A small Canadian airline has just become the latest customer for the Boeing 737 MAX.
Flair Airlines acquiring 13 737 MAX 8s
Canadian ultra-low cost carrier Flair Airlines will lease 13 Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft. Perhaps the most incredible thing is that the airline will receive delivery of these planes in early 2021, so this is potentially just a few weeks away.
These planes are being leased from aircraft leasing company 777 Partners, which recently entered into a contract with Boeing for 24 new Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft, along with the option of an additional 60 aircraft. Boeing is trying to find new buyers for the 737 MAX, so I’m sure that both the leasing company and the airline have done a great deal here.
Flair will configure these 737 MAXs with 189 seats, which is a very dense configuration. With these planes, the airline will have the lowest cost per seat-mile of any Canadian airline – the plane will provide fuel savings and reduce CO2 emissions by 14%.
The 737 MAX 8 has a range of up to 3,550 nautical miles, or about 6,570 kilometers. So the plane can operate virtually any route in Canada, and even select transatlantic routes (although I don’t necessarily think we’ll see the airline fly to Europe anytime soon).
Flair Airlines CEO Stephen Jones said the following:
“Canadians have paid a lot for a long time. We must do our part to ensure that affordable air travel is available to all Canadians across Canada, should travel and tourism return this year. Our new efficient aircraft will provide us with the foundation to execute our ULCC business model. These planes will allow us to keep fares low while we expand our services to meet travel demand. As ULCC, we have an extraordinary impact on the lives of Canadians and the communities in which they live, making travel around the country accessible and accessible. “
Flair Airlines expects to increase the fleet to 50 aircraft
Flair is currently a small Canadian airline. Although the company has existed since 2005, it has existed in its current form since 2017. At the moment, the company based in Edmonton has only three Boeing 737-800 and operates to about 10 destinations in Canada.
The company now hopes to grow a lot, as Flair expects to have 50 planes in five years and become a major Canadian airline.
The airline is basically somewhere along the lines of Spirit or Ryanair, which Canada does not currently have for domestic flights. Therefore, it is fantastic to see the airline grow, as it will provide some competition in the country, mainly with the acquisition of Air Transat by Air Canada.
Result
Flair Airlines will soon receive 13 Boeing 737 MAX 8s, in the process more than five times the size of its fleet. While it may seem like an awkward moment for an airline to expand like that, I’m betting Flair did a great deal for these planes.
The airline will soon become a real competitor in Canada.
What do you think of the acquisition of the 737 MAX from Flair?
(Featured image courtesy of Brand03)