Air Canada will split its order of 37 Boeing 787 aircraft between the 787-8 and the 787-9, says Michael Rousseau, executive vice-president and chief financial officer of the airline on an earnings call today.
"Starting in the first quarter 2014, we expect to take delivery of our first of 37 Boeing 787 aircraft, comprised of 15 787-8s and 22 787-9s," Rousseau tells analysts. "We're excited about the international growth opportunities in front of us and the industry-leading unit cost that this aircraft provides."
Rousseau adds that the carrier will now expect six 787 aircraft deliveries in 2014 instead of seven as previously indicated. One aircraft delivery has been moved from December 2014 to January 2015.
It is unclear whether Air Canada has converted part of its 787-8 orders to the 22 787-9 variants. The airline declines to elaborate further on this detail. Boeing's orders and deliveries table now shows that Air Canada has ordered 37 787-8s.
Air Canada is also planning to receive four additional high-density Boeing 777-300ER aircraft in August, November and December of 2013, with the last aircraft delivery planned for February 2014. The airline received its first of the 458-seat aircraft in the second quarter.
"These new Boeing 777s arriving over the next several months will overlap with the delivery of the first of our 37 Boeing 787 deliveries," says Calin Rovinescu, Air Canada's chief executive officer during his opening remarks on the earnings call.
Source: Air Transport Intelligence news
