Air Canada

Air Canada was founded in 1937 as Trans-Canada Air Lines, owned by Canadian National Railway. Its first flight carried two passengers and mail from Vancouver to Seattle in a Lockheed 10A Electra. TCA grew into the country's leading airline across Canada and the Atlantic. It took the name Air Canada in 1965 and was privatized in 1988 after decades as a Crown corporation.

In 1997 it helped start Star Alliance with United, Lufthansa, SAS, and Thai. An alliance is a group that lets member airlines connect passengers onto each other's flights. In 2000 Air Canada absorbed its old rival Canadian Airlines, making it the clear flag carrier, the airline that represents the country abroad. Bankruptcy protection followed in 2003-2004, and the airline came out restructured under the ACE Aviation holding company.

It started the leisure brand Air Canada Rouge in 2013 and renewed its long-haul fleet with Boeing 787s and 777s, then Quebec-built Airbus A220s. The pandemic wiped out international travel and hit the airline hard, but it rebounded. Air Canada rebuilt its network from Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, and Calgary. It now serves six continents, ranks among the twenty largest airlines, and offers one of the few global networks from Canada.

Air Canada's mainline fleet of about 350 aircraft mixes Boeing widebodies, meaning large jets with two aisles, and smaller Airbus types. Long flights use Boeing 787-8/9 Dreamliners and 777-200LR/300ERs, backed by Airbus A330-300s. Shorter routes use Quebec-built Airbus A220-300s, A319/A320/A321s, and Boeing 737 MAX 8s.

Air Canada Rouge flies A319s, A320s, and A321s on leisure routes, while Air Canada Express partners operate Embraer 175s and CRJ-900s. Major orders include Boeing 787-10s, Airbus A321XLRs for thinner transatlantic routes, and more A220s, part of a sweeping fleet renewal program.