Air Canada has reported strong passenger numbers in the run-up to the busy summer season, with around 540,000 people flying with the airline over Canada’s long weekend of May 19-22.
“I am very pleased by the performance of our airline during the first long weekend of the summer. We carried heavy loads, with 540,000 customers and our mainline aircraft 95% full on Friday, yet we achieved a flight completion ratio of 98.7% and a solid on-time performance that reached 90% Sunday morning. Although system-wide weather was favourable, we did face several challenges, including wildfires in Western Canada, weather disruptions in the southern US and even a volcano in Mexico that all affected flights,” said Kevin O’Connor, Senior Vice President, Global Airports and Operational Control at Air Canada.
“I thank all our employees for their hard work and dedication to serving our customers and transporting them safely. I also commend our industry partners, upon whom we depend for the air travel system to operate smoothly. While sustained high passenger loads of the season are yet to fully arrive, our success during the first holiday weekend gives us added confidence that we are ready to perform well this summer.”
