Canadair (Bombardier) CRJ100 Series
The last decade of the twentieth century was certainly an eventful period in Canadian aviation. Air Canada had begun the privatization process and Canadian Airlines International had been formed by the beginning of the decade. Intense competition, controversy, restructuring and constant media coverage was to follow.
Amid the turbulence of the time a very shrewd business decision was made at Air Canada. Under the leadership of Hollis Harris, the company invested in the Canadair (now Bombardier) CRJ100 series of regional jets in anticipation of passage of the “Open Skies” agreement signed on February 24, 1995.
Twenty new routes were introduced serviced by the “RJ’s” including Toronto-Columbus, Ottawa-Washington, Calgary-Houston and Toronto-St. Louis. The fifty seat economy class configuration was perfect for these markets and Air Canada took full advantage of the opportunity. Air travel was no longer a luxury but a necessity for the faster pace of business and these routes had the potential to produce high yield.
Pictured is Fin# 101 originally delivered September 6, 1994 and has been stored at YYC since March 2012.
All twenty-six of the original aircraft that flew in Air Canada livery were transferred when the airline consolidated its regional subsidiaries into the Jazz brand in 2002. Planespotters.net lists six of them still active in the current Air Canada Express fleet operated by Air Georgian of Mississauga, Ontario and continuing to serve many of the routes that they had been acquired to develop such as Toronto to Raleigh-Durham, Nashville, Indianapolis, Kansas City and Milwaukee.
Listed below with original Air Canada Fins Nos. and date of delivery.
C-FSKM Fin# 100 (# 110) June 19, 1995
C-FWJF Fin# 101 (# 116) December 30, 1995
C-FWRS Fin# 102 (# 121) April 29, 1996
C-FWII Fin# 103 (# 117) December 31, 1995
C-FWRT Fin# 104 (# 122) May 27, 1996
C-FWRR Fin# 105 (# 120) April 15, 1996
Your comments and/or corrections are always welcome!