Mastering relations with the media is a key skill for airline CEOs and Anko van der Werff is no exception. Industry commentary about his upcoming move from SAS to Air Canada is as gushing as you would expect. Things were not always so. Reading the 20 year old FlyerTalk thread “ Anko van der Werff needs to get a new job ” is an entertaining reminder that today’s respected airline CEOs were once junior managers learning their trade. With his move to Air Canada, Mr van der Werff is unlikely to make such gaffes again. Running an airline can often follow a standard playbook. The airline is long established, already highly optimised and has its fair share of legacy issues. After taking safety and operational reliability as his first priorities, Mr van der Werff will likely have a go at shuffling organisational design and ownership structures. He will probably whip out his spreadsheet and try to find a few more cost savings. On the revenue side, he may build on his experience integrating SAS with Air France-KLM and Skyteam to develop Air Canada’s relationship with Greater Lufty and United. If he can integrate Aeroplan Loyalty with Revenue Management I would be impressed. But there is one interesting and unique opportunity for Air Canada where Mr van der Werff has a genuine opportunity to do something new. This is in the Province of Alberta. Advertisement: This article was written using data from OAG Schedules Analyser: visit oag.com. Thanks OAG! Alberta is enjoying an economic boom. Just over five million people live there according to the latest estimates from statcan.gc.ca. But nominal GDP per capita is close to USD 100,000, so the average Albertan is likely doing well enough to buy plane tickets and, if they so desire, fly longhaul. Air Canada’s rival WestJet is well established in the province. Their Boeing 787 fleet operates from Calgary to a wide range of international destinations in both eastern and western hemispheres, including Rome, London, Seoul and Sydney. Together with Lufthansa Technik, WestJet has invested USD 120 million in a maintenance facility at Calgary. The Alberta opportunity for Air Canada in Alberta is not one of competing more with WestJet to steal market share, as that would just lead to value destruction through a price war. Besides, Air Canada already do compete to a limited extent. A Calgary to London service operates. Connections are good in both directions to international flights via Vancouver, Toronto and Montreal. The three maps below show Air Canada’s longhaul network, with the Calgary, Alberta service to London highlighted in blue. Mape generated by the Great Circle Mapper: visit gcmap.com Used with permission | Links to maps: map 1 , map 2 , map 3 But for Alberta’s “other” two Air Canada airports Fort McMurray and Grand Prairie the picture is different. These small cities each have only 60-70,000 residents and are served by 48 Air Canada flights a week between them. They both also have an oil and gas industry, traditionally a consumer of air travel. Fort McMurray has a three times a week service to Toronto and everything else is to Calgary. At Grand Prairie, all services are to Calgary. It would be interesting to see Mr van der Werff launch a few more flights a week from Alberta’s tier two cities into Vancouver and Toronto. But traditional airline economics alone are not why Air Canada might be most interested in supporting Alberta. The province also has a separatist movement, with some citizens keen on seceding from Canada to become independent or join the United States. Read more
Anko's Albertan challenge
Brief
Anko van der Werff is preparing to take the helm at Air Canada (article by Oliver Ranson, published 15 July 2026), and the author argues his early priorities will be safety, operational reliability, organisational redesign and cost discipline — with a strategic revenue opportunity if Aeroplan can be tied into revenue management. Using OAG Schedules Analyser and Great Circle Mapper visuals, the piece contrasts Air Canada’s limited Alberta footprint with WestJet’s entrenched Calgary long‑haul position (Boeing 787 routes to Rome, London, Seoul and Sydney and a USD 120m maintenance facility with Lufthansa Technik). Alberta’s roughly 5.0m population and ~USD 100,000 nominal GDP per capita create demand for long‑haul travel, yet tier‑two cities Fort McMurray and Grande (Grande Prairie) receive only 48 weekly Air Canada flights between them (Fort McMurray: 3x/week to Toronto; the rest to Calgary; Grande Prairie: all to Calgary), pointing to a practical growth play adding Toronto/Vancouver links and broader regional engagement.
Why it matters
Anko van der Werff, moving from SAS to Air Canada (article published 2026-07-15 by Oliver Ranson), is expected to prioritise safety and operational reliability, rework organisational design and ownership structures, and seek cost savings; the author highlights the ambitious possibility of integrating Aeroplan loyalty with Air Canada’s revenue management.
Key details
- Alberta presents commercial upside: the province has just over 5.0 million residents (StatCan) and a nominal GDP per capita near USD 100,000, indicating strong discretionary travel demand.
- WestJet already has a strong Calgary long‑haul position: a Boeing 787 fleet serving Rome, London, Seoul and Sydney from Calgary, and a joint USD 120 million Calgary maintenance facility investment with Lufthansa Technik.
- Air Canada’s presence at Alberta’s smaller airports is thin — Fort McMurray and Grande Prairie each have 60–70k residents and together receive 48 Air Canada flights per week; Fort McMurray has a 3x/week Toronto service and otherwise connects to Calgary, while Grande Prairie’s services are all to Calgary — suggesting potential to add Toronto/Vancouver connections and broader strategic engagement (including non‑economic local politics).