Aviation News — February 2018

Toronto with Bombardier CRJ100s, CRJ200s

and Beech 1900Ds, operates 62,000  ights

a year, carrying 1.5 million passengers to 31

destinations.

Exploits Valley Air Services (EVAS),

based at Gander International Airport in

Newfoundland, makes several daily  ights

within Newfoundland, Labrador, and Quebec

with the Beech 1900.

In total 156 aircraft  y under the Air

Canada Express banner.

ROUGE LAUNCHED

In 2012, Air Canada received a 75th

anniversary present by being voted Best

International Airline in North America for

the third year running in the Skytrax World

Airline Awards survey. Twelve months on,

it became the only international network

carrier in North America to receive a four-

star ranking from Skytrax.

In July 2013, Air Canada Rouge was

launched. It is described as a leisure airline

and is fully integrated into the network,

although operating under its own AOC. It

serves the lucrative Canadian leisure and

holiday market while operating at a lower

cost base than the parent.

The name was chosen following a contest

launched on Facebook inviting customers,

employees and travel industry professionals

for their input.

Flights operate using either their own

IATA/ICAO codes (RV/ROU) or the main

AC code on some mainline ‘Operated by

Rouge’ services. The company sees Rouge

as an integral component of its international

growth strategy.

It began with a  eet transferred from the

parent airline comprising two 767-300ERs on

transatlantic  ights in a two-cabin (Economy

and Premium Economy) con guration. It

currently operates 24 of these Boeings.

These aircraft have 71 extra seats over

the mainline  eet, which resulted in a

somewhat reduced seat pitch outside of the

enhanced ‘Premium Rouge’ product. For

shorter  ights its uses 20 A319s and  ve

A321s.

At a news conference introducing the

new airline, Ben Smith, then Air Canada’s

Executive Vice-President and Chief

Commercial Officer, said it was entering

“today’s growing leisure travel market on a

truly competitive basis”. Michael Friisdahl,

President and Chief Executive Officer of

Air Canada’s Leisure Group, continued:

80 Aviation News incorporating Jets February 2018

Above: A Boeing 767-300ER wearing the livery that was worn between 1993 and 2004. Key-Mark Nicholls

Below: An Air Canada Express Embraer 175 operated by Sky Regional. Andy Cline

The A320 family provides the backbone of the airline’s short- to medium-haul work. They will eventually be replaced by 737MAX and Bombardier

C Series aircraft. Air Canada

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