Air Transat (TS, Montréal Trudeau) has taken delivery of its first A321neo(LR) following the arrival of C-GOIE (msn 8755) in Montréal Trudeau on Friday, May 3. The longhaul-capable narrowbody jet is the first of fifteen the Canadian leisure specialist will lease from AerCap.
"We look forward to seeing our first two A321neo(LR)s arrive in the next three months, the first step before we start reaping the benefits of the changes in the coming years," Jean‑Marc Eustache, President and Chief Executive Officer of Transat, said in a statement.
The second jet is expected to arrive in June while four more will arrive in autumn this year. The jets feature 12 in premium-economy and 187 in economy. Operations are expected to begin later this month with flights from Montréal Trudeau to Québec, France, Portugal, and the United Kingdom. Service from Québec will reach France, Mexico, and the Dominican Republic.
“The aircraft’s long range will optimize our operations in our core markets, namely in our destinations in Europe, the Caribbean, and Central and South America," Annick Guérard, Chief Operating Officer at Transat, said.
Air Transat said it will use the LRs to gradually replace its fleet of A310-300s (now down to six) as they are retired and will also use them to replace certain A330s whose leases expire through 2022. Deliveries will take place between now and Spring 2022. The carrier will also lease two standard-variant A321neo.
Air Transat’s currently operates six A310-300s, seven A321ceo, sixteen A330-200s, four -300s, one B737-700, and seven B737-800s.