The world’s first Airbus A321XLR has just been delivered, and marks a major milestone for long haul, narrow body travel. Let’s go over the details, as I know this is a jet that many airlines are desperately waiting for (and it’s nice to finally see some good news on the aircraft production front).
In this post:
Iberia becomes first airline to fly Airbus A321XLR
In June 2019, Airbus formally launched the Airbus A321XLR, which is the world’s longest range narrow body jet. This aircraft is based on the Airbus A321 family of aircraft, but features even more incremental range improvements over the A321neo and A321LR (which already have more range than the A321ceo).
Airlines have ordered hundreds of these jets, as they look for long range, low capacity jets, that can open up all kinds of new markets. The first A321XLR has just been delivered to an airline, so suffice it to say that this is a major milestone.
The launch customer for the plane is International Airlines Group (IAG), the parent company of British Airways, Iberia, Aer Lingus, etc. The company ordered 14 of these jets, with eight intended for Iberia and six intended for Aer Lingus.
Initially the plan was for Aer Lingus to be the launch customer for the plane, but that’s no longer the case. Iberia is now the global launch customer for the A321XLR. With Iberia having taken delivery of the aircraft, the first plane should enter service soon. For those who want to track the first A321XLR, it has the registration code EC-OIL.
Here’s what Iberia CEO Marco Sansavini had to say about this new aircraft:
“We are very proud to be the launch airline for this new Airbus aircraft. The A321XLR will allow us to reach new destinations, operating transoceanic routes and doing so in a more efficient way.”
Meanwhile here’s what Airbus Commercial Aircraft CEO Christian Scherer had to say about this development:
“Five years in the making, the newest member of the Airbus family is all set to join its first operator, Iberia. The A321XLR will enable countless new non-stop destinations; it truly opens a new chapter in air connectivity. It is another proud ‘first’ for all of us at Airbus in our constant quest to innovate and bring value to our customers. We are pleased to share this special moment with a special customer: gracias y felicidades Iberia.”
Iberia’s first Airbus A321XLR routes & flights
When should we expect Iberia’s Airbus A321XLR to enter service? The airline will first briefly fly the jet around Europe for crew training and familiarization, and to work out any kinks. The inaugural flight is expected to be on November 5, 2024, between Madrid (MAD) and Paris (CDG).
Then the aircraft is expected to make its long haul debut in the coming weeks and months:
- As of November 14, 2024, Iberia will fly the A321XLR between Madrid (MAD) and Boston (BOS)
- As of January 15, 2025, Iberia will fly the A321XLR between Madrid (MAD) and Washington (IAD)
Both of these US destinations are places Iberia already flies to. However, Washington is currently only served seasonally, so this new A321XLR route means that the service will also be operated in winter. When you go to Iberia’s website, be sure that you see the A321XLR listed, as not all frequencies feature the jet. Also, while I hope the current timeline sticks, there’s always a chance for changes.
There’s sporadic award availability on these flights, so if you’re interested in redeeming, you can book seats on the aircraft with American AAdvantage miles or Iberia Plus Avios, depending on the overall itinerary you’re hoping for.
What to expect onboard Iberia’s Airbus A321XLR
What should passengers expect onboard Iberia’s Airbus A321XLRs? The aircraft is equipped with 182 seats, spread across two cabins, including 14 business class seats and 168 economy class seats. There’s no premium economy cabin.
In a way that’s surprising, since it seems most airlines acquiring the A321XLRs do plan to install premium economy, which is often considered to be the most profitable cabin in terms of space allocation. You’d think there would be demand for premium economy, especially with the need to generate premium revenue to make narrow body economics work on long haul flights.
The aircraft features 14 business class seats, spread across seven rows, in a 1-1 configuration. Iberia selected the Thompson Aero VantageSOLO seat, the same seat you’ll find in the new JetBlue Mint. These are herringbones seats that are fully flat and have direct aisle access, with 18″ 4K TV screens. There’s also great tech, including bluetooth audio.
While I haven’t yet seen bigger pictures of the cabin, when you do a flight search on Iberia’s website, you’ll sometimes see a little pop-up about the A321XLR, which shows the business class seats.
When it comes to the 168 economy seats on Iberia’s A321XLRs, passengers can expect 4″ of recline and leather headrests. Even in economy there’s bluetooth audio, as well as USB-A and USB-C charging ports. Furthermore, there are personal electronic device holders, as well as Wi-Fi connectivity throughout the jet.
I’ll be sure to provide an update when there are more pictures of the interior of the jet.
Why Aer Lingus is no longer Airbus A321XLR launch customer
As mentioned above, Aer Lingus was supposed to be the first airline to start flying the Airbus A321XLR, so what happened? Earlier this year, Aer Lingus was having a major contract dispute with its pilots, as management and the union weren’t able to agree on new pay rates.
During the negotiations, management threatened that if pilots didn’t agree to a deal, the airline would defer Airbus A321XLR deliveries for the airline (and in turn, reduce flying opportunities for pilots). The two parties had until late April 2024, to come to an agreement, and were unable to do so.
IAG has long taken a ruthless approach to negotiations with staff, so I’m not surprised to see that the company followed through with its threat. As a spokesperson explains:
“Unfortunately, Aer Lingus was not able to give IAG the cost structure assurances necessary for this investment and so the inaugural A321 XLR – originally planned for Aer Lingus – will be allocated elsewhere in the group.”
Now, it’s worth emphasizing that for now, only the first two A321XLR deliveries have been allocated to Iberia. Furthermore, it’s just the timeline that’s being delayed here, and it’s not the number of jets going to Aer Lingus that’s changing.
Keep in mind that Aer Lingus already has eight Airbus A321LRs in its fleet, which is the slightly shorter range version of the same jet. So in many ways, Aer Lingus already has a jet capable of operating similar services (between Ireland and the Northeast of the United States and Canada).
For Aer Lingus, the greatest benefit of the A321XLR is absolute growth, and we’re now seeing the airline start already scheduling services with this new aircraft, like new routes to Indianapolis and Nashville. 
Bottom line
Iberia is the global launch customer for the Airbus A321XLR, and will start operating passenger services with the aircraft in the coming days. The plane will first fly from Madrid to Paris, before commencing long haul flights to Boston and Washington.
It’s exciting to see the world’s first A321XLR finally be delivered, given how little good news there has been from aircraft manufacturers lately.
What do you make of Iberia’s Airbus A321XLR?
It's amazing to me that people get excited about these planes, especially when they are downgauging from widebodies on existing routes, rather than opening up new ones. Tiny windows, cramped cabins, herringbone layout instead, without doubt worse service from the tiny galleys, generally slower speeds, so slightly longer times in the sir.
Who cares if the biz class seats are 1" wider than the A330 when you can see in the photo they are in...
It's amazing to me that people get excited about these planes, especially when they are downgauging from widebodies on existing routes, rather than opening up new ones. Tiny windows, cramped cabins, herringbone layout instead, without doubt worse service from the tiny galleys, generally slower speeds, so slightly longer times in the sir.
Who cares if the biz class seats are 1" wider than the A330 when you can see in the photo they are in an objectively much worse and less comfortable layout? And no Premium Economy! Will be avoiding these wherever possible.
The biggest question for me is: "Are there air vents?" Because having flown their widebodies before, the biggest issue for me was how crazy hot they kept their cabins, and the lack of air vents. I will gladly take a narrowbody with an improved ability at temperature control over a widebody that feels like a sauna.
Here was my solution to that. $6, and one of the best travel purchases I've ever made.
https://www.amazon.com/Yucime-Portable-Handheld-Adjustable-Recharging/dp/B0BWK3F8WZ
Yuck, I’d much prefer the normal Thompson Aero Vantage seats to the solo. I’m going to miss the 330/350s flying into Boston! At least TAP is still a decent option, usually with much better pricing as well!
Those seats were only good for people traveling together. It kind of sucked if you were assigned one of those seats or they were the only ones left and you were traveling alone.
While I don't *love* the idea of longer flights on narrowbodies, I still find non-stops vastly superior to connecting itineraries. (Especially when OW would send me through PHL, LHR, or, god forbid, CLT)
A new era?? That’s a bit breathless for an updated A321…..
Honestly if the A321 Neo had mid cabin boarding doors like the 757 it would be a no brainer upgrade to me.
Coach traffic walking past business is stressful and unpleasant.
On the other hand, smaller aircraft mean a more efficient and faster boarding process.
Yea, who wants those peasants walking past you while you sip your champagne and avoid looking them in the eye as you know you probably profited off of their misery.
Good for IAG to stand up to Air Lingus pilot union
Wouldn't it mean overall less chance of getting an award seat if wide body planes with more business class seats being replaced with these? Or would these new planes be deployed in new markets?
The number of award seats will depend on company policy, I guess you'll have to look up how IAG decides on releasing award seats. I'm sure the absolute number won't be as high as on a widebody, but the relative number might be equal, and the chance of grabbing one might also be about equal if these routes aren't in high demand.
As Ben wrote, and I think he's right there, these planes will...
The number of award seats will depend on company policy, I guess you'll have to look up how IAG decides on releasing award seats. I'm sure the absolute number won't be as high as on a widebody, but the relative number might be equal, and the chance of grabbing one might also be about equal if these routes aren't in high demand.
As Ben wrote, and I think he's right there, these planes will be used mostly on new markets and on markets with low seasonal demand to be able to offer a year round service anyway. I think UA showed the possibilities of having long range narrowbodies on new routes with their 2025 summer schedule, while the example given in this article (the DC route) shows how a seasonal route is converted into a year-round one. That also depends on the strategies of the airlines deploying them.
@ImportViking: thank you! Let's keep our fingers crossed.
A 757 replacement with more range and way more fuel efficient.
As expected, the 757 is a 1980s jet.
For all of the airlines that are adopting XLRs for long haul, it will come down to economics. While the fuel burn is lower, there's not the cargo revenue the wide-bodies would bring in. Net-net, we'll have to wait and see how the numbers play out. As a passenger, images of AA's seats look far more attractive/comfortable than Iberia's.
I've always wondered about the economics as well. With only 14 business class seats and no premium economy, I'm wondering what the break-even point has to be in order to make money on XLR flights.
Longhaul narrowbodies are extremely overrated.
You'll essentially have smaller space and seats for the same price paid as widebodies.
Only airlines will benefit from cheaper costs incurred.
But of course, I guess this doesn't matter because Proximanova's wisdom tell us that we should "visualise yourself flying Qsuites or Air France or JAL or something of that kind! ;)".
Why do people just repeat stuff like this, instead of taking the 5seconds necessary to see if it's actually true or not?
Biz seats on their A321XLR will actually be wider than on their A330s and A350s, while the same 76" length.
The -XLR, like all A321NEOs, will also offer more headroom to economy passengers than any A330CEO.
@ConcordeBoy
In terms of numerical data, yes you're right that they might be wider than widebodies.
But you ignored the cabin comfort level as a whole, because why not. You're just going through a denial.
Sure the numerical data surrounding the seat doesn't sound too bad, but the smaller cabin space will betray your belief.
Not to mention how they lack storages, How close they are to each other seats, and also...
@ConcordeBoy
In terms of numerical data, yes you're right that they might be wider than widebodies.
But you ignored the cabin comfort level as a whole, because why not. You're just going through a denial.
Sure the numerical data surrounding the seat doesn't sound too bad, but the smaller cabin space will betray your belief.
Not to mention how they lack storages, How close they are to each other seats, and also the fact that these are placed in a herringbone pattern.
Let's not even talk about the foot cubby.
Now I hope you understand why people are repeating these valid complaints although you seem to be seeing those as a silly b*tching.
"although you seem to be seeing those as a silly b*tching."
Nor would he be wrong on that front. Let's be real.
@ImmortalSynn
You want to be real? Let's really be real.
Just because you either don't give a damn about a personal space, or short/slim, or a woman, doesn't mean that everyone else don't care about how much space a seat or a cabin has.
Grow up.
Oh sweetie, it's not that I don't care. It's that you don't have a clue. As someone else just pointed out to you: you're bitching about differences that are the exact opposite of what you assume them to be.
@ImmortalSynn
For the second time I'm saying that the data on paper is often quite different from reality.
Sure A321XLRs will have more seat width and the same bed length compared to A350 etc, but actual usable spaces will strike you back.
These seats are very compactly placed leaving very little room for storage.
And because it's placed very tightly, obviously you'll have overall smaller space, even if seat is wider or whatsoever.
"For the second time I'm saying that the data on paper is often quite different from reality. "
I saw what you wrote the first time. Repeating it, isn't going to magically make it true. Look at your descriptors: "very compactly" and "very tightly" aren't measurements, they're opinions.
Iberia (and Aer Lingus) 'service' levels. Seats away from windows, claustrophobic looking seats, single aisle and tiny narrowbody toilets and galeys. An airplane to avoid for anything longer than 4 hour flights. And I'm talking about business seats, cant even imagine how horrible this must be in economy. Is this how the future looks like?
The real problem is Iberia itself. Customer service and in-flight service is poor. IT is terrible. I will incur additional cost and time if need be to avoid flying on Iberia. However, congratulations on the new aircraft.
I will have to disagree, I find Iberia employees, both onboard and on the phones, to be lovely, and the airline is one of the most punctual in the world. IT certainly has its quirks, I will give you that. Maybe it's a cultural difference or linguistic barrier? I've lived in Spain for 8 years and speak fluent Spanish, that probably makes for a different experience.
Funny enough, I'm not at all a fan of...
I will have to disagree, I find Iberia employees, both onboard and on the phones, to be lovely, and the airline is one of the most punctual in the world. IT certainly has its quirks, I will give you that. Maybe it's a cultural difference or linguistic barrier? I've lived in Spain for 8 years and speak fluent Spanish, that probably makes for a different experience.
Funny enough, I'm not at all a fan of the new aircraft, I think it's a huge downgrade of the hard product.
My assessment is based on multiple experiences of my own over a few years. A family member of Spanish descent speaks fluent Spanish and lives in Spain. Her experience is that they are warm and friendly . . . but there's not a culture of service. She avoids Iberia. Another family member lives in France and has flown Iberia several times. Same take-away. Last month, friends flew Iberia long haul. Same take-away. Maybe we're just lucky.
I have and know others who have had good experiences overall on Iberia. Good service and much improved food.
Hi @Ben
I know this is out of topic but i wanted to request you for an article on Cathay Pacific's new Aria business class suites, premium economy and economy class. I would love to hear your thoughts about the Aria suites. In my opinion those seats are not revolutionary but an evolution of the current business class seats with some new technology and doors. I will appreciate an article on the suites.
And when are you planning to fly the Aria suites?
You might want to wait a few weeks more because it’s only flying to Beijing now.
Only an Avgeek would find this to be good news. I got all excited when I saw that Boston was featured in the new launch until I realized the implications of the narrow body and the shape of the seats. Makes me claustrophobic just to look at them. Will avoid this like the plague. Who gives a crap about fuel efficiency?
Those Thompson Aero VantageSOLO seats in the XLR look just like the VS "coffin seats" we all hate on their 787.
Aside from being herringbone, not really. Having flown those old seats a number of times on ANZ in the past couple years, some of the big issues with the VS & ANZ seats are a total lack of storage, staring at people's feet, limited ability to recline/lounge (since the seats fold forward into a bed), small clunky screens and bad tech. All of those issues are solved on these new seats. As Ben mentioned, these...
Aside from being herringbone, not really. Having flown those old seats a number of times on ANZ in the past couple years, some of the big issues with the VS & ANZ seats are a total lack of storage, staring at people's feet, limited ability to recline/lounge (since the seats fold forward into a bed), small clunky screens and bad tech. All of those issues are solved on these new seats. As Ben mentioned, these are the same seats that JetBlue installed, and those get favorable reviews.
In no way, shape, or form is this "good news"!
We're talking about a downgrade in the customer experience in every possible way. No premium economy, no "honeymoon suites" in business -- and, oh yeah, a NARROWBODY aircraft, so everything is even more cramped than it normally would be.
There is nothing appealing about this, the only upside is for the airline itself because this claustrophobia-inducing thing consumes less fuel.
This is awful. I'm a...
In no way, shape, or form is this "good news"!
We're talking about a downgrade in the customer experience in every possible way. No premium economy, no "honeymoon suites" in business -- and, oh yeah, a NARROWBODY aircraft, so everything is even more cramped than it normally would be.
There is nothing appealing about this, the only upside is for the airline itself because this claustrophobia-inducing thing consumes less fuel.
This is awful. I'm a frequent BOS-MAD flyer, but I'll do everything to avoid this dumb airplane, probably will have to start flying JFK-MAD.
It will likely mean daily frequencies during winter and twice daily during summer. As opposed to 4 x weekly winter and once daily in summer. This will make it more attractive for businesses and some leisure customers too.
The comfort isn’t as good as a narrow body but the additional frequencies may be more important to a lot of customers.
this is a mental take.
It really isn’t and I fully agree with them (I’ve known male and female Robins). Even the pressurised altitude of narrowbody short haul design planes is higher than wide bodies. They simply aren’t as pleasant to fly in.
That's actually not true.
Economy pax will have more headroom in the A321XLR than they do in IB's A330s. Business pax will have a seat that's 1" wider than on the A330s and A350s.
I would consider it a positive if these aircraft were being used on newer (thinner) nonstop routes to MAD. So far, they are simply augmenting existing widebody service. As far as that goes, I agree with this take. But, in the case of Aer Lingus' plans to serve BNA and IND using this model, I think it's great. Those are the kinds of routes where the 321XLR makes a huge impact.
Either way, Ben's hype...
I would consider it a positive if these aircraft were being used on newer (thinner) nonstop routes to MAD. So far, they are simply augmenting existing widebody service. As far as that goes, I agree with this take. But, in the case of Aer Lingus' plans to serve BNA and IND using this model, I think it's great. Those are the kinds of routes where the 321XLR makes a huge impact.
Either way, Ben's hype about this being such a new chapter for aviation is quite an overstatement.
Totally agree! No PE is a disaster. And if I can't sit next to my travel partner why sit up front really?
Every flight I've been on BOS-MAD PE has been been 100% full.
This is a huge step back, but I guess there's nothing to be done about it. Good thing it's a short and early flight from BOS, coach will have to do I guess.