Canadian North (5T, Yellowknife) is set to retire its two remaining B737-200Cs by early 2022 and replace them with other types, including at least one ATR42-500, the airline's vice-president (customer and commercial) Andrew Pope told the local daily Nunatsiaq News.
"To extend [their lifetimes] further would require prohibitively expensive capital investments. Our intention is to instead invest those funds into new aircraft acquisitions to support our entire network, including the Kitikmeot Region," he said.
The airline's B737-200(C)s are 41.1 and 40.8 years old and were both acquired from Air Canada in 2001, the ch-aviation fleets module shows. Pope said that Canadian North planned to retire the first of the pair in May 2021 and the second by early 2022.
One of the Boeing narrowbodies will be replaced by an ATR42-500. The second aircraft will be replaced by a freighter aircraft, Pope said, though he did not disclose the type. The B737-200(C)s are in a combi configuration and can carry up to 112 passengers in an all-economy layout, or up to six pallets of cargo, or any mix of passengers and cargo. The aircraft can operate from gravel runways, an important consideration for the replacement type.
The ch-aviation schedules module shows that Canadian North is deploying the B737-200(C)s on scheduled routes from its base at Yellowknife to Cambridge Bay and Kuglutuk/Coppermine in the northern Kitikmeot Region.
Besides the two B737-200(C)s, Canadian North operates eight B737-300s and two B737-300(QC). Its sister carrier First Air operates three ATR42-300s, four ATR42-300(QC)s, six ATR42-500s, one B737-400, three B737-400(C)s, and one B737-700. Canadian North also wet-leases one ARJ-85 from Summit Air Charters (SUT, Yellowknife).
