I would have thought Air Canada would make a bigger deal about flying this airplane. After all, C-GBIP is the Airbus A319-100 Prototype #1 and performed the first ever flight for this model of aircraft. We photographed this A319 while plane spotting at Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ) on March 25, 2018.
For full-size, high resolution versions for any of the photos in the image gallery, simply click on the individual pictures. See below for more detailed information on C-GBIP, the Airbus A319-100 model in general and the airline.
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C-GBIP
Airbus A319-100
Air Canada
Resources
C-GBIP Air Canada Airbus A319-100 Image Gallery
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C-GBIP
This Airbus A319-100 performed its first flight on August 25, 1995 as D-AVYV. Designated the Airbus A319-100 Prototype #1, that flight was the first ever by an A319 model. However, this aircraft was not the first of its kind to enter commercial service when the variant was introduced with Swissair in 1996.
After being converted to an Airbus A319-114, the airliner was delivered to Air Canada on April 3, 1998 as C-GBIP. Currently, the airplane is configured for a maximum of 120 passengers with 14 seats in business class and 106 economy class seats.
This is one of 13 currently in the main fleet with three more with luxury charter division Air Canada Jetz and 22 with subsidiary Air Canada Rouge. As should be expected from a prototype, with all the love and care that went into manufacturing this particular aircraft, it has an exemplary safety record.
Airbus A319-100
The maiden flight of the Airbus A319-100 occurred on August 25, 1995 with the aircraft introduced with launch customer Swissair in 1996. The shortened version of the Airbus A320-200, the A319 is 34 metres or 111 feet in length with a wingspan of 36 metres or 118 feet. At the tail, the airplane is 12 metres or 39 feet in height. The flight range is 6,950 kilometres.
Air Canada
Air Canada was founded as Trans Canada Air Lines in 1937. The name was officially switched on January 1, 1965. There are nearly 190 aircraft in the main fleet with over 400 when subsidiaries are included. The largest in the fleet is the Boeing 777-300ER. The airline flies to close to 210 destinations around the world (350 with subsidiaries included).
Headquartered at the Air Canada Centre on the grounds of Montreal Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport (YUL) in Dorval, Quebec, the airline is a founding member of the Star Alliance. Other founding members include Lufthansa, Scandinavian Airlines, Thai Airways and United Airlines. There are now 27 full member airlines worldwide.
Resources
Article about Airbus prototypes
Airliner PDF from manufacturer’s site
It’s About Airplanes on Facebook