Now, Tourists Reassured as Tunisair Uses Wet-Lease Aircraft to Sustain Montréal Service

Published on December 3, 2025

To avoid disruption of services on the Montreal and Tunis route, Tunisair has had to wet-lease aircraft to cover the long-haul route. Following the grounding of two of the airline’s Airbus A330-200 aircraft, Tunisair has had to seek ACMI (Aircraft, Crew, Maintenance, and Insurance) contracts of widebody aircraft to cover incoming flights between Tunisia and Canada. This move ensures the national carrier will continue to service some of the most busiest international segments as they continue to provide services to their customers (tourism and business passengers).

Announcing the news to the travel professions and tourism operators highlights the increasing dependence on ‘contract of lease’ arrangements to cover an operational fleet during periods of instability within the travel and tourism sector. The use of widebody aircraft has become even more sought after and with no end of the line delivery dates on new aircraft, the leasing of aircraft has become a must for many airlines.

Effect and Contribution to Tourism Economy

Tunis and Montréal tourists are tethered to one another through Tunisair daily, while partners abroad transacting with Tunisair are also benefactors to the sustained employment of the Montreal route. One of the multiethnic cities in Canada, Montréal, has a French and English cultural backdrop, and, in turn, rich and diverse heritage. Its famous touristic attractions and cultural activities draw a lot of people from North Africa and other parts of the world. For Canadian tourists, Tunisia’s historical attractions and beautiful beaches are a central focus during visits to the Mediterranean. The route by Tunisair is the optimally chosen route by Tunisians traveling to Canada, and the tourists from Canada to Tunisia use the route frequently.

Tunisair chooses to wet lease, meaning customers will receive the same service albeit with Tunisair’s partners. ACMI leasing helps alleviate the problems of service not being offered, while also helping to keep the airline’s ability to drive the market.

Wet-Leasing: A Solution Strategy for African Airlines

Tunisair’s wet-leasing aircraft strategy comes at a crossroads for the airline, having to simultaneously manage internal restructuring, along with external pressures. Recently, the airline had to navigate fleet issues which affected the airline’s ability to service some long-haul flights. With international travel demand increasing, especially for flights between Africa and North America, the airline had no other alternative than to work to sustain its competitive market offering and ensure passengers were not affected by the airline’s internal operational issues.

For African airlines, especially those with international operations, wet-leasing is a crucial solution for addressing the operational capacity gaps. It enables airlines to avoid operational standstills without the heavy investments of new aircraft. With the ability to lease aircraft on a flexible basis, Tunisair is able to keep servicing the strategically important Tunis – Montréal route, while continuing to make long-term restructuring changes to improve operational efficiencies.

Passenger Service Standards

Wet-leased aircraft are necessary during difficult times, but they also come with headaches. The most pressing passenger concern on Tunisair across the board, however, is differing service standards. The aircraft used on the Tunis–Montréal flights are currently being operated by a new subcontracted airline, meaning the in-flight experience may involve different services, seating, and in-flight service touches.

Fortunately, Tunisair, as an airline, has assured its paying customers that they are in close partnerships with the ACMI providers in order to guarantee that the service is in no way below standard. Such efforts, particularly in the case of international airline passengers, are crucial in sustaining customer satisfaction. Tunisair’s customers are, thus, kept in the loop to ensure there are no service disruptions for their customers, and Tunisair can keep the service domestically and internationally.

For the African Aviation and Tourism Industry

Tunisair’s proactive strategy in managing leases and wet leasing also provides a value-informed lesson for airline managers in Africa. More airline industry operators are incorporating international flight services. This is resulting in a broader reliance on innovative fleet management practices. The ability to adapt to the ever-changing fleet dynamics in international aviation to remain competitive is also most crucial.

The integration of tourism and intercultural relations and partnerships hinge on many multi-faceted considerations; especially for African tourism stakeholders and North Africa’s Montreal. The sustainability of Montreal’s and Tunis’ monthly connections is economically beneficial for Tunisair and promotes Montreal and Tunis to tourists. Tunisair is one of many airlines that fosters strong North America and Africa tourism relationships because of operational flexibility stemming from their fleet.

Africa and the Aviation Diaspora: The Way Forward

Tunisair is one of the many airlines that demonstrates how adaptable the airline industry is with their use Montreal’s route wet leasing to other airlines . Africa is opening its tourism market to the world and as more African nations position themselves to attract travelers, the demand for airline operational flexibility will keep Tunisia’s airlines’ wet leasing operational. Attraction of tourists and operational flexibility within aeronautical tourism will serve the sector on Africa demand in aeronautical tourism and the operational flexibility of Tunisia’s airlines’ wet leasing will be a forerunner. Tunisair demonstrates operational flexibility and the sector’s agility to African tourism stakeholders. African airlines can create reliable corridors in their networks with ACMI partnerships and sustain tourist trust.

To sum up, the issues and ingenuity surrounding Tunisair’s temporary reliance on wet leases illuminate the complexities concerning African aviation and tourism. As the airline continues to adjust to the new environment and its challenges, the importance of strategic fleet management to optimize passenger travel and enhance the tourism characteristics of the continent will be of great importance.