Air Canada says it will move all of its Boeing 737 MAX 8s to the company’s low-cost Rouge subsidiary by the end of 2026. These aircraft will replace Rouge’s older Airbus aircraft.
The airline first shared its plans to move the 737s to Rouge at an Investor Day last year. During an earnings call earlier this week, airline executives said this transition is slated for completion next year.
“We are moving ahead with plans to transfer all 737 MAX aircraft to Rouge next year,” said Air Canada’s CFO, John Di Bert, during the call. “We’re working toward an all-737 MAX Rouge fleet by the end of 2026.”
Air Canada currently has 47 737 MAX aircraft in its fleet, with one additional aircraft coming in 2025 and four more expected next year.
“Our transition of the 737 MAX aircraft to Rouge will get into full swing. Longer term, this will enable a more cost-competitive platform, a harmonized experience in a new Rouge base in Vancouver to expand our offering from Canada’s West Coast,” added Mark Galardo, the airline’s commercial chief, during the call.
Cabin Reconfiguration
As part of the fleet’s transition, Air Canada will retrofit the aircraft’s interiors. This will include removing some business class seats, executives said.
“With regards to the configuration, we haven’t announced the details yet. We’ll do so in the coming weeks,” added the airline’s COO Mark Nasr. “But we will be densifying from the current LOPAs that we have at mainline for the 737 MAX, and we’ll be removing some of the J cabin and adding more into the economy cabin.”
The first mainline aircraft is scheduled for reconfiguration in about six weeks, Nasr added. He called the cabin overhauls an “efficient program,” with each aircraft taking about a week to complete.
Some of the current Rouge Airbus aircraft will go to Air Canada’s mainline fleet, while others will be retired.
