Flair Airlines and Lynx Air May Announce Merger

Recently, reports of a potential merger between Canadian ultra-low-cost carriers Flair Airlines and Lynx Air have emerged online, first in The Airline Observer, and later in major news outlets.

While there have been no official announcements from either airline, the Toronto Star reports that industry sources have confirmed that the two airlines are in discussions of a merger, and a potential deal could be announced in the very near future.

If a merger is indeed imminent, it’d become the latest shakeup in the Canadian market, which has seen a lot of airline consolidation in the past few years alone.

Flair Airlines and Lynx Air Reportedly in Merger Talks

According to reports, Flair Airlines and Lynx Air are in advanced merger talks. Neither airline has publicly confirmed or denied the merger, although it’s reported that official details may emerge as soon as Thursday, February 15, 2024.

If confirmed, Flair Airlines would absorb Lynx Air, and the two Alberta-based airlines would become one. Flair Airlines is based out of Edmonton, while Lynx Air is headquartered in Calgary.

Flair Airlines has been operating under its current moniker since 2017, after it previously flew as Flair Air. Lynx Air launched flights under its current name in 2022, after flying as Enerjet in years prior.

As it stands, Flair Airlines currently has a fleet of 20 aircraft, while Lynx Air’s fleet is made up of nine.

The majority of Lynx’s routes operate out of Calgary (YYC) and Toronto Pearson (YYZ), with a handful of routes from Montreal (YUL) and Vancouver (YVR). The majority of the ultra-low-cost carrier’s routes are domestic and transborder, with a single route to Cancun from Toronto.

Meanwhile, Flair Airlines offers multiple direct flights from Edmonton (YEG), Vancouver (YVR), Calgary (YYC), Winnipeg (YWG), Toronto Pearson (YYZ), Montreal (YUL), and Ottawa (YOW), as well as from smaller airports such as Abbotsford (YXX), Kitchener/Waterloo (YKF), London (LXU), to destinations across Canada, the United States, Mexico, and the Caribbean.

Recently, Flair Airlines has had to delay its fleet expansion plans, due to both manufacturing issues at Boeing and reports of an unpaid tax bill related to the delivery of its existing fleet.

These issues followed the seizure of four of Flair’s aircraft in March 2022, due to Flair allegedly falling…