Over the past 30 years, Airbus has been Continuous increase in the range of the A321thanks to which this type has become a bestseller, as customers can combine the economic advantages of narrow-body passenger aircraft with the range and capacity of wide-body aircraft.
This month, the latest version of the A321XLR could also receive regulatory approval, effectively doubling the range of the original type, which entered service in early 1994.
Bloomberg writes.
XLR's launch has been delayed by a year compared to original plans, partly due to the pandemic and partly due to concerns about a fire hazard in the auxiliary fuel tank. Machine type It can have a range of up to 4,700 nautical miles, or about 11 hours of flight. This allows narrow-body aircraft to reach destinations that were previously the domain of fuel-guzzling wide-body aircraft. This could change the calculus for airlines.
- There are already orders for the new device. Icelandair For example, it ordered 13 XLRs to replace its aging fleet of Boeing 757s, which have a shorter maximum range of about 3,900 nautical miles. The CEO said the XLRs, which burn 30 percent less fuel than their predecessors, would allow the airline to launch new destinations in California, Texas, Dubai and across Europe.
- the Wizz Air It has ordered 47 XLRs with the aim of opening new routes in the Middle East and Asia. The Hungarian low-cost carrier is negotiating with Indian authorities about flights to India on the planes, which can accommodate up to 244 passengers, Bloomberg reported.
- the Indigo It plans to operate XLRs within a nine-hour range from India, so parts of Europe will also be available within its range, expected from the end of next year.
- the United Airlines Holdings It announced that with the help of XLR, it will be able to serve more European destinations from its East Coast hubs.
- the American Airlines It also plans to use XLR on some transatlantic routes.
While the economics of operating an XLR on long-haul flights are attractive to airlines, the relatively cramped spaces of a narrow-body aircraft on long-haul flights are not suitable for all passengers. This will be the difference with Airbus’s largest aircraft, the A380, which is very popular with the public but too uneconomical for most airlines to manufacture. On an XLR, features such as onboard bars or showers, which are found on some A380s, are unlikely to be suitable. Since The machine is designed for maximum efficiency, taking up less space. For catering, bathroom capacity will be more limited than on wide-body aircraft.
Cover image source: Portfolio
