AIR CANADA MAY retain and upgrade 15 of its 35 aging McDonnell Douglas DC-9-30s rather than replace them one-for-one with Airbus Industrie A319s as previously planned, according to executive vice-president and chief operating officer Robert Milton.
"We're holding back on a decision to sell [the last] 15 of the 35 aircraft," says Milton, adding that the aircraft would be hushkitted and undergo "reliability modifications". Milton says that the aircraft may be required for expansion of routes from Canada to the USA.
The upgrade would fall short of the "DC-9X" modifications proposed by an MDC/Air Canada joint venture before the latter's order for A319s. Air Canada is scheduled to receive the first of 35 A319s in December, with deliveries following at the rate of two aircraft a month. It already operates 34 Airbus A320s.
Air Canada and Japan's All Nippon Airways are close to unveiling a code-sharing alliance, according to Lamar Durrett, Air Canada president and chief executive. "We're very close," he says, "and are optimistic we can get it done by the end of the year."
Source: Flight International
