Air Canada would study Airbus, Boeing for transatlantic narrowbody needs

MONTREAL (Reuters) - Air Canada is interested in further developing the use of narrowbody aircraft to serve the transatlantic market and would look at both Airbus and Boeing models, a senior executive said.

Mark Galardo, vice-president of network planning at the Canadian national carrier, said in answer to a question that the group would study options including the Airbus A321XLR and the Boeing 737 MAX.

However, he told a media briefing it was "premature" to discuss whether Air Canada might order the Airbus A321XLR, a potential future expansion of the Airbus portfolio that sources say the planemaker may launch by the middle of this year.

Air Canada defected from Airbus to Boeing with an order for the 737 MAX to meet its core narrowbody needs in 2013, but still uses Airbus jets for some group operations.

(Reporting by Tim Hepher; Editing by Jan Harvey)