Air Canada jump into the Battle of the Atlantic with the B737-MAX8
Last spring, Air Canada launched the Toronto-Dublin and Montreal-Dublin routes using the B737-MAX8 for the first time on transatlantic routes. The frequency is three round trips per week and one of Air Canada’s goals was to establish the operating cost of this single-aisle aircraft on transatlantic routes. It can be concluded that Air Canada’s experience has been positive since in 2019 it will add the Montreal-Bordeaux route to the B737-MAX8 with a frequency of four round trips per week.
New-generation single-aisle aircraft have a very low operating cost that makes them competitive with larger aircraft on routes under 3,000 nautical miles. The base price for a Montreal-Bordeaux round trip is $ 665 Canadian with Air Canada, which is significantly less than the base price of Air Transat at $ 845 Canadian with the old A310-300.
The very low cost of operating single aisle aircraft on transatlantic routes of nearly 3,000 nautical miles will push airlines to increase their use between East Coast cities in North America and Western Europe. Regional airports that can easily accommodate single-aisle aircraft to avoid congestion at major airports are another factor favoring their use in the North Atlantic.
Less than a year after putting its first B-737-MAX 8 into service, Air Canada has already decided to use it on three transatlantic routes when this aircraft was to be used initially to replace the A320 on domestic flights. The Battle of the Atlantic is just beginning …
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