Canadian ultra-low-cost carrier Flair Airlines has received its first delivery on 26MAY 2021 of the 13 Boeing 737 MAX 8 jets it announced it would be acquiring earlier this year, according to a report published by Simple Flying.
This delivery marks the beginning of an initial expansion to a total fleet size of 16 aircraft.
According to Airways Mag, this first aircraft is registered as C-FLEJ.
When the initial announcement about the new jets was made in JAN 2021, Stephen Jones, President & CEO of Flair Airlines was quoted saying, “Our efficient new aircraft will provide us the foundation to execute our ULCC business model. These planes will enable us to keep fares low while expanding our service to meet travel demand.”
According to the report, the 737 MAX 8 aircraft will be added to Flair Airlines’ existing fleet of 737s. Prior to this addition, the carrier had just three 737-800s.
ch-aviation notes that this leased aircraft was ordered by investment firm 777 Partners, who is listed as the legal owner of the aircraft. Meanwhile, Planespotters.net data states that the nearly two-year-old aircraft held three prior test registrations (N1786B, N1799B, N1782B, N57001) before taking its current Canadian letters.
Simple Flying notes that all aircraft are configured in an all-economy layout with 189 seats. These -800s have an average age of 10.7 years and flew for various other airlines, including Air Berlin, Siam Air, and Air China.
The report further states that last January, Flair said that its MAX 8 acquisition put the airline well on its way to its “F50” ambition, growing to 50 planes within five years.