Aviation Memorabilia Newsletter

De Havilland Canada Dash 8 Series 300

While I was watching this edition's 'Featured Video' about the retirement of the DHC-8-300, I thought I'd look into the lifecycle of this fleet.

Planespotters.net lists 27 aircraft that eventually flew as part of the 'Air Canada Express' brand. All were built at the Toronto-Downsview plant from 1989 to 1991 and, with only a few exceptions, were originally delivered to the various connector airlines that would become AC Jazz/Express and serve their entire careers in Canada. The majority were originally delivered to Time Air of Lethbridge, Alberta.  

Here is a list of the original operators:

• Air Nova - 2
• Air Ontario - 4
• Air BC - 6
• Time Air - 14

Two aircraft of the Time Air fleet, C-GTAT & C-GTAQ, were not taken up by Presidential Airways of Washinton D.C.

One interesting exception is C-FRUZ, delivered to Guinness Peat Aviation of Shannon Ireland in October 1991 and leased to several airlines in Europe before being acquired by Jazz in December 2007. It remained in the AC Express fleet until December 2021.

C-FRUZ in Victoria, British Columbia, October 21, 2019

Photo  by Brandon Siska @ commons.wikimedia.org