- In response to flooding that disrupted transportation supply
chain network in the province
- 586 tonnes of additional capacity added into and out of YVR,
an increase of 45% over originally planned levels
- Air Canada Express Dash 8-400 aircraft being converted into
special freighter configuration to transport cargo
MONTREAL, Nov. 22, 2021 /CNW Telbec/ - Air Canada announced
today that it has significantly increased cargo capacity into and
out of Vancouver between November 21 and 30 from its hubs in
Toronto, Montreal and Calgary as it works to ensure that the vital
economic supply chain links in British
Columbia are maintained following the impacts of last week's
flooding. In total, Air Canada is adding 586 tonnes of cargo
capacity, representing 3,223 cubic metres to support B.C.'s
economic supply chain and the needs of its communities. The
additional capacity is equivalent in weight to approximately 860
adult moose.
"The economic supply chain is vital, and to help support the
urgent transport of goods into and out of British Columbia, we have increased capacity
to our YVR hub by using the flexibility of Air Canada's fleet to
reschedule 28 passenger flights from narrow-body aircraft to be
operated with wide-body Boeing 787 Dreamliners, Boeing 777, and
Airbus A330-300 aircraft. These changes will allow an additional
282 tonnes of goods to be moved across the country on our scheduled
passenger flights," said Jason
Berry, Vice President, Cargo, at Air Canada.
"Additionally, Air Canada Cargo will operate an additional 13
all-cargo flights between our Toronto, Montreal and Calgary cargo hubs and YVR using widebody
aircraft, providing approximately 304 tonnes of additional
capacity. These aircraft will help move mail and perishables such
as seafood, as well as automotive parts and other industrial
goods," concluded Mr. Berry.
Air Canada is also working with
its regional partner Jazz Aviation to provide additional regional
cargo capacity by temporarily converting an Air Canada Express De
Havilland Dash 8-400 from its normal passenger configuration into a
special freighter configuration. This Dash 8-400 Simplified Package
Freighter operated by Jazz can carry a total of 18,000 lbs. (8,165
kg) of cargo and will be deployed to transport critical goods, as
well as consumer and industrial goods and will be in service as
early as this week.
Last week, as the impact of the devastating floods became
apparent, Air Canada quickly added capacity to the Air Canada Cargo
network by substituting larger widebody aircraft on 14 passenger
flights into Vancouver.
Additional capacity added for passengers
In addition to the extra cargo capacity, Air Canada had also
increased the number of seats available for customers in
Kelowna and Kamloops since November
17, adding approximately 1,500 seats into both communities
by utilizing larger aircraft on routes. This enabled people
affected by the highway closures to fly into and out from these
airports, and through the cargo capacity of these passenger
aircraft, also allowed for the important transport of emergency
medical supplies into these regions.
Air Canada continues to monitor
the situation in British Columbia
very closely and will adjust its passenger and cargo schedule
accordingly.
About Air Canada
Air Canada is Canada's largest domestic and international
airline, and in 2019 was among the top 20 largest airlines in the
world. It is Canada's flag carrier
and a founding member of Star
Alliance, the world's most comprehensive air transportation
network. Air Canada is the only
international network carrier in North
America to receive a Four-Star ranking according to
independent U.K. research firm Skytrax. In 2020, Air Canada was
named Global Traveler's Best Airline in North America for the second straight year. In
January 2021, Air Canada received
APEX's Diamond Status Certification for the Air Canada CleanCare+
biosafety program for managing COVID-19, the only airline in
Canada to attain the highest APEX
ranking. Air Canada has also
committed to a net zero emissions goal from all global operations
by 2050. For more information, please visit: aircanada.com/media,
follow Air Canada on Twitter and LinkedIn, and join Air
Canada on Facebook.
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