Quebec-based airline OWG is a relatively new carrier, coming onto the scene just last year. The airline brand, a division of well-established Canadian carrier Nolinor Aviation, has just added its first Boeing 737-800 to its fleet. Although the aircraft won't be flying until 2022, the new addition is a step up from the airline's current fleet of 737-400s.

“Our team spent the past year planning this moment and we look forward to flying again when it will be safe to do so. With this new 737-800 aircraft, OWG will offer the HIGH LOVE experience towards more destinations. It is the next logical step for us” - Mr. Marco Prud’Homme, President of Nolinor Aviation

An upgrade from 30-year-old jets

OWG announced today that it's adding its first Boeing 737-800 to the fleet. It says that this addition comes on "the eve of a return to 'normalcy'" and will provide "a positive flying experience to more travelers allowing them to fly longer distances." The addition of the newer aircraft is also expected to support the creation of more than 20 specialized jobs.

Up until this moment, OWG had just two aircraft registered to its fleet. Both are Boeing 737-400s and are each 31 years old. Before flying with OWG, the jets have been with carriers all around the world - including airlines in Iceland, Malaysia, Spain, Thailand, and more.

Registered C-GGWV and C-GGWX, the aircraft are configured to accommodate 158 passengers in an all-economy, single-class layout.

What we know about the new jet so far

At the time of writing, not much information was offered about OWG's newest aircraft. Indeed, there is no information about it on either ch-aviation.com or Planespotters.net, at least when it comes to OWG records.

We do know, however, through older ch-aviation news that OWG's parent company, Nolinor Aviation, acquired a 737-800 in mid-July. This jet shows up as C-FMBO in the Nolinor fleet, through the ch-aviation database. Planespotters.net data has this specific aircraft still registered with an airline by the name of Chrono Aviation, which is also known as Chrono Jet. It was never operated by this carrier but had previously fellow Canadian carrier Air Transat. Prior to Air Transat, the jet had flown with a Russian carrier by the name of "Royal Flight."

World Airline News indicates that Chrono Aviation had acquired the aircraft not too long ago, in April of 2021. Adding more detail, PAX reported that businessman Frank DeMarinis had actually acquired the jet and leased it out to Chrono. However, the 737-800 had an extremely short stay with the company, as it moved on to Nolinor less than three months later.

With the timing of this acquisition by Nolinor, we are certain that the 20-year-old aircraft will be operated by OWG. In fact, OWG's own statement on its new aircraft notes that "it was purchase from a special purpose corporation wholly- owned by Frank DeMarinis."

Data indicates that it is configured in a single-class, all-economy layout with 189 seats. OWG says that the plane is expected to be in service in 2022, "once its cabin has been modified to OWG’s image and standards."

The aircraft's last known location was in storage in Pinal Airpark in Marana, Arizona. However, flight tracking services don't seem to have picked up any recent flights from the aircraft.

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A challenging first year

OWG says that adding this type of aircraft represents an opportunity to offer destinations further away than what is currently possible and demonstrates the company’s commitment to continued growth.

The airline launched a service to Cuba in December. However, after a successful series of flights, the carrier had stopped this service by February. This abrupt end to services was at the request of the government of Canada and saw other carriers such as Air Canada and WestJet also suspend service in support of travel restrictions to deal with the pandemic.

"The current discontinuation of flights allows us to prepare ourselves thoroughly for the eventual resumption of our operations to the south." the airline's president said in a statement. Indeed, OWG says that new destinations will be announced in the coming weeks.

Did you get a chance to fly with OWG at the start of this year? Would you give them a try when they resume operations? Let us know in the comments.