Air Canada Cargo To Start Transatlantic Services

Simple Flying

By Gaurav Joshi

Published Apr 4, 2022

The carrier will operate scheduled flights across the Atlantic in about a month.

The airline's cargo subsidiary, Air Canada Cargo, has recently taken delivery of two dedicated Boeing 767-300F aircraft for its European-bound routes. Photo: Air Canada

The date for Air Canada Cargo's scheduled entry into Europe is fast approaching. The carrier's first 767-300ER freighter entered into service in December 2021, and since then, there have been plans to expand the cargo operations across the Atlantic. Air Canada Cargo has now announced that its transatlantic flights into Europe will begin in a month, supported by the entry of its second converted 767 freighter.

Transatlantic freighter network

On March 30, Air Canada Cargo gave further updates on the expansion of its freighter network. While two of the new routes are part of the Atlantic Canada schedule (Halifax: Five flights per week starting April 19, and St. John's: Six flights per week beginning May 1), the rest feature all in Europe.

These new routes will be made possible by the entry of the carrier's second Boeing 767-300ER freighter aircraft, allowing Air Canada Cargo the much-needed dedicated cargo space to cater to increasing demands. Matthieu Casey, Managing Director, Commercial – Cargo, commented,

“The entry into service of our second freighter is yet another exciting milestone in the growth of our freighter network and provides more options and services to the cargo community.”

Air Canada received its first dedicated 767 freighter in December 2021. Photo: Air Canada

Where in Europe?

As to be expected, the first on the list is Frankfurt. Air Canada Cargo has long made its intention clear of deploying these dedicated freighters to Frankfurt. While the converted aircraft has been to the German city before – eight times in December 2021 – from May, it will operate scheduled twice-weekly flights to the busy European hub.

As reported by Simple Flying, the airline has increased its cargo handling capacity at the airport by 35% to facilitate its arrival.

The other cities on the continent to see regular Air Canada Cargo operations from May will be:

Cologne: One flight per week
Istanbul: One flight per week
Madrid: Three flights per week

The carrier's first converted 767 freighter has been put to good use ever since it entered the fleet. The aircraft was deployed earlier than initially planned in order to provide additional cargo capacity needed into and out of Vancouver to meet increasing demand as a result of the flooding that disrupted British Columbia's transportation network in December.

Some of its other destinations out of Toronto include Miami in the US and many Latin American destinations such as Quito, Lima, Mexico City, and Guadalajara.

More on the way

Air Canada wants to build a robust dedicated freighter fleet, eyeing a total of eight converted 767 planes. By the end of this year, the airline expects to add three additional Boeing 767 freighters. The 767-300ER freighter offers five different main deck configurations, expanding the overall cargo capacity of each aircraft to nearly 58 tonnes, almost 75% of which is on the main deck.

There's good reason for such plans, as the company's cargo revenue reached CA$490 million in the fourth quarter of 2021, which represented an increase of $204 million when compared to the same quarter in 2020 or more than 160% over the same quarter in 2019, according to Lucie Guillemette, Air Canada's Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer.

What do you think about Air Canada Cargo's entry into Europe? Do share your opinions in the comment section below.