Lynx Air made its inaugural flight Thursday, marking the latest entrant into Canada’s increasingly crowded budget airline market.
The ultra-low-cost carrier’s Boeing 737 Max jetliner took off from Calgary on Thursday and landed in Vancouver later that morning.
Calgary-based Lynx, formerly known as Enerjet, aims to operate 148 flights a week on more than a dozen routes by July, all within Canada, said chief executive Merren McArthur.
Several ultra-low-cost carriers (ULCCs) have been beefing up since the summer in preparation for a clash with Air Canada and WestJet Airlines Ltd. — and with each other — particularly for domestic flights and sun destinations.
Flair Airlines was down to one aircraft a year ago, but expects to have 20 737s in its fleet by the end of June as the Edmonton-based airline adds routes from Victoria, B.C., to St. John’s, N.L.
Meanwhile, WestJet budget subsidiary Swoop continues to expand, unveiling nine new routes out of Edmonton in November.
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McArthur, who took the controls at Lynx last summer, remains undaunted by her competitors.
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“The competition is growing and the demand is growing as well. I think there is a lot of pent-up demand as Canada is opening up, and we’re seeing that in the bookings,” she said in a phone interview from Vancouver.
The mood was celebratory upon departure, as passengers munched on chocolate cupcakes with the Lynx logo emblazoned in red icing.
Being a budget carrier, Lynx will not make a habit of it, McArthur added.
“There was ribbon cutting at both ends,” she said. “But there was no champagne on board.”
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