Air Canada resurrects its 767s

Air Canada has announced the return of two Boeing 767-300ER aircraft from retirement.

The carrier last operated the type – which was initially designed to be operated with a three-pilot crew – as part of its mainline fleet in June 2020, with the widebody having served both domestic and international routes.

However it has been reported the airline is now bringing back a pair of the ageing Boeing airframes from 2025. Air Canada is also expecting to take delivery of new 787s, 737 MAXs, A321s and A220s over the next two years.

The 767s had been a workhorse for Air Canada since the first one was delivered in October 1982. That aircraft began transcontinental service on February 14, 1983.

Between 1982 and 1996, Air Canada received 25 more 767s, with the first extended range variants for overwater operations arriving in 1984.

When Air Canada merged with Canadian Airlines in 2001, another 23 joined the fleet.

Air Canada launched its leisure brand Rouge in 2013 with a total of four aircraft, of which two were 767s. Air Canada Rouge eventually expanded to include 25 of the long-range 767-300ERs.

In May 2020, Air Canada announced that in addition to the planned retirement of the remaining five 767s in its mainline fleet, the 767s from Rouge would also be retired from service.

Photo: The Air Canada livery, as it was in the 1970s, on a 767-200