Flair Airlines

Flair Airlines is a Canadian low-cost airline headquartered in Edmonton, Alberta. It flies Boeing 737s on scheduled routes within Canada and to the United States, Mexico, the Caribbean and Central America, and also runs charters. Flair describes itself as an independent value carrier. As of October 2026 its chief executive is Len Corrado.

From charter operator to scheduled airline

The company began operating on 19 August 2005 as Flair Air, a privately owned charter airline. Its early work included cargo and passenger flights between Cuba and Canada for Cubana in 2006 and workforce flights for natural-resource and construction companies; between 2007 and 2010 it flew construction workers to Shell's Albian Sands project north of Fort McMurray. Boeing 737-400s replaced its 727s from 2008.

The move to scheduled low-fare flying came through NewLeaf, a Manitoba-based discount travel company whose flights Flair had been operating because NewLeaf was not licensed as an airline. Flair bought NewLeaf's assets in June 2017 and retired the NewLeaf brand on 25 July 2017. Late in 2017 Flair Air became Flair Airlines, and in 2018 it moved its headquarters from Kelowna to Edmonton, the same year the investment firm 777 Partners put money into the airline. A further rebrand in February 2019 brought the acid-green and black colours it still uses.

Ownership and fleet

In March 2022 the Canadian Transportation Agency said Flair might not meet the rule that Canadian airlines must be controlled by Canadians; on 1 June 2022 the agency concluded that the airline is Canadian and let it keep its licence. In March 2023 a lessor repossessed four of its aircraft in a dispute over lease payments.

Flair ordered 13 Boeing 737 MAX 8s in January 2021 and 14 more in December 2021, and retired its last 737-400 in August 2020. A Wikipedia table of aircraft registered with Transport Canada on 1 July 2026 shows a fleet of 737 MAX 8s and 737-800s. Wikipedia notes that Flair has not added aircraft since June 2023 and that its goal of 50 aircraft was pushed back to the end of 2027 in 2023. Cabins are all economy, with 186 or 189 seats in a 3–3 layout and no in-flight entertainment or Wi-Fi; extras such as larger bags and food are sold separately.

2026

• April–May 2026: Vancouver–Montreal (from 15 April), Toronto–St. John's (from 1 May) and a new Toronto–Moncton route (from 15 May) were scheduled, as announced in October 2025.
• June 2026: the Air Line Pilots Association, which represents about 270 Flair pilots, said it had reached a three-year tentative agreement with the airline after 10 months of talks, subject to a ratification vote.
• 15 October 2026: Flair announced nonstop Edmonton–Saint John flights, twice weekly from 15 June 2027.
• October 2026: Flair began carrying cargo in the holds of its passenger aircraft, with ExpAir Cargo handling sales and ECS Group providing support.