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).
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?
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