Air Transport

Flight International Online news 1220GMT: Air Canada has returned to service the Boeing 767 that it has been repainting in a largely bare metal finish as a possible cost-saving measure.

The aircraft, C-GDSP, will be flown for "a few weeks" after which the airline will analyse whether the experiment should be extended.

Air Canada says the process took about 2,000 man-hours - or 12 days - to complete but reduces the aircraft weight by around 160kg (360lb). That could save something like $24,000 in fuel costs per year at current prices. The bare aluminium finish needs polishing about twice a year to maintain corrosion protection and shine.

The airline notes that the treatment makes sense only for Boeing aircraft, which have a reflective skin, and not for Airbus types which have a "flat, anodized" finish.

Vice president Air Canada maintenance, Jon Turner, adds that not even all the 767s are candidates, explaining: "Since all of our aircraft were initially painted, they do not all buff up to a nice finish."