| Airline: | Air Canada Express |
| Fleet Size: | 121 |
| Parent: | Air Canada |
| Headquarters: | Montreal, Quebec, Canada |
| Frequent Flyer: | Aeroplan |
| Alliance: | Star Alliance (affiliate) |
Air Canada Express is a brand name of regional feeder flights for Air Canada that are subcontracted to other airlines. Presently, Jazz Aviation and PAL Airlines are the sole operators of Air Canada Express flights. They primarily connect smaller cities with Air Canada's domestic hub airports and focus cities, although they offer some point-to-point and international service to the United States.
On 26 April 2011, Air Canada announced its intention to retire the Air Canada Jazz brand and create the Air Canada Express brand.[1] Prior to establishing the Express name, the flights operated primarily under the Air Canada Jazz or Air Canada Alliance banners.
As of January 2020, Air Georgian no longer provided services under the capacity purchase agreement. Those services were transferred back to Jazz Aviation. On 1 March 2021, it was also announced that Sky Regional Airlines would also no longer provide services under the capacity purchase agreement and therefore Jazz Aviation would become the sole operator of the express brand.[2]
However, in May 2023, Air Canada signed a letter of intent with PAL Airlines for a five-year capacity purchase agreement. This deal involved the purchase of up to six Bombardier Q400s from Air Canada, which PAL Airlines would operate under the Air Canada Express brand in addition to their existing schedule and charter business.[3] In the announcement, Air Canada described the prospective agreement with PAL Airlines as a "bridging arrangement" due to a need for additional regional capacity as a result of industry-wide pilot shortages. Service with PAL began in July 2023.[4]
, the fleet consists of the following aircraft:[5]
| Operator | Aircraft | In service | Passengers | Notes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| J | Y | Total | |||||
| Jazz Aviation | Bombardier CRJ900 | 35 | 12 | 64 | 76 | All aircraft are listed as CL-600-2D24 (Series 900) by Transport Canada.[6] | |
| 39 | – | 78 | 78 | All aircraft are listed as De Havilland DHC-8-402 by Transport Canada. | |||
| Embraer E175 | 25 | 12 | 64 | 76 | All aircraft are listed as ERJ 170-200 SU by Transport Canada. | ||
| PAL Airlines | 7 | – | 76 | 76 | PAL has 13 Q400 (402). | ||
| Total | 121 | ||||||
The Air Canada Express brand, through its various regional and commuter airline partners, operated a variety of turbofan and twin turboprop aircraft over the years including the following types: