Will Air Canada Purchase any Boeing 747-800?

Question

I was just wondering because Out of LHR every single flight is oversold by -40. surely a bigger plane is better?? If they get a jumbo i bet they would for for boeing instead of airbus because of their recent order.

Answer 1

No, Air Canada will not be buying any large, their fleet is shifting towards large twin jets, the largest thing you'll see them flying for a while is the 777-300ER...

Answer 2

No. Air Canada will not be purchasing the Boeing 747-800 in its present condition. (air canada's present financial condition)

Air Canada is getting the 787 to replace it's aging fleet of 767s.

For long range flights, the 777-300 and the 777-200 are doing admirably. News flash for those who don't know, Canada is relatively devoid of people! Add to that the strong Canadian dollar, and tourism prospects are dashed : so not much people coming into Canada either.

I don't know what you've heard, but Air Canada has no need of higher capacity long range aircraft like the 747-800. It has retired all of it's 747s in 2004 due to inefficiency and operating costs. (Too much fuel and not enough passengers)

It is even cutting flights to Asia because of poor ridership. Right now, it's 777s are keeping it competitive against other airlines serving Europe. It's fleet of A319s, A320 and A321s are doing well for transcontinental and domestic destinations. The Air Canada Jazz division is doing well in-country too, competing against Westjet for short domestic routes with its fleet of CRJs and Embraers.

Air Canada cannot get enough clients. A fleet of 747-800s won't attract more passengers. So until Air Canada wins the lottery (figuratively)and enhances service, getting the new Boeing 747-800 would be financial suicide. Air Canada's financial condition just doesn't permit it to get some 747-800s AND 787s at the present even if you're correct in saying that Air Canada is losing fares because of overflowing ridership. I'm already pretty sure that Air Canada will withdraw some orders of the 787 too.

The 767s seriously need replacing. Have you been on one lately? The 747s can wait, trust me. Air Canada is still getting their 777s. In fact, I think they're going to put the 777s which were pulled from America-Asia routes onto America-Europe routes.

Should Air Canada decide they need a higher capacity long haul jet, I would agree that it would go for the Boeing rather than the A380. Air Canada just doesn't seem to me as an airline able to fill that many seats on such a basis as to be profitable. Air Canada already has previous experience in handling 747s also. The efficiency side of the 747-800 would be a plus too. I'm pretty sure that when Air Canada decides to get a hi capacity long haul aircraft, it won't go for the high risk A380 because it's so new, who knows what problems might occur later on? Couple that thought with the high number of seats on the A380 and you can be sure Air Canada won't be touching it for a long time.

Answer 3

It's anybody's guess, but the 747-8 has a lot going for it over the A380. First off, it's a much more efficient jet. The A380 has to be packed to capacity to even begin to approach the current 747-400 much less the 747-8. The 747 is also a much faster jet, meaning that you can make more trips with it in the same time space. Additionally, the 747 requires only existing runways and gates which gives it a huge leg-up over the A380. Plus there's the dependability and longevity of the 747 fleet. All in all, they'd make a very smart purchase to do so. They would do better however to stick with the 777 for the overseas flights and the 787's to do the shorter runs.