September12 , 2025

    Air Canada announces first Airbus A321XLR routes – The Points Guy

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    Air Canada will add Spanish beach destination Palma de Mallorca to its map next summer with the longer-range Airbus A321XLRs.

    The Star Alliance carrier will connect its hub at Montreal-Trudeau International Airport (YUL) to Palma de Mallorca Airport (PMI) four times a week beginning June 17, 2026, Air Canada said Tuesday. Flights will operate eastbound on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays, and westbound on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays.

    The new route is possible with the additional range of the single-aisle A321XLR. The plane can fly roughly 5,400 miles, or about 800 miles further than the popular A321neo, according to Airbus.

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    “This revolutionary narrowbody aircraft unlocks new, exciting global opportunities with its widebody range and enhanced onboard product,” Mark Galardo, executive vice president and chief commercial officer of Air Canada, said in a statement.

    Air Canada will also shift existing nonstops from YUL to Toulouse-Blagnac Airport (TLS) and Edinburgh Airport (EDI) to the A321XLR in 2026. The airline currently flies YUL-TLS with a Boeing 787, and YUL-EDI with a Boeing 737 MAX 8, schedule data from aviation analytics firm Cirium shows.

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    Air Canada will outfit its A321XLRs with 14 lie-flat business class seats in a 1-1 layout, and 168 economy seats in a 3-3 layout for a total of 182 seats. The economy cabin includes 36 extra-space “preferred” seats, its website shows.

    Business class onboard Iberia's A321XLRs
    Business class onboard Iberia’s A321XLRs. BEN SMITHSON/THE POINTS GUY

    The airline also promises a “new design standard for our onboard experience” onboard its XLRs. It did not provide additional details or renderings of this new standard.

    Iberia was the first to fly the A321XLR in November 2024, and is using the plane to expand service to North America. Aer Lingus and Qantas Airways have since taken delivery of the plane with other carriers, including American Airlines and United Airlines, awaiting for theirs.

    Air Canada expects its first of 30 A321XLRs in the first quarter of 2026. The airline is scheduled to take delivery of 10 XLRs that year.

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