What could become a long-term trend of launching “skinny” routes between continents is emerging among airlines in North America and Europe.
A host of airlines are increasingly using single-aisle aircraft to operate ocean-crossing flights from North America to Europe, with summer airline schedules reflecting an uptick in transatlantic flights that will be flown with narrowbody jets.
The trend is apparent across carriers small and large, from Canadian leisure airline Air Transat to American Airlines.
For example, Transat recently launched thrice-weekly flights between Ottawa and London, which the carrier says is the first route connecting the Canadian and UK capitals via London Gatwick.
“Combined with the connections offered by our partner Porter Airlines from multiple cities across Canada and the United States, this route positions Ottawa as a genuine gateway to Europe,” says Sebastian Ponce, Transat’s chief revenue officer. “It perfectly reflects the type of growth we’re focused on – targeted, well-connected routes that strengthen our position in the transatlantic market.”
On 22 March, Transat also launched once-weekly flights between Quebec City and Marseille and Nantes in France.
Those network additions will be operated using Transat’s fleet of Airbus A321LRs, continuing what has been a long-term strategy of flying longer-range narrowbodies on “skinny” routes that would not offer enough capacity to support widebody operations.
But more airlines are getting in on the game, due partially to the introduction of Airbus’ latest generation narrowbody, the A321XLR.
The extra-long-range variant of the A321neo has an advertised range of 4,700nm (8,700km), and has been marketed by Airbus as a “game changer”. Lower trip costs are unlocking improved economics and more opportunities to serve smaller, secondary cities and establish seasonal routes.
Persistently high fuel costs related to the USA’s war in Iran also increase the appeal of more-efficient narrowbody flights.
Published airline schedules for July show an 11% year-on-year increase in transatlantic narrowbody flights originating in North America, and a 12% boost in the number of seats offered on such flights, according to aviation analytics firm Cirium.
That compares with flat-to-down year-on-year changes for transatlantic flights and seats offered on widebody jets from North America to Europe.
Transat’s July schedule reflects a 22% boost in narrowbody flights to Europe compared with the same month of 2025.
Air Canada, which is rolling out its first A321XLRs, is stepping up such flights by 80%, according to Cirium.
Other notable schedule changes include Ireland’s Aer Lingus with a 19% increase in planned single-aisle flying from North America to Europe, and Spanish carrier Iberia’s 87% increase in such flying. Both are A321XLR operators.
American, meanwhile, is flying its new A321XLRs between New York and Edinburgh, as well as on transcontinental flights between New York and Los Angeles, for its first summer season.
Another new player in long-haul narrowbody niche is Alaska Airlines, which is planning to operate a seasonal route between Seattle and Reykjavik from 28 May to 7 September. Alaska will operate those flights daily with Boeing 737 Max 8s, which have been retrofitted with an expanded first-class cabin with 16 seats.
Looking ahead, United Airlines is also anticipating operating 150-seat A321XLRs across the Atlantic when deliveries of the type begin later this year.
Even Southwest Airlines, which has long focused on short-haul flying across its massive domestic network, has publicly mused that it could launch 737 Max 8 flights to near-European destinations. The Max 8 has a range of 3,550nm, which potentially puts destinations like Dublin and London within striking distance from the East Coast of the USA.
The post Carriers increasingly targeting long-haul narrowbody flights across Atlantic first appeared on FlightGlobal.