Canada's Air Transat adds six A321s, ends B737-700 ops

UK's flyPOP forms JV with Hi Fly, to certify in 3Q22

Canada's Air Transat announces C$43.3mn in Covid state aid

Air Transat (TS, Montréal Trudeau) parent Transat A.T. Inc. has announced additional financial support of CAD43.3 million Canadian dollars (USD33.7 million) from the Canadian government to help it recover from the impact of the Omicron variant of COVID-19.

On an earnings call following the publication of the company's Q1 2022 results, President and Chief Executive Officer Annick Guérard said: "We've seen an impact on our cash burn, and we expect this impact could continue until the summer. To bridge the gap created on our liquidity, we have restarted discussions through the Canada Enterprise Emergency Funding Corporation (CEEFC) with the Federal Government, who has been very receptive about the consequences of the border measures on hardest-hit companies."

"The deferral of certain terms of our financing under the Large Employer Emergency Financing Facility (LEEFF), as well as the securing of an additional CAD43.3 million for refunding travellers, will facilitate our recovery following the resurgence of the pandemic," she said in a statement. LEEFF is a programme instituted by the Federal Government and administered by the CEEFC to...

Air Canada mulls an A321neo order

Air Canada (AC, Montréal Trudeau) is in early discussions about a potential order for between ten and twenty A321neo, sources with direct knowledge told Bloomberg.

The carrier is reportedly discussing the order with lessors rather than directly with the manufacturer. It is interested in the "longer-range" variant of the Airbus narrowbody, although the sources did not specify whether it concerned the A321-200NX(LR) - which is already in service - or the yet-to-be-certified A321-200NX(XLR).

In May 2021, President and Chief Executive Mike Rousseau said the A321-200NX(LR) would "potentially" have a place in Air Canada's fleet.

The tentative order would mark Air Canada's return to Airbus's fold in regard to its future narrowbody fleet. Although the carrier, together with its Air Canada rouge subsidiary, currently operates twenty-six A319-100s, twenty-three A320-200s, and twenty-nine A321-200s, its new-generation orders are limited to forty B737-8s (of which 32 have already been delivered). Air Canada's order book with Airbus comprises exclusively forty-five A220-300s, of which twenty-seven have already been delivered....

Canada's Air Transat, WestJet ink transatlantic codeshare

Canadian airlines Air Transat (TS, Montréal Trudeau) and WestJet (WS, Calgary) are to partner on transatlantic flights from early 2022, subject to regulatory approval, the companies announced.

WestJet's code will be placed on Air Transat flights to select cities in Europe. Likewise, Air Transat's code will be placed on select WestJet flights in North America to enable both carriers to offer connecting transatlantic itineraries.

Based in Montréal Trudeau, Air Transat also operates transatlantic flights out of Québec and Toronto Pearson while WestJet operates out of Calgary, Halifax, Toronto and Vancouver Int'l, the ch-aviation schedules module shows. WestJet will also add a non-stop B787-9 service from Calgary to London Heathrow in early Spring 2022, signalling confidence in the recovery of business and leisure travel between both destinations, the company announced in a separate statement.

“This agreement is a first milestone in our strategy to grow and strengthen our network through alliances,” commented Transat president and Chief Executive Officer, Annick Guérard, adding it would enhance the...