Aviation Memorabilia Newsletter

Zoom Airlines

Terry directed me to an article at SimpleFlying.com entitled 'What Happened to Canada's Zoom Airlines'. 

The word 'Zoom' has several definitions, most commonly referring to speed, however, it may currently be most associated with the communication software that many had never heard of just two years ago. I think that it was a cool name for an airline and a very cool logo on the livery.

Zoom Airlines Inc. was founded in May 2002 by Scottish brothers John and Hugh Boyle (Hugh had relocated to Canada) as a low-fare transatlantic airline. The carrier, based in Canada's capital city, Ottawa, planned to fill a niche market in the Canadian leisure travel market. In the summer of 2006, John Boyle founded a sister company in the UK known as Zoom Airlines Limited. Unfortunately, high fuel prices lead to 'Zoom' having to cease operations in 2008.

See the links below for more on the beginning and eventual fate of 'Zoom'.

simpleflying.com/canada-zoom-airlines

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zoom_Airlines

Always curious about aircraft lifecycles, I decided to look into what happened to the aircraft that were operated by Zoom (not including 2 short term narrow body leases).

Zoom followed the tradition of naming its aircraft after a city in its home country.

Four Boeing 767-300's - surprisingly all still active. 

C-GZUM - originally delivered to Air France in May 1993, it flew for Zoom as 'City of Ottawa' from June 2003 until August 2008. After operating several lessors, it was converted for cargo in August 2015, returned to Canada and is currently in the Cargojet Airways fleet.

C-GZMM - originally delivered to Air France in May 1993, it flew for Zoom as 'City of Halifax' from January 2004 until October 2008. Currently active with Omni Air International.

C-GZNA - originally delivered to KLM in July 1995, it flew for Zoom as  'City of Toronto' from April 2005 and then Zoom Airlines UK as 'City of Brighton and Hove' from December 2007 (in issue header). It was converted for cargo in May 2017 and is currently in the Amazon Prime Air fleet.

C-GZNC - originally delivered to KLM in July 1995, it flew for Zoom as 'City of Vancouver' from January 2006 until August 2008. After operating several lessors, it was converted for cargo in November 2015, returned to Canada and is currently in the Cargojet Airways fleet (pictured below).

Two Boeing 757-200's

C-GTDX - originally delivered to Canada 3000 Airlines (remember them?) in April 1990, it flew for Zoom as 'City of Toronto' (replacing C-GZNA) from March until August 2008. It was leased to various European airlines until scrapped in 2014.

C-GTSN - originally delivered to Odyssey International in March 1990, this aircraft has been leased by numerous Canadian 'low-fare' airlines. Including Odyssey, it also flew for Nationair, Air Transat, HMY/Harmony Airways before its lease to Zoom as 'City of Montreal' from May 2007 until August of 2008. It is currently stored at GYR in Arizona and has been acquired by Cascade Spares of Tennessee (probably for salvage).