Air Canada Announces Fleet Enhancements for North American Flying

Air Canada is upgrading its narrow-body fleet across its 3 brands: Air Canada, Air Canada Express, and Air Canada Rouge.

The announced upgrades will apply to aircraft meant for North American flying, not to wide-body aircraft that fly intercontinental routes.

Here’s what Air Canada is planning and what you can look forward to if you fly with the airline in the coming years.

Air Canada’s Fleet Renewal Plans

Air Canada is planning a major shakeup in its narrow-body fleet, which will affect North American flying. The carrier is investing in upgrades to standardize its fleet, incorporating customer-friendly features such as latest-generation interiors, new technology, and free Wi-Fi, delivered in partnership with Bell.

First, let’s look at what’s in store for the airline’s leisure-focused subsidiary, Air Canada Rouge. All of the Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft that currently fly for the Air Canada mainline fleet will be absorbed into the Rouge fleet throughout 2026. All of these aircraft will feature new cabins with 12 recliner business class seats, 18 Preferred economy (extra legroom) seats, and 147 economy seats.

Every seat on these aircraft will have inflight entertainment screens, and all Aeroplan members will have access to free Wi-Fi.

Next up is Air Canada Express. Aircraft operated by Jazz, which include the Embraer E175 and the CRJ-900, will get new cabins starting next year. Already, 55% of the fleet has been equipped with free and fast Wi-Fi, and it will continue to roll out across the fleet over the next year.

Air Canada previously announced that its fleet of De Havilland Dash 8-400 aircraft that operate from Toronto’s Billy Bishop Airport (YTZ) will also be retrofitted with new cabins and inflight Wi-Fi.

Changes are also coming to the Air Canada mainline fleet of narrow-body aircraft. All Airbus A320 and A321 aircraft will be absorbed into the mainline fleet and will receive new cabins, the latest tech, and inflight Wi-Fi. The airline says that 15 of its A321s have already been retrofitted and are currently flying.

Upcoming deliveries of the Airbus A220-300, of which the airline has 26 on order, will also feature the newest cabin standard as well as larger “XL” overhead bins from March 2026.

The airline is also introducing complimentary beer, wine, and “premium snacks” on all flights operated by all of its brands. Passengers will see Canadian classics like MadeGood Morning Bars on flights that depart before 10 a.m., TWIGZ seasoned pretzels, and Leclerc Célébration cookies, along with a range of complimentary soft beverages.

Final Thoughts

Air Canada is revamping its entire narrow-body fleet for its North American operations. Aircraft types are being shuffled between the airline’s 3 brands, and the vast majority of these aircraft are receiving both new interiors and fast, free Wi-Fi for Aeroplan members.