Air Canada

Air Canada (AC/ACA) is a scheduled airline based in Toronto, Canada and founded in 1937. Its operations are centred on Toronto Pearson International Airport. Originfacts tracks 14 destinations on its network across 12 countries.

Air Canada is the flag carrier and largest airline of Canada, founded in 1937 as Trans-Canada Air Lines by an Act of the Canadian Parliament. The airline adopted its current name in 1965 and was privatised in 1988, growing through the acquisition of rival Canadian Airlines in 2001 to become the country's dominant international carrier. It is headquartered in Saint-Laurent, Quebec, on the grounds of Montréal–Trudeau International Airport.

The airline operates its largest hub at Toronto Pearson International Airport, with additional major hubs at Montréal–Trudeau and Vancouver International Airport, and a secondary hub at Calgary International Airport. From these bases Air Canada serves a global network spanning more than 190 destinations across six continents, with particularly strong transborder service to the United States and long-haul routes to Europe, Asia, and Latin America. Its leisure subsidiary Air Canada Rouge and regional partners under the Air Canada Express brand extend the network to smaller markets.

The mainline fleet is built around Boeing 777 and 787 Dreamliner widebodies for long-haul flying, complemented by Airbus A330s, and a narrowbody mix of Airbus A220s, A319/A320/A321s, and Boeing 737 MAX 8s for shorter sectors. Air Canada was a founding member of the Star Alliance in 1997, providing its customers with worldwide codeshare and lounge access. Its Aeroplan loyalty programme, brought back in-house in 2019, is one of North America's largest frequent flyer schemes and underpins a broad network of financial and retail partnerships.

Air Canada has earned consistent recognition as the best airline in North America in Skytrax passenger surveys, though like many legacy carriers it continues to navigate pressure from low-cost competitors and volatile fuel costs.