The US Department of Transportation (DOT) has fined Air Canada US$250,000 for operating flights carrying United Airlines’ designator code in regions in which a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) flight prohibition was in effect for US operators. The airline was ordered to cease and desist from future similar violations.

An investigation by the Department’s Office of Aviation Consumer Protection (OACP) revealed that between October 2022 and January 2023, Air Canada operated a “significant number of flights” carrying the United Airlines code between the United Arab Emirates and Canada in airspace prohibited by the FAA to US operators.

DOT says several flights took place after OACP issued an investigation letter to Air Canada regarding the issue, thereby violating the conditions of its authority to operate and thus engaging in air transportation without the proper DOT authority.

In a statement Air Canada said the incidents as “unplanned, inadvertent, limited in number, and of brief duration” were due to several factors, including in one case, when Air Canada had to deploy a Boeing 777-300 instead of a Boeing 787 on the route between DXB and YYZ, leading to a longer climbing time.

Air Canada is required to pay half of the fine within 60 days. The remaining portion will be suspended unless the airline violates the agreement again within the next year.

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