Air Canada adding larger planes for Calgary run

50-seat aircraft to replace present 19-seaters

With Lethbridge passenger numbers soaring, travellers will soon say farewell to their familiar 19-seat commuter aircraft. Starting April 30, Air Canada confirms, 50seat turboprops will replace the narrow-body Beechcraft 1900 planes that have covered the Lethbridge-to-Calgary run for many years.

The upgrade is part of an agreement signed earlier this month providing three daily flights with the much-larger aircraft.

“Air Canada’s regional flights in Western Canada will be operated exclusively by Jazz Aviation LP as part of our new agreement with Jazz’s parent company, Chorus,” says Air Canada spokesperson Angela Mah.

Halifax-based Chorus Aviation Inc. provides aircraft leasing and contract flying in addition to regional service as an Air Canada partner. Lethbridge flights on Beechcraft have been provided by smaller companies including Air Georgian and Central Mountain Air in recent years.

Chorus will be using Dash 8 turboprops, first introduced to southern Albertans three decades ago by Time Air.

“The smaller aircraft currently flying from Lethbridge will be phased out of the regional fleet in Western Canada,” she adds.

By offering three flights with the 50-seat plane, Mah says the Air Canada Express service will provide a 35-per-cent increase in capacity.

Each of the three, she points out, will “connect extensively at our Calgary hub to our North America network plus London Heathrow and Frankfurt.”

Meanwhile at WestJet, officials report new routes like the Lethbridge link are proving successful.

“WestJet Link has brought more choice, better connectivity and lower fares to the southern Alberta region and has been meeting expectations on its Lethbridge-toCalgary route,” says spokesperson Morgan Bell.

Service is provided by 34-seat Saab turboprops operated by Vancouver-based Pacific Coastal Airlines.

“We continue to evaluate,” Bell says. But officials “anticipate WestJet Link’s Saab 340B will be the right aircraft for the market.”

WestJet, like Air Canada, points out “the connectivity options that Link provides our guests across our growing network.”

At its Calgary headquarters, the airline unveils its first 787 “Dreamliner” this week, scheduled for direct flights from Calgary to London, Paris and Dublin. As an introduction to domestic passengers, WestJet says the 787 will fly the heavily used Calgary-Toronto route for its first few weeks.

Thanks to a temporary schedule change, Bell says WestJet did place a large aircraft on the Lethbridge run recently “to give us more flexibility in other parts of our network.”

At city hall, meanwhile, officials are preparing to take over airport operations from Lethbridge County, effective next January.

They’re “in the process of wrapping up an Airport Master Plan that outlines future strategies, terminal improvements, infrastructure improvements, land use and required capital investments required for the next 30 years.”