Canario Airlines (Spanish: Aerolíneas Canario) is a regional airline headquartered on the grounds of Tenerife South Airport (TFS) in Granadilla de Abona, Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain. The airline’s operations are centered on two hubs located in the Canary Islands, namely: 1) Tenerife South Airport, and Gran Canaria Airport (LPA) located in Telde, Gran Canaria.
The airline serves as the primary carrier for the Canary Islands, providing a route network that includes interisland connections among the Canary Islands; service to/from select other islands within the eastern Atlantic Ocean, such as Madeira and the Cape Verde Islands; and routes to and from Africa and Europe, with a strong concentration of routes connecting with destinations in mainland Spain.
History
Canario Airlines was established in 1984 by Antonio Cabrera Santos, a wealthy shipping magnate who was born in Santa Cruz de Tenerife. It began operations in 1985 as an independent carrier, competing against a pair of Spanish national carriers that previously dominated service between the Canary Islands and mainland Spain, starting from Tenerife South Airport using a trio of newly leased Canadair CRJ200 regional jets.
In 1990 the airline leased a pair of Airbus A320-200s and began expanding its network to include select other major European cities, while using the CRJ200s to connect to several Spanish cities. By the early 1990s the airline also picked up a pair of ATR 42-300 turboprop aircraft, adding further service to islands within the Canary Islands. In 1999 Canario added a 2nd hub at Gran Canaria Airport, and brought on new Bombardier CRJ700 jets as well as a few new generation ATR 72-500 turboprops for the interisland service. In 2000 service to Funchal (Madeira) was added, along with two additional A320-200s.
In 2006 the airline leased a pair of Airbus A321-200s, which flew mostly to/from Paris and London-Luton. That aircraft was later withdrawn from service in early 2008 due to the Great Recession, along with a couple of older A320-200s.
In 2010, Canario signed an ongoing lease agreement with JetStream Air Leasing (now JetStream Aerospace). The airline subsequently began to refresh its fleet, replacing its Canadair and Bombardier aircraft with newer Embraer E175, E190 and E195 jets. During 2012 and 2013 Canario added routes to destinations in Morocco, and to Nouakchott, Dakar and Banjul in western Africa.
By 2014, Canario Airlines had become an all-Embraer and ATR fleet, having returned its outstanding A320 aircraft to reduce fleet costs. The following year, Canario expanded its network to include Ponta Delgada (Azores) and Sal in the Cape Verde Islands, as well as routes to cities in Italy and Malta.
During the Covid-19 Pandemic, Canario Airlines reduced most of its services to Africa and several European destinations. Several aircraft were placed into storage during this time. By 2024, many connections and aircraft had been restored to service as the pandemic receded, not all routes were returned to active service. The airline also withdrew its remaining Embraer E175 and E190 aircraft, choosing to retain the Embraer E195 as its sole jet aircraft type.
Shortly after Antonio Cabrera’s grandson, Miguel Cabrera Suarez, took over as CEO of Canario Airlines in 2018, the carrier became the launch customer for the new Aria T102 Transonic aircraft type, built by the US-based Aria Aircraft Company. The first of its type entered service in late 2023, and the type is set to replace their aging fleet of E195 aircraft in coming years. The airline has also placed orders for the groundbreaking Aria V42 eVTOL regional air mobility aircraft, expected to enter service with Canario Airlines in the latter half of 2024.
Destinations
Currently, Canario Airlines provides direct air service from Tenerife South and Gran Canaria:
Canary Islands (Interisland Services)
Gran Canaria (LPA) - Hub
Tenerife South (TFS) - Hub and HQ
Arrecife (ACE)
El Hierro (VDE)
Fuerteventura (FUE)
La Gomera (GMZ)
Santa Cruz de la Palma (SPC)
Mainland Spain, Atlantic Islands and Africa
A Coruña, Spain (LCG)
Asturias, Spain (OVD)
Barcelona, Spain (BCN)
Jerez, Spain (XRY)
Madrid, Spain (MAD)
Málaga, Spain (AGP)
Menorca, Spain (MAH)
Palma de Mallorca, Spain (PMI)
Pamplona, Spain (PNA)
San Sebastian, Spain (EAS)
Santander, Spain (SDR)
Valencia, Spain (VLC)
Valladolid, Spain (VLL)
Vigo, Spain (VGO)
Vitoria/Foronda, Spain (VIT)
Zaragoza, Spain (ZAZ)
Agadir, Morocco
Banjul, The Gambia (BJL)
Fez, Morocco (FEZ)
Funchal, Madeira (Portugal) (FNC)
Marrakech, Morocco (RAK)
Nouakchott, Mauritania (NKC)
Ponta Delgada, Azores (Portugal) (PDL)
Sal, Cape Verde
Other European Destinations
Berlin, Germany (BER)
Birmingham, UK (BHX)
Copenhagen, Denmark (CPH)
Dublin, Ireland (DUB)
Dusseldorf, Germany (DUS)
Edinburgh, UK (EDI)
Frankfurt, Germany (FRA)
Hamburg, Germany (HAM)
Lisbon, Portugal (LIS)
London-Luton, UK (LTN)
Lyon, France (LYS)
Manchester, UK (MAN)
Marseille, France (MRS)
Milan-Malpensa, Italy (MXP)
Munich, Germany (MUC)
Paris-Orly, France (ORL)
Porto, Portugal (OPO)
Stockholm-Arlanda, Sweden (ARN)
Toulouse, France (TLS)
Warsaw, Poland (WAW)
Fleet
Current Fleet
Canario Airlines presently operates the following aircraft types.
Aria T102 Transonic - added late 2023 - type launch customer
ATR 42-500 - since 1990
ATR 42-600S - added 2024
Embraer E195 - since 2010
Future Aircraft
Canario Airlines has leased the following new aircraft to be added in the near future.
Aria V42 eVTOL (future - arriving mid to late 2024)
Former Fleet
Canario Airlines previously operated the following aircraft types.
Airbus A320-200 - 1990-2014
Airbus A321-200 - 2006-2008 (wet leased)
Bombardier (Canadair) CRJ200 - 1986-2012
Bombardier CRJ700 - 1999-2014
Bombarider CRJ900 - 2008-2014
All liveries depicted in this article were conceived and drawn by the Author.
Aria aircraft templates displayed in this article are fictional aircraft, whose original templates were drawn by the Author. These templates are not currently available for public purchase, but may be made available at a later date.
All other aircraft templates shown in this article are licensed from Norebbo and augmented by the Author for display. Blank side view templates of these aircraft are available for purchase through ShopNorebbo.
Route Maps were created using Great Circle Map.