Air Canada is doubling down on its Air Canada Rouge operations, with the Canadian flag carrier announcing that the Boeing 737 MAX 8 airplanes for the leisure-focused arm of the airline will commence operations in the first quarter of 2026. This will see the Rouge eventually move to an all-Boeing 737 operator.

This is a momentous shift for the subsidiary, which in its history has operated airplanes such as the Airbus A319 to the Boeing 767. At the same time, the mainline Air Canada will move its narrowbody fleet to an all Airbus fleet. This is expected to be completed by the end of next year.

Move Over For Air Canada Rouge

With an expected influx of additional routes and services to be operated by Rouge, as suggested by Aero Explorer the airline will establish a new crew base for both pilots and flight attendants at Vancouver International Airport (YVR), the airline’s largest western gateway. YVR already serves as the airline’s springboard to services to Australia, New Zealand, and Asia.

This change in direction for Air Canada will see major investment in Vancouver, with the airline’s 737 fleet positioned to operate medium- to long-haul leisure flying. New routes from Vancouver will include non-stop services to Honolulu, Kona, and Cancun.

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Across the other side of the country, new services will also be operated by Rouge between Montreal and Nantes, Toronto and Ponta Delgada, plus Halifax and Brussels. Simple Flying reached out to the team at Air Canada for further comment on the move. The airline did not immediately respond by the time this article was published.

A Hybrid Leisure Carrier

As part of the pivot by Air Canada, Rouge will move from a Low-Cost Carrier to a hybrid leisure carrier that will undergo a cabin densification to see it move from a 169 mainline configuration to seating up to 177 passengers across three different classes, including 12 Premium Rouge (business class recliner), 18 Preferred Seats, and 147 Economy Class seats.

All seats will have their own personal on-demand inflight entertainment screens, which offer a range of music, television shows, movies and games for passengers to enjoy, while fast free WiFi will be on offer for those to remain connected with friends and family on the ground (as long as you are signed up as a member of the Air Canada Aeroplan frequent flier programme).

The move to offer all travelers their own seat-back entertainment will see quite a change from the more recent ‘bring your own device’ model that Rouge has historically operated. This improved offering will see the airline move much closer to the Air Canada mainline standard.

Six New Routes In 2026

As already mentioned, Air Canada Rouge will kick off 2026 with three routes departing Vancouver late in Q1 2026. The airline will offer daily services between Vancouver and Honolulu (6:33 hour block time) and between Vancouver and Cancun (6:45 hour block time). A four-weekly service will operate between Vancouver and Kona (6:34 hour block time).

Montreal to Nantes Atlantique Airport (NTE) will commence on June 10, 2026, becoming the second Canadian airline to offer the service after Air Transat. The new Rouge-operated services will depart from Montréal–Trudeau International Airport (YUL) thrice weekly, with a 7:15-hour block time. The route will depart in the evening, traveling overnight for a mid-morning arrival in France.

A flood of new operators on flights to the Portuguese Azores will see Air Canada Rouge go head-to-head with the likes of WestJet and Azores Airlines between Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ) and John Paul II Ponta Delgada Airport (PDL). The route will be served thrice weekly from June 11.

Rounding out the list, a new European connection from Halifax Stanfield International Airport (YHZ), will will serve the Belgian capital of Brussels, with a thrice weekly service kicking off from June 18. The flights, which operate alongside the additional seasonal service from Toronto, and year-round flights from Montreal.