Air Canada will accelerate retirement of 79 aircraft and has cancelled orders for 22 new aircraft as it leans itself for the post-pandemic market. “We have taken several measures to carefully rationalize our existing fleet,” CEO Calin Rovenescu said in the airline’s regular earnings call last week. “We are accelerating the retirement of 79 mainline and Rouge aircraft. We are deferring delivery of new Boeing 737-8 and Airbus A220 aircraft scheduled for delivery in 2021 and 2022 and canceling 10 Boeing 737-8s and 12 Airbus A220s, representing about 40% of the remaining scheduled deliveries.”
Of the retiring aircraft, the fleet of 26 Boeing 767s previously operated by Rouge have been returned to the lessor and will be converted for cargo service. Air Canada has stopped flying at least 30 routes and shut down eight regional stations since last March. It has also laid off 20,000 staff in that time.