Air Canada has taken delivery of its first A220-300, designed, built and delivered from the Mirabel A220 programme facilities in Canada. The first aircraft out of an order of 45 will enter service in January 2020, making it the first airline to operate the A220-300 in North America.

The A220 will enable the Montreal-based airline to comfortably fly passengers on various routes in Canada and to the US, offering a dual-class cabin that comfortably seats 137 passengers; 12 in business class and 125 in economy class.

“This is a highly anticipated moment for us as we welcome this game-changing aircraft into our fleet, the next step in our fleet modernisation. It will not only allow us to transport our customers in comfort, but also further our environmental commitment with its improved efficiency. The A220 will enable Air Canada to strengthen our position on transborder and transcontinental markets and will be key to our continued growth,” said Michael Rousseau, deputy chief executive officer and chief financial officer at Air Canada.

“Fleet modernisation.”

“This delivery is a historical moment. In just a few weeks, Canadians will be able to fly on board this Canadian-designed and assembled aircraft for the first time in Air Canada’s distinctive and emblematic Maple Leaf livery that symbolises Canada around the world,” said Philippe Balducchi, CEO of Airbus Canada Limited Partnership and head of country, Canada for Airbus.

Being the only aircraft purpose-built for this specific small single-aisle market segment, the A220 will enable the carrier to open new routes that were previously not feasible. Together, the performance, economics and comfort features of the A220 will allow it to fly Montreal to Seattle as well as Toronto to San Jose, as of Spring 2020.

The first Air Canada A220 will be unveiled to the public and media during a ceremony at the airline’s headquarters in Montreal on 15 January 2020.