How the Airbus A321XLR is changing the air map of the world

CNN

13-02-2025

Nashville's honky-tonks are going to get a little busier in April.
That's when Aer Lingus launches its first nonstop flight to the country music capital from Ireland, a lesser-known hotbed of country music fans.
The new flight to Nashville from Dublin is possible with a new, longer-range plane from Airbus: the A321XLR, or 'Extra Long Range.'
The derivative of the popular A321neo that debuted in 2017 can fly further than any other single-aisle plane on the market. Airbus also says it burns 30% less fuel per seat than previous-generation aircraft.
'It allows us to go to cities that we would not be able to take the risk on with a wide-body,' said Reid Moody, chief strategy and planning officer at Aer Lingus, referring to the twin-aisle aircraft such as the Airbus A330 or Boeing 787 that are common on transatlantic flights.
The Irish carrier already flies two A321XLRs and plans to add four more by the end of the year.
Hundreds of planes on order
Airlines around the world are clamoring for the new plane.
Aer Lingus and its Spanish peer, Iberia — both are owned by European airline conglomerate International Airlines Group (IAG) — already fly the A321XLR, and Airbus has firm orders for more than 500 of the model, data from aviation analytics firm Cirium shows.
Air Canada, American Airlines, Qantas Airways and United Airlines are among those awaiting their first XLR.
Single-aisle planes across the North Atlantic are not new.
Boeing's 757 has plied the skies between North America and Europe for decades. The aircraft, however, is old. The last plane rolled off the production line in Everett, Washington, in 2004.
The remaining airlines that fly the 757, including United, are eager to replace them with the new, fuel-sipping XLRs. And others, such as Aer Lingus, want the new Airbus model to expand their transatlantic map to new cities.
The XLR, once it replaces older 757s, should allow airlines to bypass major hubs on either side of the Atlantic and open new, nonstop, transatlantic routes to smaller cities.
'We're going to open up 10 to 12 new cities in Eastern Europe (and) North Africa out of Newark and (Washington) Dulles,' United CEO Scott Kirby said on The Air Show podcast in June. 'We're excited about it.'
While Kirby didn't reveal just what cities United is considering, its recent expansion plans hint at outside-the-box destinations, at least from the United States, such as Bilbao, Spain, and Nuuk, Greenland.
United expects its first of 50 A321XLRs in early 2026.
American Airlines is also eyeing Europe with its coming XLRs.
'We are looking at new, secondary Spain, Portugal, UK, anything in range — France, Germany, Scandinavia, all these smaller destinations that we think a wide-body just isn't well-suited for,' Brian Znotins, who leads network planning at American, told The Points Guy in November.
American's first XLR, which is due later this year, will initially be used on premium transcontinental flights between New York and both Los Angeles and San Francisco.
In addition to expansion opportunities, travelers could also see airlines using their XLRs to add extra flights on routes that might have only one today. Or the plane could be used to extend a seasonal route; for example, one that flies only during the summer, to year-round status by flying during the lower-demand winter.
Just how many new transatlantic and other routes the XLR will unlock is an open question.
Safety modifications required by European regulators added weight to the plane. It's widely acknowledged that the changes have reduced the estimated range of the jet to around 5,200 miles (4,500 nautical miles) from up to 5,400 miles (4,700 nautical miles).
The range cut, while seemingly small, could mean the difference between flying from New York to most of Europe versus just Western Europe.
'The XLR is absolutely heavier than Airbus wanted it to be originally,' said Jon Ostrower, editor of The Air Current, on a recent episode of The Air Show. 'That really affected the heavily loaded long-range operations that airlines like Frontier wanted with 240 seats.'
Discounter Frontier Airlines canceled its order for the XLR in August citing performance concerns.
'The airplane likely won't have the range to do some of the routes people have hoped to see, like East Coast to Rome,' said Brett Snyder, president of the travel assistance service Cranky Concierge and author of the Cranky Flier blog. 'But it is enabling flying including Dublin to Nashville and Indianapolis. Over time, there will be more opportunity to stretch and try new things.'
Most airlines seem unconcerned over the range cut.
'It's only a concern during the peak summers,' says Ramiro Sequeira, the chief operating officer of Iberia, of the A321XLR's capabilities. The carrier believes it can do everything it hoped to with the plane — if not more.
Iberia was the first to fly the XLR, debuting the plane on flights between Madrid and Boston in November. It plans to introduce it in April on flights to Washington, D.C., pending the delayed delivery of its second aircraft from Airbus.
Sequeira hasn't revealed what's next for the plane at Iberia. 'New routes are the secret of the commercial department,' he says.
Travelers can expect a product on board the XLR similar to what they would see on a larger plane.
American plans to introduce a new business class and premium economy product on its A321XLRs when they debut later this year. The airline will outfit the planes with 20 of its new lie-flat 'Flagship Suites' up front, 12 spacious premium economy seats in the middle, and an updated economy product in the back.
'We're really pleased (about) the introduction of our new Flagship Suite,' American CEO Robert Isom told investors on January 23, citing the XLR as among the first planes to receive the seats. He emphasized that passenger comfort was important on planes that will fly longer international routes.
Aer Lingus and Iberia outfitted their planes with lie-flat business class seats up front and standard economy seats in back. And customer feedback, they said, is largely positive.
'The customer,' Moody said, 'for all intents and purposes, doesn't mind traveling on the narrow-body versus the wide-body.'