MONTREAL — It was a strong start to the summer travel season for Air Canada, with over half a million customers flying with the airline over the long weekend.

According to Kevin O’Connor, Senior Vice President, Global Airports and Operational Control at Air Canada, the airline carried approximately 540,000 customers between May 19-22, 2023 and its 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.” 

O’Connor also noted that although system-wide weather was favourable, “we did face several challenges, including wildfires in Western Canada, weather disruptions in the southern U.S. and even a volcano in Mexico that all affected flights.”

After thanking all Air Canada employees for their hard work and dedication to serving customers, O’Connor added: “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.”

Earlier this month, Air Canada reported its Q1 results with revenue nearly double compared to a year ago. It raked in a net income of $4 million for the quarter ended March 31, up from a loss of $974 million in the same quarter last year.