Air Canada Chooses Airbus Over Boeing For Long-Haul Fleet Expansion With New Order For A350-1000s
- The order marks the first time that Air Canada has ordered widebody planes from Airbus in nearly three decades.
Air Canada has rejected Boeing-made planes in its latest widebody fleet expansion, instead sealing a deal with rival European manufacturer Airbus for up to 16 of its flagship A350-1000 twin-engined jets.
The deal, announced on Wednesday, is for a firm commitment for eight A350-1000s with options for eight more. Deliveries are expected to start in the second half of 2030.
“Air Canada’s acquisition of the Airbus A350-1000 will further solidify our position as a leading global airline through the next decade,” commented Mark Galardo, the Montreal-based airline’s chief commercial officer.
“This state-of-the-art aircraft adds a new dimension to Air Canada’s long-haul capabilities, with impressive range, enhanced payload, and proven economics that unlock new possibilities for long-haul flying for our customers,” Galardo added.
Powered by two massive Rolls-Royce XWB-97 engines, the Airbus A350-1000 is capable of flying around 9,000 nautical miles, potentially opening up new long-haul flights for the airline or adding additional capacity currently served with smaller long-range aircraft like its Boeing 787-8 Dreamliners.
The order marks the first time that Air Canada has ordered a widebody jet from Airbus since 1997, although the airline plans to welcome the first of 30 Airbus single-aisle A321XLRs.
While the A321XLRs are designed to open up new long-haul routes that don’t have the capacity for a widebody jet, the A350-1000 is a different beast altogether.
The highly space-efficient twin-aisle jet is capable of carrying between 375 and 400 passengers in a standard three-class configuration, with 25% less fuel burn than older aircraft in the same category.
In other words, the A350-1000 is all about moving lots of people on longer-range flights where capacity is in short supply.
But while Airbus secured a win on this occasion, Air Canada is still operating a big fleet of Boeing widebodies with more set to join the airline in the coming years, including 14 Boeing 787-10 Dreamliners that will begin to enter service by the end of 2026.
