On June 26, Air Canada took off from听Montreal听to听听Until then, the route had never been served, so it is particularly good to see its commencement.听. For Air Canada, it has become its new longest听听service to date.
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Up To 7h 20m: Air Canada's 10 Longest Boeing 737 MAX 8 Flights
July 01, 2025
Source:
- Airline Type
- Hub(s)
- Montr茅al鈥揟rudeau International Airport,听,听
- Year Founded
- 1937
- Alliance
- CEO
- Michael Rousseau
- 听
- 听
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Until earlier this year, the Canadian flag carrier had intended to fly the 169-seat 737 MAX 8 between听Montreal and Porto. Had it done so, it would have been its joint-longest service aboard the narrowbody equipment. However, flights (), switched to the 285-seat Airbus A330-300. To compensate for the additional capacity, frequencies were reduced from four to three weekly.
Air Canada's 10 Longest 737 MAX Flights: July & August
It is not just听Montreal to Edinburgh听flights that are new to the top 10 list. On June 3,听. It was the first time the market, which covers 2,257 nautical miles (4,180 km) each way, had been served. Eleven days later, WestJet followed.
With two weekly departures, the low frequency suggests that Air Canada (a听听member) will primarily target the local market (37,000 passengers last year). However, connections are available elsewhere, including to Tokyo (26,000 passengers) and Seoul (12,000).
The order is based on block time, which is measured as chocks-off-to-chocks-on. It includes taxi time at both airports, flight time, and a period for short delays. It reflects slot possession at slot-controlled airports. Airlines need to have sufficient 'padding' to ensure great punctuality, but not too much to ensure competitiveness, usability, and high aircraft productivity.
July & August Maximum Block Time (Either Direction) | Route | 737 MAX Operations Only |
|---|---|---|
7h 20m | Montreal to Edinburgh | Three weekly |
6h 45m= | Vancouver to Miami | Three weekly |
6h 45m= | Halifax to London Heathrow | Daily |
6h 30m | Vancouver to Cancun | Two weekly |
6h 12m | Montreal to San Francisco | Eight weekly |
6h 10m | Vancouver to Honolulu | Daily |
6h 09m | Vancouver to Newark | Two daily |
6h 03m | Vancouver to Tampa | Two weekly |
6h 00m | Toronto to Keflavik | Six weekly |
5h 57m | Montreal to Los Angeles | 12 weekly to two daily |
Montreal To Edinburgh Is Air Canada's Longest 737 MAX Flight Ever (So Far)
Photo:听Robin Guess | Shutterstock
According to听, Air Canada has 47 MAX 8s,听. They average 5.6 years. The first example was delivered in October 2017 and began carrying fare-paying passengers two months later. Since then, and accounting for the MAX's grounding, no other flight aboard the type has exceeded the maximum block time of 7h 20m.
Others have come close. At up to听7h 16m, Air Canada used the type from Calgary to Honolulu in 2021/2022. At a high of听7h 15m, the carrier operated Toronto-Shannon on the MAX in 2018. At up to听7h 12m, the Star member used the machine from Kahului to Calgary for several years, with this maximum block time available in 2022/2023.
Three airlines operate.
A Look At Halifax To London Heathrow
Photo:听
Air Canada has served the market for many years. The 767-300ER was deployed until April 3, 2018. The carrier still has eight 767s: six are in a cargo configuration, and two frames in a passenger layout are stored in Hamilton. On April 4, 2018, the MAX 8 appeared and was used until March 2019. The route returned in April 2022, also aboard that narrowbody.
It stands out as it is Air Canada's听sole daytime service to Europe. In July and August, AC868 leaves Halifax at 11:00 and gets to Europe's busiest airport at 21:00 local time. The aircraft remains overnight in the UK, sometimes for 20+ hours. This must reflect the airline's lack of slots. As parking charges will be expensive, let alone the lack of aircraft use, it'll be very costly. Its dominance between London and Halifax, which will help with higher yields, will help to offset this.
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Daily except Wednesdays and Saturdays, AC869 departs from Heathrow at 12:05 and returns to Halifax at 14:55 local time. However, on Wednesdays and Saturdays, they leave at 17:40 and get to Canada at 20:25. In all instances, the aircraft begins/ends in Toronto.听.
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