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Air Canada will fly the Airbus A321XLR from Montreal to Porto. This route was speculated as being a possibility. It will become its fifth XLR-operated European service. It adds to what is already known: Montreal to Dublin, Edinburgh, Palma de Mallorca, and Toulouse. More places will be announced soon. The Star Alliance member's initial XLR is due to be delivered in early 2026. It is part of a 30-strong order, with deliveries expected to be completed by 2028. All frames will be leased. They'll have 182 seats: 14 fully flat business seats (1-1) and 168 seats in economy (3-3). Air Canada Adds The A321XLR From Montreal To Porto This city pair covers 2,780 nautical miles (5,149 km) each way. Air Canada's first flight began in June 2025, with a three-weekly A330-300 seasonal operation. It competes directly with the Canadian leisure operator Air Transat. Previously, Air Transat mainly flew the A310-300 to Porto, which has since switched to the 199-seat A321LR. It is, of course, the first time two carriers have had service. Air Canada's latest schedule submission to Cirium Diio shows that things will be very different in 2026. It'll return to the market on June 1, which is a few days earlier than was previously planned. More significantly, the XLR will replace the 297-seat A330-300 for most, but not all, of the season. Because of this swap, Air Canada will now fly five times weekly during the peak season—up from the previously planned three weekly flights. It'll have 1,820 weekly round-trip seats for sale, up by 2%. The increased frequency will be particularly important in gaining a higher market share. And as it'll overtake Air Transat's four-weekly service, its competitiveness will improve. That Makes 5 Air Canada A321XLR Routes To Europe Next Year (For Now) As of October 23, and certainly subject to change, Air Canada's transatlantic XLR routes are as follows. Assuming that aircraft arrive as planned, the carrier's first passenger-carrying flight across the Atlantic will be on May 15. That day, flights from Montreal to Dublin and Toulouse will see it. The Irish capital will (for now) be its shortest European XLR link by both distance and time. New long-range narrowbodies combine far lower trip costs than a widebody while requiring far fewer passengers to break even at a particular percentage. As such, they have multiple roles. Among other things, they can open brand-new thin markets and can right-size capacity with demand on existing routes by replacing widebodies (whether frequencies consequently increase or not). Both of these things are evidenced in Air Canada's initial transatlantic A321XLR network. If the variant were to be used to Dublin for more than half a month, right-sizing capacity with demand during less popular times of year would also be clear. This is likely to be more apparent in winter 2026/2027, as the XLR may replace widebodies on some routes or result in a year-round operation instead of a seasonal service. A Quick Look At Montreal To Edinburgh Air Canada started this route on June 26, 2025, with a three-weekly operation on the 169-seat 737 MAX 8. The last departure of the season left Canada on September 6. According to UK Civil Aviation Authority data for June, July, and August, 7,626 round-trip passengers were carried. It filled 78% of the available seats. In 2026, the route to the Scottish capital will resume on June 18. The 182-seat A321XLR will be deployed, with frequencies rising to four weekly. It appears that the last flight will be on September 6. In all, it plans 17,108 round-trip seats for sale, up by 58% compared to its full season in 2025. Evidently, it is sufficiently happy with the performance, helped by incentives or other risk-sharing mechanisms.
