All airlines adapt schedules and change where aircraft fly, and 
Air Canada is no exception. In the latest schedule update, the 
Star Alliance member has nearly fully removed the Airbus A321XLR from its brand-new route between Montreal and Palma de Mallorca. The Boeing 787-8 will primarily be used instead.
The XLR will now only operate eight round-trip services in June, including the inaugural departure on June 17. The 787-8 will then replace it for the rest of the season, until the final Palma-bound departure of the seasonal service leaves on October 23.
Air Canada To Palma De Mallorca
In September, Air Canada announced Palma de Mallorca as its first new A321XLR route. The plan was for a four-times-weekly service, operating from Canada between June 17 and October 23. Speaking at the time, Mark Galardo, Air Canada’s Executive Vice President & Chief Commercial Officer, said,
“We begin the journey of growth with the announcement of Palma de Mallorca as the first new destination made possible by this fleet.”
But things have now changed. The 182-seat XLR will now only operate from Canada on June 17, 19, 21, 22, 24, 26, 28, and 29, with the originally planned four weekly service. But from July 1 onwards, the 255-seat 787-8 will now be deployed instead. Because of the higher capacity, flights have been reduced to three times a week, which is a very common frequency for a new service.
Why Has The Equipment Swap Happened?
It’d be logical to assume that it has experienced higher-than-expected forward bookings. That is often an important reason for upgauging aircraft. However, the reduced frequency—from four times a week to three—suggests this is not the reason. After all, switching to the widebody means that available seats have only risen by 74 a week (+5%). That is effectively nothing.
The route to Palma will cover 3,282 nautical miles (6,078 km) each way, which is longer than all of Air Canada’s other XLR-operated routes. Flying back to Canada, the block time is a high of nine hours; Palma ranks first for time, too. It is an hour longer than Aer Lingus’ just-announced route to Pittsburgh, and 75 minutes more than the A321LR route that Etihad has now cut.
A likely reason for the equipment change is the temperature in Palma in the summer. Indeed, Galardo recently expressed concern about the use of the XLR from Southern European cities in the summer. Aircraft performance can take a hit in very hot weather, with fewer passengers, bags, and freight potentially being carried. The consequences are obvious.
Galardo singled out Madrid to Toronto as an example, which is a route Iberia announced shortly thereafter on the XLR. Iberia’s max block will be nine hours, which will be the same as for Air Canada from Palma back to Montreal. Air Canada might have been forced to accept a payload restriction, which would have undermined economic performance. This won’t be the case with the 787-8, while having a similar capacity. But why serve Palma with the XLR in June? Will those flights also switch to the 787-8?
|
Aircraft |
Period |
Montreal To Palma; Local Times* |
Palma To Montreal; Local Times** |
|---|---|---|---|
|
XLR |
June only |
6:45 pm-8:40 am+1 (7h 55m^) |
12:15 pm-3:15 pm (9h^^); it’d be very hot in Palma around noon |
|
787-8 |
From July |
7:15 pm-8:40 am+1 (7h 25m) |
12:15 pm-2:25 pm (8h 10m) |
|
* Shown in Simple Flying’s new time format ^ The XLR cruises at a slower speed, hence the difference in block time |
** Shown in Simple Flying’s new time format ^^ The XLR cruises at a slower speed, hence the difference in block time |
Aer Lingus Adds New 8-Hour Airbus A321 Route To The US
The US city will have three European routes for the first time since 2019.
Air Canada Reveals New Shortest XLR Route
Until now, Cirium Diio data shows that Air Canada’s currently known XLR-operated links in 2026 were Halifax to London Heathrow (late September and October only), along with Montreal to Berlin, Dublin, Edinburgh, Nantes, Palma, Porto, and Toulouse. The eight markets have an average stage length of 2,971 nautical miles (5,502 km).
As first identified by Aeroroutes, the Canadian flag carrier has revealed Montreal to Calgary as its next XLR market. It’ll run daily between May 1 and 15 and June 15 to 30, replacing the 737 MAX 8.
Obviously, this route will cover considerably less ground than the XLR’s other airport pairs. However, shorter links, in-between long-haul services, are commonplace with other airlines to increase aircraft utilization. Aer Lingus and Iberia both do it with their XLRs.
