MONTREAL 鈥� Each morning, travellers and cargo take off from Montreal鈥檚 Trudeau airport for a 1,600-kilometre flight to Puvirnituq in northern Quebec aboard a nearly 50-year-old Air Inuit plane.
This seasoned Boeing 737 previously cruised the skies above Europe and Central Africa for now-defunct carriers in France, Gabon and the Congo. But now its trips are all-Canadian, shuttling people, food and building materials between the country鈥檚 second-biggest city and a village of 2,100.
The aging aircraft is no outlier in Canada, which plays host to more old jets deployed for passenger service than any other country. Their age can pose challenges for maintenance and fuel efficiency, while others question the safety of second-hand haulers, but operators say they are ideally suited for commercial flights to remote destinations.
Thirteen of the 30 oldest jets in the world carrying travellers on scheduled or charter routes are operating in Canada, according to figures from ch-aviation, an industry data provider. All 13 are Boeing 737-200s between 42 and 52 years old.
Venezuela is the runner-up, with six jets in the top 30. The United States notches three.
Counterintuitively, Canada鈥檚 sprawling geography, harsh weather and rugged airstrips are the reason it relies more heavily on old planes than on newer, sleeker models.
鈥淭he reason why Air Inuit still flies the 200 series is not by choice but by obligation,鈥� said CEO Christian Busch, whose 36-plane fleet includes four of the classic narrow-bodies. Three 鈥� all among the oldest 30 globally 鈥� house passengers in the back half and freight in the front.
Much of the rationale boils down to unpaved runways.
鈥淲e鈥檙e still flying aircraft on gravel runways, and the 737-200 is the only aircraft approved to land 鈥� jet aircraft approved to land 鈥� on gravel to this date,鈥� he said.
That鈥檚 because the beefy Boeing, which entered into service in 1968 and ceased production 20 years later, was designed to be fitted with a gravel kit.
That modification includes a deflector on the nose wheel that shields the underbelly from flying rock fragments. It also blows compressed air in front of each engine to prevent debris from entering the turbofans, which could be damaged and shut down.
All but seven of Canada鈥檚 117 "remote northern airports" are unpaved, according to a 2017 auditor general鈥檚 report on aviation infrastructure in the North.
"We have a 737-800 on the fleet. I would love to fly that aircraft up north, but where can I land it?" asked Marco Prud'Homme, president of charter airline Nolinor Aviation.
"I mean, it鈥檚 all unpaved runways."
While some of its vintage Boeings fly to villages, about half of Nolinor鈥檚 flights descend on a half-dozen remote mines, transporting workers, groceries and supplies via 737-200 to an open-pit project in Nunavut and other northern operations.
Mining companies avoid paving runways in part because asphalt and concrete are harder to rehabilitate when the site closes. More importantly for northern areas, permafrost can melt in the summer, creating cracks or large ripples in the runway.
鈥淚f you pave the runway, after one year you will have to start again,鈥� Prud鈥橦omme said.
While many airlines deploy a mix of turboprop planes 鈥� which can land on gravel 鈥� and jets, the former are far slower and thus less appealing for passenger travel.
鈥淚f you have to use a turboprop aircraft to get there, it鈥檚 going to take forever,鈥� said Prud鈥橦omme, whose 14-aircraft fleet includes nine "well-loved" 737-200s 鈥� more than any other carrier, he claims.
Eight are among the 50 oldest passenger jets in the world deployed for passenger service, according to ch-aviation. The two longest-serving veterans are 50 and 51 years old, making them third- and fourth-oldest globally, right behind a pair of U.S.-based charter jets, the oldest of which was built in 1971 鈥� for the now-defunct Canadian Airlines.
Geriatric planes are not without issues. They guzzle more fuel and cause greater maintenance headaches, said Air Inuit's Busch. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not as easy as maintaining new or modern aircraft,鈥� whose components may be more readily available, he noted. Seemingly basic items can pose big problems. Finding parts to swap out a broken washroom lock can be tougher than changing an engine starter, Busch said.
But Prud'Homme says components come at a lower cost than parts for newer jets and can be sourced easily enough.
While flying on a creaky plane from the 鈥�70s might give some passengers the jitters, there is little evidence of safety issues.
A 2014 study by the MIT International Center for Air Transportation found there is no link between aircraft age and fatal accident rates in North America and Europe.
Proper maintenance is far more important than the manufacturing date, said Pierre Cl茅ment, director of aviation at Glencore Canada鈥檚 Raglan Mine, which sits in Nunavik near the northernmost tip of Quebec.
鈥淭here鈥檚 no concern as far as safety is concerned because the airplanes are maintained,鈥� he said.
Glencore, whose two 46-year-old 737-200s rank among the 15 oldest passenger planes worldwide, flies a mechanic on every trip along with numerous replacement parts, Cl茅ment said.
To avoid unexpected repairs, the company takes precautionary steps such as changing the tires after fewer landings than most carriers would.
鈥淲e know that if an airplane breaks down at the mine, it will cost a lot of money to fix it there,鈥� he said.
Though still a linchpin of remote air travel, Canada's stable of senior 737-200s may shrink as new solutions emerge.
Glencore is taking ground temperature tests year-round to see if decreasing permafrost would allow for an asphalt runway. An airstrip made of aluminum planks is another option, but pricier.
The Quebec government announced last year it would commit up to $50 million to treat the gravel runway in Puvirnituq with a product that will make the strip harder and less prone to kicking up debris, among other renovations.
"We're working with Transport Canada to be able to fly a modern jet on a new surface type," said Busch. He hopes to get a greenlight for newer planes to take off there as early as next year.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 18, 2025.
Christopher Reynolds, The Canadian Press
