Why Air Canada Pulled Its New Airbus A321XLR Off Toronto-Heathrow Within Weeks

Air Canada became the first Canadian operator of the Airbus A321XLR in April 2026, taking delivery of the first of 30 aircraft configured with 182 seats in two classes. The airline launched the type on its first international route from Montreal to Toulouse on June 15 and had 12 routes planned for the year, nine of them serving secondary European destinations that no widebody in Air Canada's fleet could operate profitably. Schedule filings also showed the A321XLR assigned to Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ) to London Heathrow (LHR) from August 31 through October 22. Before the first flight operated, Air Canada pulled the aircraft off the route and restored widebody service.