Domestically and regionally within North America, Air Canada's third-longest MAX 8 route links Vancouver International Airport (YVR) with Miami International Airport (MIA), spanning 2,801 miles with over two hundred flights scheduled each way in 2025. The airline also connects Vancouver to Cancún International Airport (CUN)—the fourth-longest route at 2,782 miles—where it competes directly with Flair Airlines and WestJet.
Other notable long-haul services operated by the Boeing narrowbody include routes from Vancouver to Halifax (2,760 miles), Huatulco in Mexico (2,757 miles), Kona in Hawaii (2,724 miles), Honolulu (2,705 miles), Kahului in Maui (2,672 miles), and from Edmonton to Cancún (2,637 miles). Several Hawaiian destinations see competition from WestJet on direct flights from Vancouver.
Cancún International Airport remains one of Mexico’s busiest airports due to its popularity among tourists. In recent years it has handled more than thirty million passengers annually; most international traffic comes from US cities such as Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport.
Air Canada received its first Boeing 737 MAX 8 in October 2017 and continues to expand its fleet with five additional units on order. For context among operators worldwide: Southwest Airlines leads with over two hundred units while United Airlines follows closely behind.
Depending on configuration, each Air Canada Boeing 737 MAX 8 can seat up to either a maximum of 189 passengers or offer business class seating for sixteen plus economy for one hundred fifty-three travelers. The CFM LEAP-1B engines used by these aircraft provide about twenty percent better fuel efficiency compared to previous models.
The Boeing program experienced significant challenges after two fatal crashes led regulators around the world—including those in Canada—to ground all planes of this type between March 2019 and early-2021 while safety updates were made. Since then, Air Canada has gradually restored passenger confidence as part of its core narrowbody fleet.
In a strategic shift planned through the end of this decade, all fifty-two existing and future deliveries of Air Canada's Boeing 737 MAX aircraft are expected to be transferred to its leisure subsidiary Air Canada Rouge by no later than year-end-2028. Founded in July-2013 focusing on vacation travel markets across North America and Europe, Rouge previously operated widebodies but now maintains an all-narrowbody lineup including Airbus A320 family jets.
With thirty Airbus A321XLRs ordered—the first arriving in-2026—many current long-range routes flown by the MAX may eventually transition onto these newer airframes due to their range capabilities combined with lower operating costs.
Alerts Sign-up
