Air Transat (TS, Montréal Trudeau) continues to recover from the worst of the pandemic and is steadily rebuilding its all-Airbus fleet. In the last quarter, the Canadian leisure airline secured four A321-200NY(XLR)s which, Annick Guérard, President and Chief Executive Officer of Transat said, will bring it all the advantages of the A321neo(LR), including cost and environmental benefits, but offer a longer range.

The XLR order, announced on September 8, will see Air Lease Corporation supply the aircraft from its order book with Airbus (AIB, Toulouse Blagnac). Three of the planes will be delivered from the end of 2025 through 2026. There is also the option for a fourth XLR to be delivered in 2027. The commitment is Air Transat's first since 2018. Guérard says the deal signals a key milestone in the renewal and simplification of Air Transat's fleet, a program underway since 2017.

"Along with A321neo(LR)s, XLRs figure as a cornerstone of Transat's 2022-2026 strategic plan. These aircraft can improve the quality of our transatlantic program by increasing the number of frequencies per week with the same capacity, representing a more attractive offer for our customers," he said.

Guérard added that following the delivery of the two A321-200NX(LR)s in the last quarter, five more of that type are expected across 2023 and 2024. According to the ch-aviation fleets module, those two A321neo(LR)s take the type's total at Air Transat to 12. They complement the airline's seven A321-200s, eleven A330-200s, and a single A330-300.

Those aircraft fly to 63 destinations in 23 countries, with the LRs deployed almost exclusively on international routes. Giving an indication of where the future XLRs may be deployed, the LRs are now flying primarily from Toronto Pearson and Montréal Trudeau, to a range of thin medium-haul destinations in the United States, the UK and western Europe, and the Caribbean.