Airbus A330 Fleet
I wrote about my fondness for the Airbus A330 fleet in NetLetter #1356 back in December 2016. I have always thought that they are a sleek and attractive aircraft and a pleasure to ride on.
At that time Air Canada had only the original eight aircraft (fins 931 to 938) delivered between October 1999 and August 2001. All eight are still active in the fleet at 25 years old. However, due the the retirement of B-767s and anticipated market growth, the fleet has now grown to 20 aircraft. The additional 12 were all originally ordered and operated by Singapore Airlines.
The first four (fins 939 (pictured below) to 942) were acquired by TAP Air Portugal in 2017 before being acquired by AC in 2019. The remaining eight (fins 943 to 950) were acquired between December 2020 and April 2024 after various leases. The average age of the newer aircraft is around 15 years.
I see on the AC website fleet list page that there are two A330 interior configurations. I believe 17 of the 20 A330s now have the new interiors with new seats in all cabins, matching the "Signature" business class and Premium Economy products on the B-777s and B-787s.
The last 3 ex-Singapore Airlines A330s, acquired in 2023 and 2024, still have the old ex-Singapore Airlines cabins with 2-2-2 business class seats and no premium economy cabin.
Those aircraft appear to mainly be assigned to international routes with less premium demand and to some transcon and transborder routes.
When used on longhaul international routes, the business class seats are sold as Premium Economy. The new interiors will presumably be installed in those three aircraft when maintenance time permits.
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