It’s an exciting week for Aer Lingus, as the airline has just taken delivery of a new type of aircraft, and it’s only the second such aircraft to be delivered globally. We’ve now learned some more details about what to expect from the interiors of these jets, so let’s discuss what we know.
Aer Lingus is getting six Airbus A321XLRs
Aer Lingus has just taken delivery of its first two of six Airbus A321XLRs. Both of the jets were delivered to Dublin (DUB) from Hamburg (XFW), and they have the registration codes EI-XLR and EI-XLT. The other four A321XLRs should join Aer Lingus’ fleet in 2025, so that’s a pretty quick delivery timeline.
For some background, in 2019, International Airlines Group (IAG) placed an order for 14 of these jets. This is the parent company of carriers like British Airways, Iberia, Aer Lingus, etc. The plan is for six of these aircraft to join Aer Lingus’ fleet, and eight to join Iberia’s fleet.
While Aer Lingus was supposed to be the global launch customer of the A321XLR, Iberia ended up taking delivery of the aircraft first, due to a pilot contract dispute at Aer Lingus (where management used additional new aircraft as a bargaining technique).
For those not familiar with the A321XLR, this is the world’s longest range narrow body jet in production. This aircraft is based on the Airbus A321 family, but features even more incremental range improvements over the A321neo and A321LR (which already have more range than the A321ceo). Many airline executives view the A321XLR as an exciting plane that can open up long and thin routes that couldn’t necessarily be served by wide body jets.
When it comes to Aer Lingus’ long haul fleet, the six Airbus A321XLRs will complement the existing eight Airbus A321LRs (the same type of plane, but with a bit less range), as well as 13 Airbus A330s (three of them are the -200 variant, and 10 are the -300 variant).
While Aer Lingus has a modern narrow body long haul fleet, the carrier’s wide body fleet is a bit less modern, and there are no firm plans for more new aircraft deliveries. However, the airline is expected to eventually introduce a new wide body business class.
Aer Lingus Airbus A321XLR routes & flights
Aer Lingus has already announced plans to launch two new routes with the Airbus A321XLR. The plane is expected to operate flights to Nashville (BNA) as of April 2025, and to Indianapolis (IND) as of May 2025. These are routes where the incremental range of the A321XLR over the A321LR are useful.
In the meantime, Aer Lingus is putting its A321XLRs in service on some existing A321LR routes, so you can expect to find the plane flying both across the Atlantic and within Europe. For example, Aer Lingus has already started flying the A321XLR to Washington (IAD), just days after the delivery flight.
I would expect some aircraft swaps, so until the new A321XLR routes launch, don’t necessarily count on a flight being operated by an A321XLR rather than an A321LR, given that they have the same layout.
What to expect onboard Aer Lingus’ Airbus A321XLR
What should passengers expect onboard Aer Lingus’ Airbus A321XLRs? This is where it gets strange. Initially I was under the impression that Aer Lingus and Iberia would have the same interiors on these jets, aside from the finishes being different, to reflect the branding of the two carriers. However, that’s not the case.
The A321XLRs instead have very similar interiors to what you’ll find on Aer Lingus A321LRs, also flying across the Atlantic. Aer Lingus’ A321XLRs feature 184 seats, including 16 business class seats and 168 economy seats. There’s Wi-Fi throughout the jet, so that passengers can stay connected.
Business class is in a staggered configuration, alternating between 2-2 and 1-1. Aer Lingus selected the Thompson Aero Vantage seat. The seats are 22″ wide, with 46-47″ of pitch, and they turn into 6ft5in flat beds. The tech has been upgraded compared to the A321LR, as all seats have USB-A and USB-C outlets, bluetooth audio, and 18″ 4K ultra high definition monitors.
Economy class is in a 3-3 configuration, with seats being 18″ wide, and having 30-31″ of pitch. The seats have wider backrests and better padding, six-way adjustable head rests, USB-A and USB-C charging, a personal device holder in the tray, bluetooth audio, and 12″ 4K ultra high definition monitors.
It’s surprising that the decision was made to offer fleet commonality between the A321LR and A321XLR, rather than between the two airlines, with an improved product.
How do Aer Lingus’ interiors compare to those of the Iberia Airbus A321XLRs? Those planes have 182 seats, spread across two cabins, including 14 business class seats and 168 economy class seats. There’s no premium economy cabin, which is odd for Iberia, since the airline has that on many wide body jets (that raises a separate question of why Iberia doesn’t have premium economy on some A330s, especially since the airline operates as part of the oneworld transatlantic joint venture).
Iberia A321XLRs feature 14 business class seats, spread across seven rows, in a 1-1 configuration. The airline 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.
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.
Below is a video about the Iberia A321XLR…
Bottom line
Aer Lingus has taken delivery of its first couple of Airbus A321XLRs. While Aer Lingus was supposed to be the launch customer for the aircraft, it ended up being the second airline. Since Aer Lingus already flies A321LRs, the difference in terms of the types of “missions” these planes fly won’t be huge.
The passenger experience onboard should also be familiar, for those who have flown the A321LR. The A321XLRs just have some incremental improvements, especially with tech, so it should be a pretty nice ride.
What do you make of Aer Lingus adding the Airbus A321XLR to its fleet?
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