Canada's Air Transat Gets Its First Long-Range Airbus A321
Canadian leisure carrier Air Transat has taken delivery of its first Airbus A321LR aircraft.
The airline plans to deploy the new long-range variant of the A321 on "extended, thinner routes" that connect Canada to destinations in Europe, South America, Central America and the Caribbean.
"The arrival of this new generation of aircraft is an important moment for our company and our passengers in many respects," Air Transat COO Annick Guérard says in a statement.
The narrow-body A321LR can fly up to 4,000 nautical miles, according to Airbus. The plane – the LR short for "long range" – is the longest-range single-aisle commercial jet in the world.
Airbus COO Christian Scherer touted the A321LR's "increased range and low operating costs," saying it would enable Air Transat "to increase flight frequencies, expand its network and strengthen its competitive position."
MORE: The Airbus A321LR: This Is the Plane That Will Take JetBlue to London
The A321LR also made headlines in the US in April when jet JetBlue revealed its plan to use the jet for its expansion into Europe. JetBlue hasn't given a precise start date, but says London flights will begin from both New York JFK and Boston in 2021 -- the same year that the airline is expected to take its first A321LR.
At Air Transat, which is the process of converting to an all-Airbus fleet by 2022, the A321LRs will help replace both older narrow- and wide-body jets. FlightGlobal notes Air Transat "is one of the last remaining operators of passenger Airbus A310s, with six currently in service."
As for the new A321LRs, Air Transat's models will seat 199 passengers, including 12 recliner seats in the carrier's Club Class cabin.
The jet is the first of 15 A321LRs slated to join Air Transat's fleet.
Contributing: Wallace Cotton, TPG.
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