BA Boeing Co

By Michael Dabaie

Air Canada (AC.T) said Tuesday it adjusted its schedule through to April 30 to cover 98% of its planned flying following Transport Canada's closure of Canadian airspace to Boeing (BA) 737 MAX aircraft operations.

Air Canada said it has grounded its 24 737 MAX aircraft and Boeing has advised that deliveries of its 737 MAX are currently suspended. Air Canada said it was expecting six new aircraft in March and April.

Air Canada said it is updating its May schedule to further optimize its fleet and re-accommodate customers. The airline company said that because the timeline for the return to service of the 737 MAX is unknown, Air Canada intends to remove 737 MAX flying from its schedule until at least July 1.

To mitigate the impact, Air Canada has been substituting different aircraft on 737 MAX routes. The carrier said it has extended leases for aircraft which were scheduled to exit the fleet and is accelerating the in-take of recently acquired Airbus A321 aircraft from WOW Airlines into its fleet, as well as hiring other carriers to provide immediate extra capacity.

In a small number of cases, Air Canada said it temporarily suspended service until further notice on certain 737 MAX routes where alternative aircraft aren't presently available. This includes flights from Halifax and St. John's to London Heathrow.

Write to Michael Dabaie at michael.dabaie@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

March 19, 2019 08:56 ET (12:56 GMT)

Copyright (c) 2019 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.