Canadian airlines

Air Canada

AC / ACA

Canada’s largest airline and a founding member of Star Alliance: hubs in Toronto, Montréal and Vancouver, a mixed Airbus-Boeing fleet and a striking black tail with a red maple leaf.

Canadian Airlines International

CP / CDN

Historic Canadian network airline from Calgary: formed in 1987 from Pacific Western and CP Air, founding member of oneworld and fully absorbed into Air Canada in 2000/2001.

Canadian Pacific Air Lines

CP / CPC

Historic Canadian airline: Canadian Pacific Air Lines flew from 1942 to 1987, from 1968 as CP Air in bold orange, and was absorbed into Canadian Airlines International.

Pacific Western Airlines

PW / PWA

Historic airline from Western Canada (1946–1987): Pacific Western Airlines grew from a bush flying operation in British Columbia into a regional heavyweight with Hercules freighters and Boeing 737s – and swallowed CP Air in 1987, creating Canadian Airlines International.

Porter Airlines

PD / POE

Canada’s third-largest airline: started in 2006 with turboprops on the Toronto Island, now operating one of the largest Embraer E195-E2 fleets in the world with routes to the US, Mexico and the Caribbean.

WestJet

WS / WJA

Canada’s second-largest airline from Calgary: started as a low-cost carrier, today with the Boeing 787-9 on long-haul, a large 737 fleet and Dash 8 turboprops at WestJet Encore.

Flair Airlines

F8 / FLE

Neon green, black and a touch of purple: Flair Airlines is Canada’s independent ultra-low-cost airline with a compact fleet of Boeing 737 MAX 8s and 737-800s – and an eventful history of charter flights, NewLeaf and leasing trouble.

Lynx Air

Y9 / DAT

Historical ultra-low-cost airline from Calgary: grown out of the charter operator Enerjet, launched in April 2022 with Boeing 737 MAX 8s – and finished in February 2024 after almost two years.

Swoop

WO / WSW

A historic Canadian ultra-low-cost airline (2018–2023): WestJet created Swoop as a budget offshoot with Boeing 737s and a pink tail – after a good five years, aircraft, routes and staff went back to the parent.

Zoom Airlines

Z4 / OOM

Historic Canadian low-cost airline from Ottawa that offered cheap Boeing 757 and 767 flights between Canada, the UK and France from 2002 to 2008 – until aircraft were seized at the end of August 2008 and operations ended abruptly.

Air Canada Rouge

RV / ROU

Air Canada’s leisure subsidiary: since 2013 Rouge has flown to sun destinations in the Caribbean, Mexico and the USA. It used to come to Europe with the Boeing 767, and today it is in the middle of switching from Airbus to the Boeing 737 MAX 8.

Air Transat

TS / TSC

Canada’s leisure airline from Montréal: Air Transat flies Airbus A321LRs and A330s to Europe in summer and to the sun in winter – and with Berlin it is within reach for German spotters too.

Canada 3000

2T / CMM

Historic Canadian charter airline from Toronto: born as a British offshoot, the market leader in leisure traffic after the end of Wardair, first operator of the A330-200 and suddenly grounded in November 2001.

Sunwing Airlines

WG / SWG

A historic leisure airline from Toronto: from 2005 to 2025 Sunwing flew Boeing 737s to the sun, sent its jets to Europe in summer and, after the WestJet takeover, was absorbed into that airline’s fleet.

Wardair

WD / WDA

Historic Canadian airline (1953–1990): Max Ward turned a single Otter bush plane into Canada’s largest international charter airline – with 747s, china dinnerware on board and aircraft named after bush pilots.

Air Inuit

3H / AIE

Nunavik’s lifeline: since 1978, Air Inuit has connected the Inuit villages of northern Québec with each other and with Montréal – with Dash 8s, Twin Otters and Boeing 737 Combis on gravel runways.

Air North

4N / ANT

Yukon’s airline: from Whitehorse, Air North connects Canada’s far north with Vancouver, Calgary and Edmonton – with ATR 42s for the Arctic and Boeing 737s for the south.

Canadian North

5T / AKT

The airline of the Canadian Arctic: formed through the merger with First Air, Canadian North flies Boeing 737s and ATR turboprops – often as combis with cargo and passengers in one cabin – to Nunavut, the Northwest Territories and Nunavik.

First Air

7F / FAB

Historic Arctic airline from Canada: founded in 1946 as a flying school near Ottawa, owned by the Inuit of Nunavik from 1990 and known for its Boeing 737-200 Combis with gravel kits – merged into Canadian North in 2019.

Harbour Air

YB

North America’s largest seaplane airline from British Columbia: Beavers, Otters and Twin Otters take off in the middle of Vancouver and Victoria, and since 2019 Harbour Air has been testing an electric Beaver.

Jazz Aviation

QK / JZA

Canada’s largest regional airline flies almost exclusively as Air Canada Express: Dash 8-400, CRJ900 and Embraer 175 in Air Canada colors, its own codes QK and JZA, and a history that goes back to four regional airlines.

PAL Airlines

PB / PVL

Eastern Canada’s Dash 8 airline: PAL Airlines connects Newfoundland, Labrador, Québec and the Maritimes from St. John’s – and also flies Q400s for Air Canada Express.

WestJet Encore

WR / WEN

WestJet’s regional subsidiary has flown only De Havilland Canada Dash 8-400s since 2013 – in WestJet colors but with its own ICAO code WEN. Here is how to identify the turboprops from Calgary with confidence.

Cargojet

W8 / CJT

Canada’s largest cargo airline: an all-Boeing fleet of 757 and 767 freighters, an overnight network with a hub in Hamilton and long-term contracts with Canada Post, Amazon and DHL – also regularly seen in Liège since 2025.

Nolinor Aviation

N5 / NRL

Charter airline from Mirabel near Montréal that uses the world’s largest fleet of Boeing 737-200s to fly passengers, cargo and fuel to mines and gravel runways in northern Canada.