Air Canada’s Longest Nonstop Routes With The Boeing 737 MAX In 2025

Air Canada is currently the sixth-largest operator of the Boeing 737 MAX 8, with a total of 47 in its fleet, according to the latest data from ch-aviation. The Star Alliance carrier deploys its fleet of 737 MAX 8s on a wide variety of routes across North and Central America, and even sends some of them across the Atlantic.

In this article, we will use data from Cirium, an aviation analytics company, to examine the longest routes that Air Canada operates with its Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft in 2025. We will also consider the role of the 737 MAX 8 in the airline’s wider fleet.

Transatlantic Routes

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Air Canada’s longest route operated by the Boeing 737 MAX 8 is between Montréal–Trudeau International Airport (YUL) and Edinburgh Airport (EDI) in Scotland, coming in at 3,032 miles long. This summer seasonal route was launched at the start of 2025, and has been operating four times per week between June and September. Air Canada is the only airline to operate direct flights between the two airports.

The second-longest route flown by Air Canada with its Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft is also a transatlantic service. The Star Alliance carrier flies once per day in each direction year-round between Halifax Stanfield International Airport (YHZ) and London Heathrow Airport (LHR), covering a distance of 2,858 miles. Just like its longest 737 MAX 8 route, Air Canada is also the only carrier to operate this route.

The Boeing 737 MAX 8 is the perfect aircraft for long, thin services such as these. That said, the vast majority of Air Canada’s transatlantic flights are operated by widebody aircraft, including the Airbus A330-300, Boeing 777-300ER, 787-8, and 787-9. By far the carrier’s busiest transatlantic service is between Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ) and London Heathrow Airport, with Air Canada flying the route up to three times per day, going head-to-head with both British Airways and Virgin Atlantic.

Connecting North America

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The third-longest route to be flown by Air Canada with its fleet of Boeing 737 MAX 8s covers the 2,801 miles between Vancouver International Airport (YVR) and Miami International Airport (MIA). Throughout 2025, the airline will operate 202 flights in each direction between the two cities. Air Canada is the only airline to operate direct flights on this route.

Air Canada’s fourth-longest Boeing 737 MAX 8 route is between the carrier’s West Coast hub at Vancouver International Airport and Cancún International Airport (CUN). Covering a distance of 2,782 miles, the airline is expected to operate a total of 425 flights in each direction on this route throughout 2025. Air Canada goes head-to-head with both Flair Airlines and WestJet on direct services between the two cities.

Air Canada’s fifth-longest route flown by the Boeing 737 MAX 8 is a domestic service flying from one side of the country to the other. This route covers the 2,760 miles between Vancouver International Airport and Halifax Stanfield International Airport (YHZ). Perhaps surprisingly, Air Canada is the only airline to link the two cities with direct flights.

Links To Mexico And Hawaii

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The list of Air Canada’s longest Boeing 737 MAX 8 routes continues with another service to Mexico, this time connecting Vancouver International Airport (YVR) with Huatulco International Airport (HUX). This is a new route for the Star Alliance carrier, set to commence on December 7th, 2025, which is why there are only four flights planned for this year. Given the popularity of the region with Canadian holidaymakers looking to escape the harsh winter, this route is likely to be a success for Air Canada.

At 2,724 miles long, the route between Vancouver International Airport and Kona International Airport (KOA) is Air Canada’s seventh-longest to be served by the Boeing 737 MAX 8. In 2025, Air Canada is set to operate a total of 65 flights in each direction between the two airports, with the carrier facing direct competition from Canada’s second-largest airline, WestJet.

Sticking with Hawaii, the next-longest Air Canada route flown by the Boeing 737 MAX 8 comes in slightly shorter at 2,705 miles. This is the carrier’s direct service between Vancouver International Airport and Honolulu Daniel K. Inouye International Airport (HNL), which will see a staggering 554 flights in each direction throughout 2025.

Another destination in Hawaii is Air Canada’s ninth-longest route served by the Boeing 737 MAX 8. The carrier’s route between Vancouver International Airport and Kahului Airport (OGG) covers a distance of 2,672 miles, and will be flown 188 times in each direction in 2025. Just like on its previously mentioned Hawaii routes, Air Canada goes head-to-head with WestJet on this route.

Rounding Out The Top 10

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Last but by no means least is Air Canada’s tenth-longest route served by the Boeing 737 MAX 8, which connects Edmonton International Airport (YEG) with Cancun International Airport (CUN). In 2025, the Star Alliance carrier will operate 29 direct services in each direction between the two cities.

Cancun International Airport is the second-busiest airport in Mexico, owing to the Yucatán Peninsula’s popularity with holidaymakers from across the region, processing more than 30 million passengers last year. The busiest Canadian routes from Cancén International Airport are to Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ) and Montréal-Trudeau International Airport (YUL).

However, the vast majority of the airport’s international services are to US destinations, with Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) proving to be the most popular route in 2024, with more than 577,000 passengers.

Air Canada’s Longest Boeing 737 MAX 8 Routes

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Air Canada’s longest routes flown by the Boeing 737 MAX 8 are summarized in the table below:

Air Canada took delivery of its first Boeing 737 MAX 8 in October 2017, and has since grown to become the world’s sixth-largest operator of the type, with a total of 47 in its fleet. The airline also has a further five 737 MAX 8s on order, awaiting delivery from the US manufacturer. For comparison, Southwest Airlines is currently by far the world’s largest operator of the type, with 207 737 MAX 8s in its fleet, followed by United Airlines, with 145.

Each of the carrier’s 737 MAX 8s is capable of accommodating up to a maximum of 189 passengers, depending on the configuration. The airline operates some 737 MAX 8s with space for 16 passengers in business class and 153 in economy class, making a total capacity of 169, while some are equipped with an all-economy class configuration of 189 seats. The MAX 8 is powered by CFM LEAP-1B engines, offering up to 20% better fuel efficiency compared to older aircraft.

Air Canada & The Boeing 737 MAX 8

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Despite its popularity with airlines around the world, the Boeing 737 MAX program has not been without its problems. Following two fatal crashes (one involving Lion Air in 2018 and another involving Ethiopian Airlines in 2019, which together killed more than 300 people), the aircraft was grounded globally in 2019, including in Canada. Air Canada’s fleet remained grounded until safety modifications and regulatory approval were completed in 2021. Since returning to service, the airline has gradually rebuilt passenger trust in the aircraft, and it now forms a key part of its narrowbody fleet.

However, in a change of strategy, all 52 of Air Canada’s Boeing 737 MAX 8 are expected to be transferred to the carrier’s leisure subsidiary, Air Canada Rouge, by 2028. Air Canada Rouge was founded in 2012 and commenced operations in July 2013, connecting Canadian cities with key leisure destinations across North America, Central America, and Europe. The carrier’s fleet is now entirely made up of narrowbody aircraft such as the Airbus A320 and A321, but it did previously operate a number of Boeing 767-300ERs on busier routes.

As a result of this change in fleet strategy, it is likely that many of Air Canada’s longest Boeing 737 MAX 8 routes listed above will instead be operated by the Airbus A321XLR in the years to come – the carrier has a total of 30 A321XLRs on order, with the first due to arrive in 2026. Thanks to its impressive fuel efficiency and low operating costs, the A321XLR is perfectly placed to operate some of Air Canada’s longer, thinner routes, with the addition of new transatlantic services to secondary European destinations not out of the question.