Air Canada plans to add as many as 75 Bombardier CS300
narrow-body aircraft to its fleet this decade.
The carrier's letter of intent includes 45 firm orders and options
for as many as 30 more. Delivery will begin in 2019 and last through 2022. The
first 25 aircraft will replace Air Canada's existing Embraer E190 fleet, and
the rest will expand the carrier's network.
Air Canada operating revenues increased 2.5 percent year
over year to C$3.2 billion during the fourth quarter. The carrier increased
capacity 8.4 percent year over year, and traffic increased 8.6 percent. Air
Canada's load factor in the fourth quarter was 81.1 percent, up 0.1 percentage
points year over year. Yield decreased 5.5 percent.
For the full year 2015, Air Canada reported a
net income of C$308 million, up from C$105 million in 2014. President and CEO
Calin Rovinescu credited financial results to "various value-enhancing
initiatives, including fleet modernization, international expansion, the
rollout of Rouge and our network diversification."