Air Canada is reportedly planning to bring previously withdrawn Boeing 767-300ERs out of retirement in a bid to meet surging demand while new aircraft delays continue to plague the airline.
In a recent statement to investors, Air Canada officials said that two Boeing 767-300ER widebodies will be returned to performing passenger services as a temporary measure while the carrier awaits the delivery of new Boeing 787 Dreamliners from Boeing which is facing ongoing supply and delivery issues across its product lines.
The carrier was once an extensive user of the popular Boeing widebody, having had over 40 examples of the 767 in its fleet at the peak. However, all aircraft had been retired from passenger flights by 2020 as the COVID-19 pandemic began to bite, rendering many airlines such as Air Canada with too much capacity and too few passengers.
Although the carrier’s cargo subsidiary continues to operate a small fleet of six 767-300 converted freighters, it had appeared that the type’s days of flying fare-paying passengers on domestic and international routes on behalf of Air Canada were over. However, two examples were flown from Pinal Airpark in Arizona (a well-known aircraft storage facility) to Hamilton, Ontario earlier in 2024 for maintenance and to undergo return-to-service checks.
The first of these according to ch-aviation appears to be C-FOCA, a 34.5-year-old example that was delivered new to Canadian Airlines (later merged into Air Canada) in June 1990. The aircraft is configured for 211 passengers in a two-class configuration. The second is C-GLCA which is 33.6 years old and is configured in the same manner as its sistership. Both are currently showing as ‘Stored’ in Hamilton according to the ch-aviation database.
Air Canada recently unveiled revised fleet plans for 2025 as the carrier tries to match supply for capacity with demand for seats. According to a report published by Ishrion Aviation, the airline will add a further seven aircraft before the end of 2024 including five Boeing 737 MAX 8s, although these too may be further delayed due to recent industrial action at Boeing. The remaining new aircraft due in 2024 are two further Airbus A220s, bringing the total operated by the carrier to 35.
Looking further ahead, in 2025, the airline is due to receive 21 new aircraft. This number will include the pair of 767-300ERs along with a single 787-9 Dreamliner, seven 737 MAX 8s, and nine more A220-300s. The airline will also receive its first two A321XLRs of an outstanding order for 30 of the type.
Over the next few years, the airline intends to add 90 new aircraft to its fleet which is expected to include the aforementioned 30 Airbus A321XLRs, 27 A220s, one 787-9, 18 Boeing 787-10s, and 12 737 MAXs.