26 Airbus A321neo Extra-Long Range aircraft for Air Canada

                                               Air Canada announced today it will be getting 26 extra-long range versions of the Airbus A321neo aircraft in a range of purchase and leasing deals.  Fifteen of the jets will be leased from Air Lease Corporation, five will be leased from AerCap and six are being acquired under a purchase agreement direct from Airbus S.A.S. Plus the Canadian carrier also has purchase rights to buy an additional fourteen aircraft between 2027 and 2030.

These extra long-range planes will be able to serve all North American routes and also some select transatlantic routes and will go some way to improve the carrier's fuel efficiency and fit in with its new environmental programmes.

Air Canada's A321XLRs will be able to carry 182 passengers with a configuration of 14 Air Canada Signature Class lie-flat seats and 168 Economy Class seats.  The planes will feature next-generation seatback entertainment systems, access to inflight Wifi, generous overhead baggage storage and an open airy cabin. 

The aircraft have a range of approximately 8,700 kilometres, with the ability to fly for up to 11 hours which will cover the whole of North America. Pus, subject to approval from Transport Canada these jets will be able to offer international flights to some European destinations.    

 Michael Rousseau, President and Chief Executive Officer of Air Canada said:  "Air Canada is committed to further strengthen its market-leading position, especially through investments in new technology. The acquisition of the state-of-the-art Airbus A321XLR is an important element of this strategy and will drive our core priorities of elevating the customer experience, advancing our environmental goals, network expansion and increasing our overall cost efficiency. This order also shows that Air Canada is emerging strongly from the pandemic and is ideally positioned to grow, compete and thrive in a reshaped global aviation industry,"

“We’re honoured to significantly expand our long-term relationship with Air Canada with the lease of these 15 advanced-technology, environmentally friendly A321XLR aircraft, which will facilitate significant network expansion with the highest levels of service and comfort for Air Canada’s passengers,” said John L. Plueger, Chief Executive Officer and President of Air Lease Corporation.

Amos Kazzaz, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer at Air Canada said: “This agreement with Air Lease is key to Air Canada achieving its sustainability goals of lowering costs and moving forward on our emission reduction and other ESG objectives through fleet renewal. Moreover, this partnership with one of the world’s leading aircraft leasing companies is an important endorsement of Air Canada’s long-term strategic vision to remain a highly competitive, top global airline,” said 

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