Summary
- Air Canada debuted its redesigned Airbus A321 with improved cabin features, including larger overhead bins, cabin lighting, and inflight entertainment.
- The A321 also includes new technologies such as exterior cameras, Bluetooth connectivity, and high-speed internet.
- The upgraded cabin design optimizes personal space, improves ergonomics, and reduces the weight of the aircraft.
Air Canada debuted its first redesigned Airbus A321 aircraft over the weekend, featuring improvements to the cabin, new WiFi, and exterior cameras connected to the plane’s seatback entertainment system. The update results from the airline continuing to invest in passenger comfort.
The A321 also features larger overhead bins, cabin lighting, and inflight entertainment. The carrier said all of its A321 and A320s will be retrofitted with the new features, aligning with other newer aircraft in its fleet.
The latest cabin
Air Canada unveiled the updated aircraft, C-GITU, on Saturday as it operated as AC692 from Toronto to St. Johns, Canada. The nearly 22-year-old A321 was taken out of service for months to receive maintenance and cabin upgrades, according to ch-aviation and data from Flightradar24.com.
Photo: Air Canada
Mark Nasr, the Executive Vice President of Loyalty and Product at Air Canada, spoke about the retrofitted aircraft.
“We’re proud to welcome customers on board to experience the comfort, convenience, and connectivity of our latest cabins. These upgraded fleet interiors will align the A320s and A321s to the highly popular A220 experience, further strengthening our industry leading product offering.”
New technologies
The new exterior camera feature, which is the first for a narrowbody aircraft, oversees the body of the aircraft from the top of its tail. A belly camera also provides a high-resolution, real-time view of the plane’s activity. New technologies are also included in the retrofit, such as Bluetooth connectivity to the IFE and high-speed internet. Air Canada said C-GITU will reportedly serve as an onboard trial environment for the new features.
“Additionally, new features such as our inflight entertainment system streaming exterior aircraft camera feeds, Bluetooth connectivity, and free, fast internet connectivity will be extremely popular with travellers,” Nasr explained. “We will continue advancing our product leadership by trialing more new in-flight experiences with this A321 and expanding those learnings to additional aircraft in our fleet.”
The Bluetooth-enabled IFE seatback monitor will allow passengers to connect their own headsets brought onboard to watch on-demand video, live TV or listen to podcasts or music. Air Canada said the innovation supports its sustainability objectives by reducing the usage of single-use headphones. A new WiFi system has also been installed, offering free satellite-based high-speed internet sponsored by Bell. In addition, passengers can keep their devices charged with access to USB-A and USB-C power outlets.
Cabin comfort
The aircraft is also equipped with the larger Airbus Airspace XL overhead bins, the largest in-class, accommodating more carry-on luggage. Seating has also been upgraded to feature a standardized product across the airline’s narrowbody fleet in both business and economy classes. The newly designed seats are expected to optimize personal space, improve ergonomics, and allow more storage to increase passenger comfort. Also enhancing comfort is new cabin lighting, which will simulate different ambiances depending on the time of day and phase of flight.
Photo: Air Canada
Air Canada has 14 remaining A321s and eight A320s that will receive the upgrades beginning this fall through the end of next year. The new cabin also reduces the weight of the A321 by 529 lbs (240kgs), enhancing fuel efficiency.
Sources: ch-aviation, Flightradar24.com
