Air Canada has announced it has “significantly increased” cargo capacity in and out of Vancouver as it works to support supply chain links in British Columbia following flooding in the region.

The airline said it will add 586 tonnes of cargo capacity, representing 3,223 cubic metres, to support the Canadian province’s supply chain and “the needs of the community”.

Air Canada’s vice president of cargo Jason Berry said: “The economic supply chain is vital, and to help support the urgent transport of goods into and out of British Columbia, we have increased capacity to our YVR hub by using the flexibility of Air Canada’s fleet to reschedule 28 passenger flights from narrow-body aircraft to be operated with wide-body Boeing 787 Dreamliners, Boeing 777, and Airbus A330-300 aircraft. These changes will allow an additional 282 tonnes of goods to be moved across the country on our scheduled passenger flights.”

The airline will also work with its regional pattern Jazz Aviation to facilitate the additional capacity by temporarily converting an Air Canada Express De Havilland Dash 8-400 from its normal passenger configuration into a special freighter configuration.

“Air Canada Cargo will operate an additional 13 all-cargo flights between our Toronto, Montreal and Calgary cargo hubs and YVR using widebody aircraft, providing approximately 304 tonnes of additional capacity. These aircraft will help move mail and perishables such as seafood, as well as automotive parts and other industrial good,” Berry added.