Five years after it was announced at the Paris Airshow 2019, Airbus has delivered the first passenger-ready A321XLR to Spanish flag carrier Iberia. The aircraft has been used for familiarisation flights over the past couple of weeks before being put on its first transatlantic flight today.

Airbus A321XLR: What is unique?

The A321XLR is the next evolutionary step from the A320neo, which responds to market needs for even more range and payload, creating more value for the airlines. It will deliver an unprecedented Xtra Long Range of up to 4,700 nautical miles (equivalent to 5,400 miles) – 15% more range than the A321LR with 30% lower fuel burn per seat compared with previous generation competitor aircraft and reduced NOx emissions and noise. So far, Airbus has secured more than 500 orders for the aircraft, including 70 from Indian carrier IndiGo. IndiGo expects to induct its XLR aircraft in 2025.

The first A321XLR completed its maiden flight in June 2022. This was followed by an extensive test programme involving three test aircraft. As with all Airbus aircraft, the A321XLR can operate with up to 50% SAF. Airbus aims to have its aircraft up to 100% SAF capable by 2030.

The range that the A321XLR will offer will open up significant opportunities for airlines to operate long and thin routes, where they don’t need to designate a double-aisle jet to fly the route and, hence, get better route economics to launch. I say perhaps because the XLR has not been flown on an international long-haul flight, and the data will only start to flow in after Iberia starts operations.

What do airlines plan to do with the Airbus A321XLR?

Different airlines have different plans for the A321XLR and will use it differently. Here is how airlines are planning to use the A321XLR:

• Iberia: Iberia will launch the first passenger A321XLR route between Madrid and Boston on November 14, 2024. The 3400-mile journey will take approximately eight hours. Flights to Washington Dulles will begin on January 15, 2025, and be 3800 miles long. Iberia has gone for a 2-class configuration on the XLR, with fully flat beds in Business Class. Iberia is cautious, not going for the edge-of-the-envelope routes in the initial days. It will launch those later, perhaps deep into Latin America, a large Iberia market.
• WizzAir: European low-cost carrier Wizz Air will be the first low-cost carrier to operate the XLR when it launches flights between London Gatwick, UK and  Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on March 31, 2025. The route will be at 2929 miles. The second route for WizzAir will see daily flights connecting Milan Malpensa Airport and Abu Dhabi International Airport from June 2, 2025. WizzAir will operate the XLR in a 239-seat monoclass configuration.
• Aer Lingus: Aer Lingus has announced the launch of the first nonstop flight between Dublin to Nashville, Tennessee, on April 12, 2025. The new route will operate using the Airbus A321XLR aircraft four times weekly. This will be one of the cases where the XLR will be used as a route opener for an airline.  Just like Iberia, Aer Lingus will seat 184 passengers in a two-class configuration, with 168 seats in economy and 16 in business.
• IndiGo: IndiGo will receive its first A321XLR in 2025. The airline has yet to reveal the routes for first operations, but it is expected to use the aircraft for non-stop, 7-8 hour flights to Europe, the Far East and Australia from India. IndiGo has yet to comment on their cabin configuration, but I expect them to have a premium cabin up front.
• American Airlines: American has orders for 50 A321XLRs and expects to get the first one in 2025. Before going international, the airline will have its A321XLRs fly cross-country routes between New York and Boston to Los Angeles and San Francisco. The jet will replace the airline’s transcon-specific A321Ts. The XLR won’t offer first class, but will have the Business Suite as the top cabin. Further, American will explore flying this aircraft deep into Europe, where there is not enough requirement for a widebody, and into Latin America from Miami.
• Icelandair: Icelandair will receive their XLRs in 2029 and use the A321XLR to replace the 757 operations across the Atlantic. The airline expects to serve the US West Coast with the XLR.
• United: United’s first XLR will arrive in 2026. The airline plans for the A321XLR to take over virtually all 757’s existing routes and open new ones.
• Qantas: Qantas will use the XLR as a part of their Australian domestic fleet renewal programme. They expect to receive their first in April 2025. It will replace the Boeing 737 aircraft for Qantas. Later, Qantas will fly these to Southeast Asia and the Pacific Islands. Qantas routes like Brisbane to Tokyo and Melbourne to Bangkok could be seen in the XLR operations. Qantas A321XLRs will feature 197 seats, including 20 business and 177 economy class seats.

As you can see, airlines have many different plans with their XLR inductions, but the writing on the wall is clear: it will be an aircraft used to fly long and thin routes. Now, if airlines are going to configure it for comfort or to bring in as many people as they can on board remains to be seen.

Bottomline

The XLR, the newest aircraft to fly long-haul with only a single aisle on board, will take to the skies today. The aircraft is being planned to be used differently by the 25 customers it has for now, and each seems to have exciting plans to use the aircraft to extend their network or replace existing aircraft in their fleet.

What do you think is the best use case of the Airbus A321XLR in today’s era?

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