On June 15, European aircraft maker Airbus launched the latest A321XLR, which is set to revolutionize the long-haul market.
The first test flight lasted 4.5 hours. The plane took off from Hamburg, where it was assembled, and then returned after checking the systems.
A321XLR is a narrow-body airliner. Typically, such airliners operate medium-haul flights, for example, from London to Warsaw or from Prague to Madrid due to limited fuel reserves.
Airbus has increased the range of the new model from 6,500 km to 8,700 km by changing the design of the aircraft and adding fuel tanks. That is why the new modification was designated XLR, which stands for Extra Long Range very long range.
The A321XLR can stay in the air for 11 hours and deliver passengers from Kiev to New York or London to Seattle without intermediate refueling.
The main advantage of the airliner is fuel efficiency and low passenger capacity. In the comfortable layout of the two classes, it is 140-170 passengers, which is 1.5-2 times less than the wide-body airliners, which usually fly long distances.
Such characteristics of A321XLR will allow airlines to open new long-distance routes between secondary cities, where there is no demand for 250-350-seat wide-body aircraft.
Airbus expects to complete the certification of the new airliner in 1.5 years and in 2024 to begin deliveries to airlines. To complete the certification on schedule, the manufacturer uses three A321XLR aircraft with two types of CFM LEAP-1A and Pratt & Whitney GTF engines.
