This Plane is About to Change the Industry — Are Passengers Ready?
Photo Caption: Iberia is the first airline to launch the Airbus A321XLR into revenue service. Airbus
Skift Take
The Airbus A321XLR looks set to reshape the economics of international flying for airlines and provide greater point-to-point connectivity.
Airlines have asked planemakers for the same thing for decades: give them aircraft that can fly long-haul at the lowest price per passenger. Over the years, Airbus and Boeing have taken different approaches to this problem.
The twin-aisle products on offer have varied from the double-decker A380 to connect slot-constrained hub airports, through to the smaller Boeing 787. Despite the options, there’s still been a gap in the market.
In 2019, Airbus announced a project to develop a single-aisle airplane that could fly 5,400 miles. This would allow airlines to fly up to 10 or even 11 hours with up to 220 passengers - much fewer than ordinary long-haul jets.
The additional range is made possible thanks to an extra fuel tank added to a special version of the popular A321neo aircraft.
The first A321XLR (that's eXtra Long Range) was delivered to Iberia last month and after familiarization flights around Europe, the Spanish carrier operated th
