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Qatar Airways to operate flights for Air Canada and Royal Air Maroc this summer

This post is also available in: FR

An unprecedented situation will occur at the Montreal airport this summer as many Qatar Airways planes will be present… to help Air Canada and Royal Air Maroc! But that’s not the only change. Details.

Air Canada’s summer 2019 planning

Air Canada is facing challenges in its planning following the Boeing 737Max flight ban extended until 01/08/2019.

dsc03439e air canada 737 8 max n60436
Air Canada 737 MAX – Boeing Field (Photo: Chuyi Chuang)

So far, the company has been able to control the situation, minimizing the impact on passengers.

But with the summer season upon us – always a busy one – Air Canada and its leisure subsidiary Air Canada Rouge’s fleet of aircraft will not be able to keep up with demand.

Here are the measures taken by Air Canada and that it has just announced to the media:

Extension of the lease of some A320 and E190 aircraft

3 Airbus A320s and 3 Embraer 190s were scheduled to leave the fleet in the coming months. Air Canada has decided to extend their lease to address their capacity issues.

turkish airlines 3

Takeover of WOW Air’s aircraft rentals

WOW Air went bankrupt a few weeks ago, leaving a whole fleet of aircraft on the ground… which is good for Air Canada!

a wow air device at kef
a device from WOW air to KEF

Thus, we learn thatAir Canada will take over 6 Airbus A321 from WOW Air in order to integrate them into the Air Canada Rouge fleet.

These aircraft are being reconfigured and equipped with Wi-Fi, and will be repainted in the Air Canada Rouge livery.

Changes to many services

For some services, Air Canada has decided to temporarily suspend them or to modify the aircraft or even to subcontract the route:

Origin Destination Details
Montreal Bordeaux Air Canada Rouge (B767-300) instead of Air Canada (B737 Max)
from 01/07 instead of 15/06
Montreal Frankfurt Lufthansa to operate the route instead of Air Canada
(month of May 2019)
Montreal Barcelona Qatar Airways to operate the route instead of Air Canada Rouge (B767)
from June 15, 2019
Montreal Paris Qatar Airways to operate the route instead of Air Canada (A330)
from June 15, 2019
Halifax London Heathrow Suspended
until July 31, 2019
St John London Heathrow Suspended
until July 31, 2019
Toronto Shannon Suspended
for the 2019 summer season
Toronto Abbotsford Suspended
for the 2019 summer season
Calgary London, ON Suspended
for the 2019 summer season
Vancouver Honolulu Omni Air International will operate the route instead of Air Canada Rouge
from June 02, 2019
Vancouver Maui Omni Air International will operate the route instead of Air Canada Rouge
from June 02, 2019

People who will travel on the Montreal-Barcelona route should be happy to see a Qatar Airways aircraft instead of the uncomfortable Air Canada Rouge B767s(see this report by Audrey between Montreal and Marseille).

air canada red 767

Royal Air Maroc and Qatar Airways in summer 2019

The Montreal-Casablanca route is particularly busy during the summer season.

Until now, the service was operated with a Boeing 747 of Royal Air Maroc. However, the company has withdrawn this type of aircraft from its fleet with the progressive entry of B787-8 and B787-9 in it.

The Montreal-Casablanca flight is frequently operated by a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner and was to be operated by a B787-9.

royal air morocco receives its 5th b 787 dreamliner
Credit: Royal Air Maroc

Routesonline tells us that between June 21 and September 14, 2019, many weekly flights will be operated by a Qatar Airways aircraft instead of Royal Air Maroc.

Here is what the Montreal-Casablanca service will look like:

Flight Origin Departure Arrival Destination Aircraft
AT206 Casablanca 08:00 10:20 Montreal B788 – Royal Air Maroc
AT207 Montreal 12:05 23:35 Casablanca B788 – Royal Air Maroc
AT208 Casablanca 18:15 20:50 Montreal B777-300ER – Qatar Airways
AT209 Montreal 22:35 10:30 (+1) Casablanca B777-300ER – Qatar Airways

 

Bottom line

This will be an unprecedented situation at Montreal airport, as there will be up to 4 Qatar Airways aircraft on the tarmac (which also operates a Montreal-Doha flight with the new QSuites business class!) Discover our Qsuite reviews on board the A350 and the B777-300ER.

20160601 yul jfk 96
Qatar airways

 

Sources: Air Canada and Routesonline

This post is also available in: FR

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Jean-Maximilien
Jean-Maximilien is an expert in Canada and France about Loyalty programs, Credit cards and Travel. He is the Founding President of Milesopedia.

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