Air Canada has firmed up an order for six Airbus A321XLR aircraft, taking its tally to 26 examples having already agreed to acquire 20 of the Extra Long Range jets through lessors. The deal had previously been listed as undisclosed in the European aerospace giant’s orderbook.
The Canadian flag carrier has been a long-time Airbus A320 Family user, having accepted its maiden example on January 26, 1990. The airline also operates the Airbus A220-300 and A330-300, between which the A321XLR will be well positioned.
Michael Rousseau, Air Canada’s president and CEO, 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.”
Airbus states that the A321XLR is set to offer an “unprecedented single-aisle aircraft range of up to 4,700nm, with 30% lower fuel consumption per seat compared to previous-generation aircraft as well as reduced NOx emissions and noise”.
