Air Canada began commercial operations with its Airbus A321XLR aircraft on June 9.
The first flight was AC413 from Montreal to Toronto, carrying 182 passengers. From June 15, the aircraft will be deployed on the Montreal–Toulouse route.
The airline has introduced a new cabin concept called “Glowing Hearted.” The business class cabin is equipped with 14 full-flat seats manufactured by Collins Aerospace, arranged in a “1-1” configuration that offers direct aisle access from every seat. This is the first time Air Canada has installed full-flat seats on a single-aisle aircraft. The economy class cabin has 168 seats. All seats feature monitors, AC power outlets, Bluetooth connectivity, free high-speed Wi-Fi for Aeroplan members, and the “Airspace” interior with overhead bins that are 60% larger than previous models.
This is the first aircraft out of 30 A321XLRs on order, and it is leased from SMBC Aviation Capital. Of the 30 aircraft ordered, 15 will be leased from SMBC Aviation Capital and the remaining aircraft will be purchased directly by Air Canada.
The A321XLR will enable the airline to bridge the gap between short-haul routes operated by narrowbody aircraft and long-haul routes operated by widebody aircraft. Air Canada expects the type to support network expansion and improve the operational efficiency of both new and existing long-haul routes. The aircraft will be deployed not only on transatlantic routes from Montreal and Toronto, but also on major transcontinental routes within North America.
