Air Canada’s 2026 Flight Plan feat. Mark Nasr (EVP & COO, Air Canada)

Episode 58:  We are kicking off 2026 with a high-altitude deep dive! In the season premiere, Vishal Mehra sits down with Mark Nasr, the Executive Vice President and Chief Operations Officer at Air Canada. Mark is the man the AvGeek community knows as the architect behind the revamped Aeroplan, but today, he’s steering the operational ship of Canada’s flag carrier. In this wide-ranging conversation, we explore why India has become Air Canada’s most critical overseas market—surpassing even the UK and France in traffic volume—and the complex chess game of managing ultra-long-haul operations. Key highlights in this episode: The Transition: Moving from "selling the dream" at Aeroplan to "delivering the reality" as COO.Aeroplan’s Importance: Why loyalty programs are now profit centres shaping operational priorities.The India Powerhouse: Why Mark believes India is the most dynamic nation in the world, and how Air Canada is positioning itself, along with future expansion.The Fleet Shuffle: The truth behind the A321XLR payload performance issues on the Palma route and why the 787 swap happened.Alliance Evolution: Why the Star Alliance model needs modernization and the "intended" (or unintended) quirks of Aeroplan redemptions on Air India, partner airlines.Operational Resilience: Lessons learned from the 2025 flight attendant strike and the strategic separation of the mainline airline brand and Rouge. The Indian AvGeek streams on all major podcast apps. Vishal on X