Like a refugee, C-GTQC mercifully fled the fleet of Air India Express in 2014 for the safer and more caring Air Transat. Like a previous Boeing 737-800 with the India low cost carrier, C-GTQC (VT-AXE at the time) was almost crashed while landing at Mangalore in 2012. VT-AXV wasn’t so lucky in 2010, crashing and bursting into flames after overrunning the runway in Mangalore, killing 158 on board.
The images of C-GTQC in the gallery below were taken on March 9, 2015 at Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ). For full-size, high resolution versions of any of the photos, simply click on the individual pictures in the gallery. See below for more information on this specific aircraft (including its time in India), the Boeing 737-800 model in general and the airline.
Image Gallery
C-GTQC
Boeing 737-800
Air Transat
Air India Express
Resources
C-GTQC Air Transat Boeing 737-800 Image Gallery
C-GTQC
C-GTQC took its first flight on March 21, 2006. The Boeing 737-8Q8 was delivered to Air India Express on April 6, 2006 as VT-AXE. The Indian low cost carrier put the aircraft into storage in February, 2014 and it was transferred to the fleet of Air Transat on June 4, 2014.
On August 14, 2012, flying as VT-AXE, the Boeing 737 was performing a flight from Dubai in the United Arab Emirates to Mangalore in India. The aircraft, with under trained pilots, touched down short of the runway. The resulting damage included a puncture in the left hand inboard side stabilizer, scratches on the left side of the fuselage and all four main gear tires received varying degrees of cuts.
Boeing 737-800
The first Boeing 737 was introduced in 1968. The next generation 737-800 entered service in 1998. The -800 is 19 feet longer than the -700 and is in direct competition with the Airbus A320.
The Boeing 737-800 is 40 metres or 130 feet in length with a wingspan of 36 metres or 118 feet. The height at the tail is 13 metres or 41 feet. The flight range for this aircraft is 4,300 kilometres.
Air Transat
Air Transat commenced operations in 1987 and flies a seasonally fluctuating fleet of more or less 30 aircraft. The fleet includes Airbus A310-300 and A330-200 airplanes, along with Boeing 737-700 and Boeing 737-800. The airline flies to more than 60 destinations in 30 countries.
The airline is headquartered in Montreal, Quebec and is based out of Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ) in Mississauga, Ontario and Montreal Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport (YUL) in Dorval, Quebec.
Air India Express
Air India Express commenced operations in April, 2005 as a wholly owned low cost carrier subsidiary of the national carrier, Air India. The airline flies to 29 destinations through the Middle East and Southeast Asia.
Headquartered in Kochi, India, the Air India Express fleet consists of 23 aircraft, all Boeing 737-800. All 23 are configured for the maximum seating capacity.
On May 22, 2010, a Boeing 737-800 belonging to Air India Express and similar to C-GTQC, was on a flight from Dubai, UAE to Mangalore, India. VT-AXV overshot the runway at Mangalore and burst into flames upon impact. 158 of the 166 passengers and crew on board perished with just eight survivors.
Resources
Crash of Air India Express Flight 812