Air Canada Reverses A321XLR Plan for Toronto‑Heathrow, Keeps Widebodies

Air Canada, the first Canadian airline to receive the Airbus A321XLR, had scheduled the new narrow‑body jet to fly from Toronto Pearson to London Heathrow between August 31 and October 2. The airline announced the aircraft’s delivery in April 2026 and launched its first A321XLR service on the Montreal‑Toulouse route in mid‑June. A total of 12 A321XLR routes were planned for the year, nine of which targeted secondary European cities that wide‑body aircraft could not serve profitably. However, before the Toronto‑Heathrow flight could take off, Air Canada withdrew the A321XLR from the schedule and reinstated its existing wide‑body service on the corridor. The decision follows a review that found the narrow‑body configuration did not meet the airline’s operational or financial criteria for that route.