The special livery pays tribute to the airline’s heritage, which can be traced back to its founding in 1937. However, this is not the first aircraft to bear this livery, as many aviation geeks will already know. The special livery celebrating the TCA heritage first appeared in August 1997 as Air Canada celebrated its 60th anniversary. At that time, it was painted onto a brand-new Airbus A319 (Fin 264, Registration C-FZUH), making its delivery flight from Toulouse to Montreal with a group of employees on board to celebrate the occasion.
After nearly 24 years in the fleet, that aircraft was retired in January 2021.
The special livery will now travel across North America on the newest aircraft in Air Canada’s narrowbody fleet, with Fin 119 (registration C- GNBN) making its maiden flight in March 2021.
There is some symmetry with the livery being handed off from the A319 to the Mirabel-built A220-300. Air Canada was the first North American operator of the A319 and was also the first to operate the Airbus A220-300 on the continent when revenue service began in January 2020.
Designed and built-in Quebec, the Airbus A220-300 is an integral part of Air Canada’s fleet modernization and each A220 includes parts from 30 companies that are based in or have activities in Canada, making this aircraft a true testament to the importance of the aviation sector in Canada.
