MONTREAL — Air Transat has signed an agreement with AerCap for the long-term (12-year) leasing of 10 Airbus A321neo long-range aircraft. The aircraft are to be delivered between spring 2019 and fall 2020, and will replace Transat’s Airbus A310s, which will be gradually retired from the fleet.

Transat says the A321neo LRs will be deployed on both sun destinations and transatlantic routes, and combined with the Airbus A330s and Boeing 737s, “they will serve Transat’s entire network in an efficient and cost-effective way”. Air Transat’s A321neo LRs will be configured for 200 seats across both classes: Club and Economy. All seats will be equipped with individual touch screens.

“The A321neo LRs will perfectly complete our fleet of A330s and B737s,” said Transat President and CEO Jean-Marc Eustache. “These aircraft are also an ideal solution for replacing our A310s. This agreement with AerCap will allow us to continue offering our customers the service and comfort they are used to, at the best possible price. We are very pleased to strengthen our partnership with the world’s leading aircraft lessor, with which we have enjoyed a fruitful and long-standing association.”

Air Transat will be among the first carriers to operate the new long-range (LR) variant of the Airbus A321neo (new engine option). The A321neo LR has the longest range of any single-aisle jetliner, capable of flying up to 4,000 nautical miles (7,400 km). Eustache said the aircraft is ideally suited for Transat’s combination of routes: its size gives major flexibility in terms of flight commercialization and frequency while its fuel efficiency will keep cost per seat as low as possible, while reducing its carbon footprint.

Air Transat’s fleet currently consists of 31 permanent aircraft in a unique flexible-fleet model that allows it to deploy more wide-body aircraft in summer for the high transatlantic season, and narrow-body aircraft in winter for the high sun destinations season.