Air Canada is in talks with Airbus to add A321LR aircraft to its fleet. According to Bloomberg, this follows the purpose to resume several transatlantic operations as travel demand recovers.
The Canadian carrier is considering placing an order for 10 to 20 aircraft, negotiations are still preliminary and a deal may not be reached.
Air Canada is an established customer of the Airbus A320 family. In previous years the Canadian carrier chose the Boeing 737 MAX for part of its narrowbody fleet renewal. Adding an A321LR sub-fleet could be a win for the European manufacturer, offering an aircraft with greater range than its MAX 10 rival.
The airline also entered into talks with several lessors for A321LR supply. During an Air Canada conference call, Michael Rousseau, the airline’s CEO, mentioned the possibility of introducing the A321LR into the company’s fleet.
Air Canada’s plans
Air Canada recently relaunched 34 long-haul routes and some 44 North American routes for the northern summer season. It also announced the commitment of 12 previously canceled Airbus A220 aircraft, opted to bring forward Boeing 737 MAX 8 deliveries, and added an order for three Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners to its long-haul fleet.
With the possible addition of the Airbus A321LR, the carrier could resume several transatlantic destinations. Those ones were suspended due to the pandemic crisis and the accelerated retirement of Air Canada Rouge’s Boeing 767-300ERs.
The Canadian carrier for the 2022 summer season, still maintains suspended operations to Warsaw (WAW), Berlin (BER), Prague (PRG), Zagreb (ZAG), Porto (OPO), Shannon (SNN), Bordeaux (BOD), and Marseille (MRS). These destinations can be served by the A321LR as it has a sufficient range to operate these routes from its hubs in Toronto (YYZ) and Montreal (YUL).
The A321LR is a highly sought-after aircraft by airlines today because it is fully adapted to the new post-Covid era. Although due to its high demand some operators would have to wait several years to obtain this model.
Airbus’ cancellation of a Qatar Airways order in the midst of a contract dispute could free up some production capacity, giving other operators the opportunity to obtain this model earlier.
For the time being, though, a London judge ordered the European manufacturer to hold the slots for now.
See also: In the midst of A350 dispute, Airbus cancels deal to sell 50 A321s to Qatar Airways
