Air Canada Trims the Fleet

Air Canada has announced plans to accelerate the retirement of 79 aircraft from its fleet. The aircraft being retired include Embraer E190s, which the airline said are being retired “immediately,” along with Boeing 767s and Airbus A319s.

Air Canada said that the move would “simplify the airline’s overall fleet, reduce its cost structure, and lower its carbon footprint.” The news comes as the carrier announced an adjusted net loss of C$392 million ($277.97 million) in the first quarter of 2020, compared to a profit of C$17 million for the same period last year.

Air Canada president and CEO Calin Rovinescu told analysts the coronavirus pandemic and the resulting lockdowns are creating “the darkest period ever in the history of commercial aviation.” Rovinescu said the carrier is working on a restart plan, although he warned that the carrier expects it to take “at least three years to recover to 2019 levels of revenue and capacity.”