<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by msn:
I would think that what AC would do right now is take 4 or even 6 340-600's, under my theory that UA will be severely curtailing some routes, and that between US Airways and Air Canada, more traffic will codeshare. It may seem odd, but they still give quite a bit of cargo capacity.
I don't see any need for new product in the middle, and the 345's are already on the way, so I can't picture taking any smaller planes from anyone outside of the under 120 passenger range.
The 747's really stink right now. I don't know how many Singapore still have, but they have been looking to sell or lease their machines for a while. I don't see any serious opportunity to wet-lease on the horizon either, but you never know what corner of the world will see a sudden need for them.</font>
I do agree that AC will likely need aircraft to replace the B747-400s. But will the A340-600 be required or could they look at smaller aircraft like More A340-500 or some used A340-300s. Boeing does have some A340-300s (from SQ) that they will like to place with airlines. So far Belgium Universal Airlines and Sri Lankan Airlines have show interest in those used a340-300s. There was a time, AC was interested in acquiring them, but they shied away for some reason...
Considering the aviation market, it will be a tough call to acquire more newer aircraft. But at the same time, leasing companies will not mind leasing aircraft like the a340-600s or the A340-500s to airlines...