The initial eight A350-1000s delivered will make up the first in Air Canada’s fleet, with the deal leaving the door open for a further eight purchases. These are scheduled to be handed over from Airbus to Air Canada from 2030, marking a huge leap in its fleet modernization plans.

Air Canada’s Fleet Modernization

Details of how Air Canada will put its A350-1000s to use are, naturally, few and far between. However, a look at the airline’s current fleet blatantly shows that replacements will be needed in the near future for several of the aging models it still operates.

For instance, Air Canada boasts 20 Airbus A330s within its long-haul fleet. These average 19.3 years of age, but are far from the oldest within their ranks. Last year, the airline brought two passenger 767-300s back into service on the back of aircraft delivery delays. In total, it still has six such jets, averaging 32.3 years of age.

Perhaps most importantly, though, is the 25 Boeing 777 variants in Air Canada’s fleet. Besides the 787 Dreamliner, these are the backbone of its long-haul operation. However, at an average age of 16.3 years, the airline no doubt has to search for a successor to the 25 777s it still flies, given the usual two-decade lifespan of aircraft.

Replacing The 777

Air Canada’s A350-1000 order, which was disclosed on February 12, appears to have emerged just in time, therefore. Indeed, by the time the first A350-1000s begin to arrive, the average age of Air Canada’s 777s will have edged past the 20-year mark.

Realistically, the A350-1000 makes for a natural successor to the 777-200s and 777-300ERs in Air Canada’s fleet. Similar in both size and capacity, the A350-1000 offers slightly better range but falls short on maximum takeoff weight. Below is a comparison of the 777-300ER, A350-1000 and 787-9. Of the 777s and 787s in its fleet, the 777-300ER and 787-9 make up the majority, accounting for 17 and 30 of the variants respectively.

777-300ER, A350-1000 and 787-9 specifications:

Whilst similar across the board, where the A350-1000 really trumps the 777-300ER is in efficiency. Over 50 percent of the A350-1000 is built using carbon composites, making it around 30 to 40 tonnes lighter than the aluminum 777-300ER. Coupled with improved aerodynamics and engine technology, this translates to as much as a 25 percent reduction in fuel burn, making the A350-1000 a far more economically viable option.

Credits: New Air Canada

The post The New Air Canada Long-Haul Aircraft Coming In The Next Decade first appeared on AircrewNews.com.

• Several flight attendants are unhappy with pay deal, some will oppose it
• Union vote result expected Saturday after 3 pm (1900 GMT)
• Deal’s rejection could lead to arbitration, prolonged dispute

MONTREAL/CHICAGO Sept 6 (Reuters) – Results of a vote by Air Canada flight attendants on a wage agreement are expected on Saturday, with more than a half dozen crew members telling Reuters they don’t expect the tentative deal to get approved.

Negotiators said they struck the tentative deal on August 19 to end a crippling four-day strike, after more than 10,000 flight attendants defied government efforts to return them to work and forced the country’s largest carrier back to the bargaining table.

If attendants reject the wage portion of the tentative agreement, the only section subject to the vote, they could not take further legal strike action. The matter would instead go to arbitration, prolonging talks in a dispute that caused Air Canada to withdraw financial guidance for 2025.

The result of the vote will not be known until after 3 p.m. (1900 GMT) on Saturday, the union added.

The strike cast a spotlight on demands by North American flight attendants to be paid for hours from the time they check in to when they clock out. Flight attendants at Air Canada and at multiple U.S. carriers such as United Airlines have been challenging a compensation structure that mostly pays cabin crew when an aircraft is in motion.

Sara Nelson, International President of the Association of Flight Attendants, told Reuters that public support for the Air Canada strike also helps her U.S. members. The AFA represents United’s flight attendants, who recently rejected a tentative agreement partly over demands for ground pay.

“The inspirational fight of the Air Canada flight attendants is helpful and creates momentum,” Nelson said.

DISAPPOINTMENT OVER DEAL

While the flight attendants managed to secure some critical gains in Air Canada’s proposed contract, several told Reuters that the overall deal fell short on the issue of unpaid labor, and some said they would vote against it.

The proposed four-year deal would add up to roughly a 20% wage hike for entry-level attendants and 16% for more experienced cabin crew.

Crew would also receive 60 minutes of pre-flight pay on narrow body planes and 70 minutes on wide body jets, with pay starting at 50% of flight attendants’ hourly rate in year one, rising to 70% by year four.

Flight attendants told Reuters that the raises do not cover their increased cost of living, particularly in high-cost cities such as Toronto, with many doing two or three jobs to get by.

The deal was struck between Air Canada and the union with a mediator at a Toronto airport hotel, under the threat of criminal charges, Canadian Union of Public Employees President Mark Hancock said.

“My understanding was the next day, if there was no deal, they would have gone to the courts and sought criminal contempt, then charges and fines,” Hancock told Reuters. “It would have risen to the next level.”

Credits: Air Canada

The post Air Canada flight attendants wrap up voting on wage agreement first appeared on AircrewNews.com.