- Airbus' new A321XLR is set to fly its first commercial flights in November.
- The plane's 5,400-mile range allows airlines to fly previously unreachable or unprofitable routes.
- Airlines, including Iberia, Wizz Air, and Aer Lingus, have announced their first A321XLR routes.
Airbus is about to kick-start a new era of long-haul travel.
The European manufacturer is set to launch its "extra long-range" Airbus A321XLR in November, with the plane's first flights on Spanish flag carrier Iberia.
The game-changing narrow-body aircraft will be a long-haul workhorse thanks to its extra fuel tank that can propel it up to 5,400 miles nonstop, or 11 hours.
The A321XLR has racked up more than 550 orders from airlines, which see it as the perfect plane for lower-demand city pairs that were previously unreachable or unprofitable with a widebody aircraft.
The new routes can eliminate layovers, saving customers travel time, while airlines can benefit from the improved economics of smaller capacity and better fuel efficiency.
As of October, only a handful of A321XLR buyers have officially announced planned routes. The longest flight stretches nearly 10 hours, and three routes are expected to serve the US.
The jet is still waiting for certification from US regulators, which could lead to more service announcements soon.
Iberia will launch the first passenger A321XLR route between Madrid and Boston on November 14, a roughly seven-hour journey. Flights to Washington Dulles would begin on January 15 and last a hefty nine hours and 40 minutes.
Low-cost carrier Wizz Air will follow with seven-hour flights between London Gatwick and Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, in March, and between Milan and Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, in June. Wizz's planned barebones A321XLR represents the jet's versatility, as it can fit into both budget and mainline fleets.
Irish carrier Aer Lingus said in October that it will launch its first A321XLR flight between Dublin and Nashville in April. The eight-and-a-half-hour route is a niche nonstop for the industry, with Aer Lingus as the only operator.
Other potential A321XLR routes
While only a handful of A321XLR routes are officially on the books, many previously unserved city pairs could fit the bill, airlines have said.
Middle Eastern carrier Saudia has no officially scheduled routes, per Cirium, but the carrier said in May 2023 that it would eventually fly the XLR to Milan, Barcelona, Rome, Brussels, the Maldives, and Dakar, Senegal.
American Airlines said in September that its A321XLRs will first fly cross-country routes between New York and Boston to Los Angeles and San Francisco before going international. The jet will replace the airline's transcon-specific A321Ts.
United told Business Insider in August that the A321XLR will take over virtually all of the 757's existing routes and open new ones.
JetBlue Airways is likely to extend its reach into Europe, where it already operates a fleet of A321neoLRs. The A321XLR flies about 800 miles further than its A321neoLR predecessor.
Outside the US, Icelandair plans to use the A321XLR as a 757 replacement across the Atlantic. The airline revealed in its 2023 annual report nine potential cities the new jet could serve, like Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Houston, and Cancún.
Rival carriers in Australia — mainline Qantas and low-cost Jetstar — plan to use the narrowbody jet to fly further into Asia. Qantas' list of potential A321XLR routes includes routes like Brisbane to Tokyo, Perth to the Maldives, and Melbourne to Bangkok.
South American low-cost airline JetSMART — expected to be the first A321XLR customer in Latin America — said in March the new plane could allow it to offer cheap flights between Chile and Miami.