Air Canada concluded a collective agreement amendment with its pilots on November 27, represented by the Air Canada Pilots Association, for contractual changes to enable the airline to competitively operate dedicated cargo aircraft.

The carrier is finalising plans to convert several of its owned Boeing 767-300ER aircraft to freighters.

In a statement, the airline said the planes were recently retired from passenger service. 

"Air Canada and Air Canada Cargo have pivoted quickly to new and unique commercial opportunities in response to evolving market conditions over the past 11 months, and Air Canada was the first airline globally to transform aircraft and double freight capacity by removing seats to enable cargo transport in the passenger cabin ... we are planning the conversion of several owned Boeing 767-300ERs ... which will position Air Canada to continue growing its cargo business across the global supply chain," said Lucie Guillemette, executive vice president and Chief Commercial Officer. 

Air Canada operates up to 100 international cargo services per week using modified passenger aircraft.

To date, Air Canada has operated more than 3,500 all-cargo flights globally.

Airline appoints VP for cargo

Air Canada also said Jason Berry was appointed as Vice President, Cargo effective January 1, 2021, to be based in the airline's Montreal headquarters, and will report directly to Lucie Guillemette, Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer.

Berry comes to Air Canada from Alaska Airlines' wholly-owned subsidiary McGee Air Services, where he was President with oversight for all aspects of aviation services ground handling, aircraft grooming, airport mobility services, check-in and gate services.

From 2012 until June 2019, he led Alaska Airlines' cargo business, with direct responsibility for all aspects of cargo operations and compliance including revenue growth. 

"Jason's entrepreneurial approach combined with his solid air cargo background is well-suited to operationalize these commercial opportunities, and lead the strategic direction of our cargo business to optimize the growth of e-commerce while leveraging Air Canada's fleet and global reach," Guillemette said.