A New Era In Aviation: Airbus A321XLR Enters Commercial Service

November 14, 2024

MADRID, 14 NOV | Just 5 years after its announcement at the 2019 Paris Air Show, Airbus' latest member of the A320 Family will enter commercial service today with Spanish flag carrier, Iberia. This marks a new era in aviation, as the A321XLR will be the very first single-aisle aircraft to operate on a long-haul transatlantic route.

In the past few days, Iberia has been running familiarisation tests with the A321XLR on several intra-Europe flights, carrying passengers for the very first time on the jet. Today, it will officially debut into commercial service, plying on the Madrid to Boston service (IB347)- a flight that typically lasts 8 hours and 35 minutes on an Airbus A330-300. This marks a key milestone in commercial aviation, as the A321XLR will be able to connect cities directly despite having a lower passenger demand, as larger twin-aisle aircraft are not required. For reference, the A321XLR can fit up to 220 seats, while an Airbus A330-300 can fit up to 406 seats.

The only real downside of the A321XLR is passenger comfort. The A321XLR is capable of flying up to 11 hours (4,700nm) non-stop- can you imagine flying direct from London to Los Angeles in a tiny A321? Is the A321XLR truly worth the added connectivity? Nonetheless, this is the new reality for aviation, with 550 orders of the type as of October 2024.

However, airlines are trying their very best to improve passenger comfort on the single-aisle jet. On Iberia's A321XLR, Economy seats have added legroom of 30 inches with RECARO CL3810 seats, having adjustable headrests, 4 inches of recline and a 4K in flight entertainment screen. Many airlines, including Iberia, have also opted for lie-flat seats in Business Class, offering extra comfort to those who pay the premium price.

While Iberia is currently the only one with the XLR far, other airlines who have ordered the jet have also outlined their plans.

WizzAir is set to be the first low-cost carrier with the jet, operating flights from London to Jeddah in March 2025 and Milan to Abu Dhabi in June 2025. The airline will operate the jet with an all-economy configuration with 239 seats. IndiGo will also be another low-cost carrier to pilot the aircraft, aiming for non-stop 7 to 8 hour flights to Europe and Australia from India.

Aer Lingus will be using the XLR to debut a new, lower demand route from Dublin to Nashville in April with a 2-class configuration similar to Iberia. Qantas and Jetstar will also receive the jet next year, plying on routes to Asia, such as Melbourne to Tokyo, and the Pacific Islands while also complementing domestic operations. Airlines like Icelandair and United will also be using their A321XLRs to replace their aging Boeing 757s.

© 2024 Planeopedia LLP
Written by: Sohail Sawlani
All Rights Reserved
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Sources

- Simple Flying
- Airbus
- Live From A Lounge