Air Canada announced on Tuesday the acquisition of 26 Airbus A321neo aircraft with increased range to strengthen its fleet.
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In this batch, 15 aircraft will be leased from Air Lease Corporation, five from AerCap, while six others have been the subject of a purchase contract with Airbus SAS with an option to purchase 14 additional aircraft. between 2027 and 2030.
With sufficient range to serve North American markets with nonstop flights and select transatlantic markets, the aircraft will be delivered between the first quarter of 2024 and the first quarter of 2027.
“This command shows […] that Air Canada is recovering strongly from the pandemic. We are in an ideal position to grow, compete and prosper in a different air transport sector,” said Michael Rousseau, President and Chief Executive Officer of Air Canada.
In addition to increasing its fleet, the company said the A321XLR aircraft are expected to replace older aircraft, which “will result in substantial operating savings, in addition to positive environmental benefits”.
The airline expects a reduction in fuel consumption per seat of up to 17% compared to the consumption of the old single-aisle aircraft used for transcontinental flights, and 23% compared to the consumption of wide-body aircraft.
“The acquisition of Airbus’ state-of-the-art A321XLR is an important part of this strategy and will drive our core priorities: enhancing the customer experience, achieving our environmental goals, expanding our network and increasing our overall profitability,” added Mr. Rousseau.
