SEATTLE, WASHINGTON (SEATTLE TIMES) — Canada’s ultra-low-cost startup carrier Flair Airlines, which for two months has faced the threat of closure by government regulators over allegations that it was not controlled by Canadians, on Wednesday got the green light to continue operations.
The Canadian government ruling in favor of Flair will be a relief to Boeing.
Flair is a new customer for Boeing’s 737 MAX aircraft, with 11 MAXs in its current fleet as well as three older models of 737 NG. In a virtual news conference from Edmonton, Alberta, CEO Stephen Jones said Flair will now move forward and take another MAX from Boeing within a week, with three more coming in June and another in July.
Flair says it intends to have a fleet of 30 jets by the end of next year.
“We’ve got our foot to the floor on that plan,” Jones said.
The Canadian Transportation Agency’s final ruling Wednesday declared that management changes to Flair’s governance structure and financing mean it now meets government airline ownership requirements in that it is controlled by Canadians and not its U.S. financial backers, Miami-based investment company 777 Partners.
Flair is attempting to break the hold of the country’s large carriers, Air Canada and WestJet, by introducing very low fares on the model of Ryanair in Europe and flying into secondary airports such as Kitchener/Waterloo, about a 90-minute drive from Toronto.
