Air Canada
Air Canada operated about 15 Boeing 747s between 1971 and 2004 — five -100s, several -200 Combis built specially for mixed passenger and freight service, and -400s including those inherited from Canadian Airlines.
Air Canada flew the 747 for 33 years, almost from the start of the type’s airline career to the mid-2000s, and it was one of the operators that leaned hardest on the Combi.
The 747-100 years
The first aircraft, a 747-133, arrived in February 1971 and went to work on transatlantic and transcontinental services. Five -100s served through the 1970s and into the mid-1980s before being phased out; some moved on to Iberia and Royal Air Maroc.
Built for the Combi
Air Canada took three 747-200 Combis with side cargo doors, the first in 1975, for routes that needed both passengers and airfreight on the same aircraft — a sensible fit for Canadian transatlantic services where cargo demand was strong but not enough to justify a full freighter. A third Combi came second-hand from Qantas in 1987; the aircraft later finished their working lives on lease to Garuda Indonesia.
In 1991 the airline took three new 747-433M Combis with sealed-deck cargo holds, continuing the concept into the -400 generation.
The -400 and the end
From 2001 Air Canada’s -400 fleet grew through the absorption of Canadian Airlines, bringing four more aircraft. The final 747-400 revenue flight, Frankfurt to Toronto, was on 31 October 2004, after which Airbus A340s and A330s took over the long-haul network. No Air Canada 747 was lost in an accident.
Related
Sources
Facts on this page are checked against the primary and institutional references below.
- 33 years of service — Air Canada's Boeing 747 operations — Simple Flying
- Air Canada 747 history — Airfleets
- Air Canada 747 operations — Widebody Aircraft
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