Air Canada unveils its first Airbus A220-300

Air Canada unveiled its first Airbus A220-300 to reporters at the company’s headquarters in Montreal on Wednesday. The 137-seat narrowbody is the first of 45 A220-300s the carrier expects to receive through 2022. Manufactured by Airbus Canada (previously Bombardier) at its facility in Mirabel, Quebec, the former Bombardier CS300 is a major component of Air Canada’s fleet modernisation plan, which will see the carrier retire its fleet of Embraer E190s in favour of the newer, more fuel-efficient A220. “The A220 represents the transformation Air Canada has undergone and the innovative culture we’ve developed,” Air Canada president and CEO Calin Rovinescu said. “Over the past 10 years, we’ve undertaken a renewal of our entire mainline fleet, spending more than $12 billion. It began by accumulating state-of-the-art widebody aircraft. The arrival of the A220 represents the next phase of narrow-body renewal for our fleet.” Air Canada became the first North American airline to place a firm order for the former C Series when it finalized a letter of intent for 45 CS300s in June 2016, with options for 30 more, at a list price of $3.89b. Air Canada’s A220 will officially enter into commercial service Thursday, when it will make its maiden commercial flight between Montreal and Calgary.<br/>