Air Canada's inaugural Airbus A321XLR is being assembled at Airbus's Hamburg Finkenwerder site in Germany. The aircraft is the first of 30 units the Canadian airline aims to acquire over the upcoming years.
During a recent visit by Simple Flying, the rear fuselage of Air Canada's first A321XLR was in the process of equipment installation. Once this stage is complete, the airplane will be moved to the final assembly line for integration with the front fuselage and wings, moving closer to completion. Delivery is anticipated early next year.
Air Canada's VP of Network Planning & Scheduling, Alexandre Lefèvre, expressed optimism about the delivery date. "We're working very very closely with Airbus... As you get closer to the date you get more certainty... But it's coming, it's getting even more real. When you see the aircraft getting on the [assembly] line, that's when you know it's getting there."