Airbus began the first week of May 2022 with a stunning audience: after confirming the agreement with Qantas to provide 12 a350-1000 aircraft for the "sunrise project" and extending the order time limit of the a321xlr of the Australian operator, the company's first ultra long range narrow body aircraft walked out of the coating workshop.
With a range of 8700 kilometers, the a321xlr will make its debut in the second quarter of this year, and then complete its certification process. The goal is to put it into operation in 2023. The company posted a video of the painting process on its social network.
Its 8700 kilometer range makes it possible for economic narrow body airliners to connect more major cities in the world, creating unique routes and bringing unexpected benefits to airlines, such as Miami Buenos Aires; New York Rome; London New Delhi or Sao Paulo Lisbon.
The aircraft will appear in a variety of customers who want to increase point-to-point routes in the transatlantic market, including American Airlines and United Airlines, Irish airlines, JetBlue airlines, Iberia airlines or, more recently, Air Canada. Middle East Airlines, flynas, Saudi and Arabian Airlines aim to expand their business in Southeast Asia and Africa. Indigo, headquartered in India, also plans to land in Europe in this mode.
Vietnam Airlines, Air Asia X and Cebu Pacific Airlines will use this aircraft to land in Australia or expand the secondary market in India or the Middle East.
Jetsmart and Sky Airlines will become start-up customers in Latin America and the Caribbean, and plan to land in Florida, Mexico and the Caribbean from Argentina, Chile and Peru.
Frontier Airlines is the only American airline planning to use a321xlr in the market south of Latin America.
Wiz airlines from Hungary will be by far the largest European operator of the a321xlr, but where the airline will use it remains a mystery.