
Air Canada Cargo
Air Canada Cargo Limited Partnership offers cargo services on domestic and transborder flights, utilising the cargo capacity on aircraft operated by Air Canada and Jazz on domestic and transborder routes. Air Canada offers cargo services on its international passenger flights and also uses chartered, all-freighter aircraft for Canada - Europe and Canada - Asia services. (Subsidiary of Air Canada)
In the past, Air Canada Cargo operated its own dedicated fleet of DC-8 freighters and currently operates a World Airways MD-11 freighter from Toronto(YYZ), Canada to Frankfurt(FRA), Germany. Orders for 2 Boeing 777-200F's were in negotiations but that order has since been cancelled.[citation needed]
Air Canada Ground Handling Services
- ACGHS provides passenger handling services to Air Canada, Jazz and a number of other carriers with a primary focus on Canadian stations. Services covered include "above and below the wing" passenger and baggage handling services and ancillary services such as de-icing, ground support and equipment maintenance. (Subsidiary of Air Canada)
Jazz Air LP
In 2001, Air Canada consolidated Air BC, Air Nova, Air Ontario and Canadian Regional Airlines into Air Canada Jazz. Air Canada Jazz was spun-off starting in November 2006. ACE Aviation Holdings is now a minority shareholder.
Air Canada Jetz
- Launched in 2002, Air Canada Jetz is a charter service targeting sports teams, professional entertainers, and corporations. Air Canada Jetz fleet consists of 5 A320 aircraft in an all business class configuration.
ACTS Aero Technical Support & Services Inc.
- ACTS is a full-service Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) organisation that provides airframe, engine and component maintenance and various ancillary services to more than 100 customers. Major bases are in Montreal, Toronto, Winnipeg and Vancouver. (Majority owned by Kohlberg Kravis Roberst & Co.)
Air Canada Vacations
- Air Canada Vacations offers sun, cruise and leisure vacation packages to the Caribbean, Florida, Hawaii, Mexico, Las Vegas, Central and South America, and Asia. (Subsidiary of Air Canada)
Partners
- Air Canada's regional partners include Air Canada Jazz, Exploits Valley Air Services (EVAS)[45], Air Georgian, and Central Mountain Air.
- Air Canada is a founding member of the Star Alliance
Code sharing
Air Canada codeshares with airlines such as United, Lufthansa, Swiss International Air Lines, Air New Zealand, Austrian Airlines, Royal Jordanian as well as other members of the Star Alliance.
Former subsidiaries
- In 2001, Air Canada launched Air Canada Tango, which offered no-frills service and lower fares between major cities such as Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal and also to some holiday destinations such as Fort Lauderdale. Tango aircraft were painted with the Air Canada design but in purple. It is thought that Tango was intended to be Air Canada's vehicle for competing against the low cost carriers Canada 3000 and WestJet. The Tango service was dissolved in 2004. Air Canada now calls its lowest fare class "Tango" (Tango and Tango Plus), paying homage to the low-cost experiment.
- In 2002, Air Canada launched Zip, a discount airline to compete directly with WestJet on routes in Western Canada. Zip operated as a separate airline with its own staff and brightly painted aircraft. It also was disbanded in 2004.
Accidents
Date | Flight number | Information |
---|---|---|
November 29, 1963 | Flight 831* | McDonnell Douglas DC-8, stalled on takeoff out of Montreal-Dorval International Airport. All 118 lives were lost on board, making it one of the worst air disasters in Canadian history. |
May 19, 1967 | n/a | McDonnell Douglas DC-8, crashed and burned on a training flight while making a three-engine landing at Ottawa, Ontario. All 3 crew members were killed. There were no passengers on the flight. |
July 5, 1970 | Flight 621 | McDonnell Douglas DC-8, exploded from a fuel line rupture caused by engine 4 striking the runway in Toronto, Ontario during the first landing attempt. All 109 passengers/crew were killed.[46] |
June 26, 1978 | Flight 189 | McDonnell Douglas DC-9, overran the runway in Toronto after a blown tire aborted the takeoff. 2 of 107 passengers/crew were killed.[47] |
June 2, 1983 | Flight 797 | McDonnell Douglas DC-9, had an electrical fire in the aft lavatory during flight, resulting in an emergency landing at Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport. During emergency exiting, the sudden influx of oxygen caused a flash fire throughout the cabin, resulting in the deaths of 23 of the 41 passengers, including Canadian folk singer Stan Rogers. All five crew members survived.[48] |
July 23, 1983 | Flight 143 | Boeing 767, glided to an emergency landing in Gimli, Manitoba after running out of fuel 12,500 m (41,000 ft) above Red Lake, Ontario. No one was injured. This incident was the subject of the TV movie, Falling from the Sky: Flight 174, starring William Devane, and the book, Freefall, by William Hoffer. [49] |
December 16, 1997 | Flight 646 | Bombardier Canadair CRJ-100, went off the end of the runway upon landing in Fredericton, New Brunswick. There were no fatalities.[50] |
- *Company was known as Trans-Canada Air Lines in 1963.
Incidents
- June 21, 1973: McDonnell Douglas DC-8, caught fire and was burnt out during refuelling at Terminal 2, Toronto, Ontario; no fatalities.[51]
- June 2, 1982: McDonnell Douglas DC-9 exploded during a maintenance period in Montreal, Quebec; no fatalities.
- November 19, 2006: Air Canada Flight 038 Boeing 767-300 was bound from Shanghai, China to Vancouver suffered severe turbulence and made an emergency landing at Tokyo's Narita International Airport. 4 flight attendants were sent to hospital. Flights in and out of Shanghai (and in the area east of Japan) are notorious for turbulence problems.[citation needed]
- May 20, 2007: Air Canada Jazz Flight 8911, a Bombardier CRJ-100 bound from Moncton, landing gear collapsed while vacating the runway after touching down at Toronto-Pearson International Airport. There were no injuries reported as a result of the incident
References
This article needs additional citations for verification. (September 2007) |
External links
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png)
- Official web site
- Star Alliance
- Fleet Age
- Fleet Detail
- Crashes
- Timeline
- CBC Digital Archives - Turbulent Skies: The Air Canada Story
- Air Canada Pilots Association
- enRoute magazine
- Painting of Air Canada Airbus A340-500
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