Air Canada rouge’s first newly painted Boeing 767-300 ER aircraft

TORONTO, June 1, 2013 /CNW/ - Air Canada rouge's first newly painted Boeing 767-300 ER aircraft touched down this morning at Mirabel airport from Tel Aviv where it underwent an exterior transformation during a scheduled maintenance check. The plane was flown from Tel Aviv by Air Canada pilots Captain David Lywood, First Officer Kurtis Paproski and Captain John Liska.

After being stripped to its aluminum base, painters applied primer, two coats of white and finally used massive stencils to spray on the airline's distinct red and burgundy branding -- about 70 gallons of paint were used over nearly eight days to complete the painting. In order to maximize fuel efficiency by adding minimal weight, the least amount of paint possible is applied while achieving optimal coverage. Following a short period flying Toronto-Dublin for Air Canada in June, starting July 1 the B767-300 ER plane will fly Air Canada rouge's three European routes between Toronto and Venice/Athens/Edinburgh and Montreal/Athens.

The aircraft will now undergo minor interior modifications; Air Canada rouge's aircraft will be among the first in North America equipped to offer streaming inflight entertainment to customers' own devices (laptops, tablets, smartphones, etc).

It joins two Air Canada rouge A319 aircraft already at Mirabel airport, which will initially fly Caribbean routes and are also undergoing interior modifications to reflect the airline's relaxed, stylish approach to leisure travel. With this delivery Air Canada rouge now has 3 of its 4 startup aircraft, with the last painted B767-300ER arriving at Mirabel airport early next week. Air Canada rouge introduced its new inflight crew look earlier this week and also announced that its flight crews would be taking customer service excellence training at the Disney Institute in Orlando, Florida.

About Air Canada rouge

Air Canada rouge is Air Canada's new leisure airline, part of the new Air Canada Leisure Group, along with Air Canada Vacations. Air Canada rouge will operate a fleet of Boeing 767-300ER and Airbus 319 aircraft sporting an attractive new livery and interior, designed to reflect the airline's relaxed friendly ambience. Initially flights will operate from Toronto and Montreal to vacation spots in Europe and the Caribbean. Air Canada rouge is the only leisure airline that offers a full network of connecting flights, Aeroplan Miles with every flight as well as redemption, and Air Canada Vacations package holidays or flight-only options. With all of these customer benefits, Air Canada rouge will be leading the way in leisure travel. Vacation ahead with Air Canada rouge.