Air Canada_Airbus_A350 1000
UPDATE Feb 13 – “The best replacement for the 777-300ER is the 777X”, Boeing’s marketing team likes to state. Not so for Air Canada: the airline has selected the Airbus A350-1000 to become the flagship of its long-haul fleet and successor to the 777-300ER. Today, Air Canada and Airbus announced an order for eight aircraft, along with purchase rights for eight additional units.
The order has been in the undisclosed backlog since November 14, which brought total orders for the A350-1000 to 77 last year.
Air Canada’s selection of a 777 replacement started in 2023, when on September 25, it ordered 18 Boeing 787-10s plus 12 options. At the time, deliveries were scheduled between Q4 2025 and Q1 2027. Last November, the airline revised the number of firm orders to 14, with two aircraft delivered this year, another eight in 2027-2028, and four by 2030.
While the 787-10s complement the eight 787-8s and 32 787-9s in active service, they also replace the ageing 777s. Six 777-200LRs are on average just over 18 years old, whereas the 19 -300ERs have reached 15,5 years on average.
The 787-10s come with 42 Business Class, 28 Premium Economy, and 262 Economy Class seats, or 332 in total. The 777-200s have a 40/24/236 layout or 300 seats, so the longest version of the Dreamliner offers additional capacity with better economics.
Air Canada’s 777-300ERs have two cabin versions: 40 Business, 24 Premium, and 336 Economy or 400 in total, or 28 Business, 24 Premium and 298 Economy or 346 seats on the seven newest aircraft delivered since 2013.
Lay-out
Air Canada has yet to reveal the layout of the A350-1000 and will have time to prepare, as the first deliveries will start in the second half of 2030 and run through 2032. Airbus offers the type with a three-class configuration of 350-410 seats and a 9.100nm range. It will be able to offer capacity comparable to the 777-300ER, but benefit from a range that is just over 1.700nm longer than that of the current Triple Sevens.
“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. The Airbus A350-1000 will play a central role in defining Air Canada’s next era, connecting our customers, our hubs, and our country to the world”, Mark Galardo, Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer, is quoted in a media release.
Without doubt, Air Canada will have carefully evaluated the Boeing 777-8 and 777-9 as well, but the Dash 9 seems just too big for its needs, while the Dash 8’s timeline is blurred. Entry into service is not expected until 2030 at the earliest, but that depends on how quickly the 777-9 and subsequent 777-8F freighter will progress. With the A350-1000, Air Canada has opted for a safe choice of a mature and very capable widebody that, by 2030, should include the latest and more durable version of the Rolls-Royce XWB-97.
Optionality
During the FY25 earnings call on February 13, Mark Galardo said about the A350-1000: “We have a lot of optionality with that aircraft, most of all in the range capability. That will give us the option to grow to new continents, be it Southeast Asia, Australia, but it also allows us to do a set of routes we do today a lot better. When you combine these two things, we just have a lot of flexibility with that airplane. But the number one thing about that aircraft really is the range capability on the passenger side, but also on the cargo side.”
CEO Michael Rousseau said not to expect further widebody orders anytime soon. “When you look past 2030, and this order is for 2030-2032, and look into the decade, we will have more replacements of the A330s and, eventually, of the Triple Sevens. In total, there are 45 of those aircraft. We will do all that in a very responsible Capex envelope.”
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