By Adriano Marchese

 

Air Canada said Tuesday that it has acquired 26 extra-long range Airbus aircraft that can serve all of its North American markets as well as select transatlantic markets in a move aimed both at growing its fleet and replacing old hardware.

The Canadian airline said deliveries of the extra-long range versions of the Airbus A321neo aircraft will begin in the first quarter of 2024 and continue until the first quarter of 2027.

It said that 20 of the jets will be leased from two aircraft leasing companies, while the remaining six will be acquired directly from Airbus SAS, noting that the latter has a clause allowing Air Canada to acquire an additional 14 aircraft between 2027 and 2030.

Air Canada said that the A321XLR can operate nonstop anywhere across North America and can fly transatlantic routes, pending approval from Transport Canada.

The new aircraft will both grow its fleet as well as replace older, less-efficient aircraft, and Air Canada said that it estimates a 17% reduction in fuel-burn per seat compared with the previous generation on a typical transcontinental flight, and up to a 23% reduction on transatlantic flights.

As of the end of 2021, the company had 214 aircraft across its fleets.

 

Write to Adriano Marchese at adriano.marchese@wsj.com

 

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

March 22, 2022 07:59 ET (11:59 GMT)

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