MONTREAL — Air Canada has placed an order for 18 Boeing 787-10 Dreamliner aircraft, with an eye to its ongoing fleet renewal and fuel efficiency initiatives.

Deliveries of the new aircraft are scheduled to begin in Q4 2025, with the last aircraft scheduled for delivery in Q1 2027. The brand new planes will be used to replace older, less efficient wide-body aircraft currently in the Air Canada fleet.

The agreement also includes options for another 12 B787-10 aircraft, which the airline says will provide flexibility for growth to meet future customer demand.

“Air Canada has made investing in the passenger experience a core priority. Our experience shows customers greatly enjoy flying on the Dreamliner, so we are pleased to offer them a larger version of this popular aircraft, which will premiere a new, state-of-the-art interior cabin design. As importantly, the 787 is highly fuel efficient and will generate operational savings as well as support our sustainability goals of reducing emissions,” said Air Canada President and CEO, Michael Rousseau.

Air Canada currently operates 30 787-9 and eight 787-8 versions of the Dreamliner, with two more 787-9 aircraft scheduled for delivery from a previous order. The 787-10 is the largest model of the Dreamliner family and can carry more than 330 customers depending on the seat configuration. According to Boeing, the 787-10 also has up to 25% lower fuel emissions per seat than the aircraft it replaces.

The acquisition of the new aircraft is part of Air Canada’s ongoing fleet renewal program, with the airline continuing to take delivery of new Airbus A220 aircraft, as well as plans to acquire 28 extra-long range (XLR) versions of the Airbus A321neo aircraft, also beginning in 2025.

The Boeing 787-10 aircraft order announced with Boeing substitutes for a previously announced agreement to purchase two Boeing 777 freighter aircraft and, as a result, Air Canada will no longer take delivery of the two freighters.

In total, Air Canada currently operates approximately 240 aircraft in its mainline and Air Canada Rouge fleet.

As first announced in September 2022, Air Canada has also finalized a purchase agreement for 30 ES-30 electric-hybrid aircraft under development by Heart Aerospace, which are expected to enter service in 2028.