MONTREAL— Air Canada (AC) has confirmed plans to bring its latest premium cabin products to a significant portion of its existing long-haul fleet, including its Boeing 777 aircraft. The move follows the airline’s recent unveiling of its new “Glowing Hearted” cabin design, which will debut on upcoming Boeing 787-10 Dreamliners later this year.
The announcement marks a major investment in the passenger experience as the Canadian flag carrier expands the rollout of its newest onboard products beyond factory-fresh aircraft. However, travelers flying on Air Canada’s current Boeing 777 and Boeing 787 fleets will need to wait several years before they can experience the upgrades.
Boeing 777 Retrofit
Air Canada revealed that its new cabin concept will be installed across 65 existing Boeing widebody aircraft, including the Boeing 777, Boeing 787-8, and Boeing 787-9 fleets. The retrofit program will introduce the airline’s latest business class, premium economy, and economy cabin products.
The upgraded cabins will feature the highly anticipated Signature Plus Suites, a premium enhancement to the airline’s business class offering. These suites were first announced as part of Air Canada’s future fleet modernization strategy and are designed to deliver greater comfort, privacy, and flexibility for premium travelers.
Notably, Air Canada has not announced similar plans for its fleet of Airbus A330-300 aircraft. The absence of those jets from the retrofit program suggests the airline may focus its long-term cabin investment on newer Boeing and future Airbus aircraft, Executive Traveller reported.
Signature Plus Suites
The Signature Plus Suites will occupy the first row of the business class cabin and offer significantly more space than standard business class seats. Air Canada designed these suites to maximize privacy while providing additional storage and enhanced passenger comfort.
Each suite will include a companion seat, allowing travelers to dine or interact with a guest during the flight. The two center suites can also be configured into a social space for up to four passengers by retracting the dividing partitions.
Passengers will benefit from larger sleeping surfaces measuring approximately two meters in length. The suites will also feature 27-inch 4K OLED inflight entertainment screens, making them among the most advanced premium cabin products in the airline’s network.
While the Signature Plus Suites will not be available on Air Canada’s Airbus A321XLR aircraft, those narrowbody jets will still offer lie-flat business class seats arranged in a 1-1 configuration for long-haul routes.
Rollout Timeline
Despite the excitement surrounding the new cabins, Air Canada indicated that the first retrofitted Boeing aircraft will not return to commercial service until 2029. As a result, passengers flying on existing Boeing 777 and Dreamliner routes will not see the upgraded interiors for at least the next three years.
In the meantime, Air Canada will continue taking delivery of new aircraft equipped with the latest cabins. The carrier expects to receive 29 Airbus A321XLRs and 14 Boeing 787-10 aircraft over the coming years, all featuring the new onboard products from day one.
Looking further ahead, Air Canada has also ordered eight Airbus A350-1000 aircraft, with options for eight additional jets. Deliveries are scheduled to begin in 2030, and the airline has confirmed that these aircraft will also feature the new cabin design.
Once the retrofit and fleet expansion programs are complete, Air Canada will operate more than 100 aircraft equipped with its newest cabin products, creating a more consistent premium travel experience across its global network.
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