The Airbus A321 XLR, the European manufacturer’s newest plane and the world’s longest-range narrow-body airliner, could take off sooner than expected.
The first of the kind was observed with its engines installed outside of an Airbus manufacturing site in Hamburg on April 12, 2022.
In December 2021, the final assembly of the aircraft’s airframe was completed.
Airbus did not specify a specific date for the aircraft’s maiden flight, just confirming that it will take place in 2022.
According to Air-Journal, the company intends to begin flight testing the plane in the summer of 2022.
Meanwhile, according to an unidentified Airbus source, flight testing will begin in the second quarter of 2022.
According to previous Airbus claims, the final phase of the A321 XLR’s assembly is identical to that of the A321 LR, on which the latter is based.
As a result, the manufacturer faces no additional problems in the last stages of the flight preparations.
The A321 XLR has a maximum range of 4,700 nautical miles (about 8,700 kilometres), which is 700 nautical miles (12,000 kilometres) longer than its predecessor.
Following its premiere in 2019, the aircraft was a huge hit with airlines, with over 450 orders placed in the first year.
The first deliveries of the type are planned to begin in 2023, according to Airbus.
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