LONDON- Finally after long delays and must anticipation, the European plane-maker, Airbus is set to deliver its first-ever A321XLR aircraft, registered as EC-OIL to Spanish carrier, Iberia (IB).
According to the latest update by FlightRadar24 (FR24), Iberia will operate the first A321XLR delivery flight from Hamburg (XFW) to Madrid (MAD) on October 30, 2024, yes a historical day.
Iberia First Airbus A321XLR
As per FR24 data, Iberia delivery flight IB52 will depart from Hamburg at 4:00 PM local time and will arrive in Madrid (MAD) at 6:27 PM local time after being airborne for around two hours and 30 minutes.
The delivery may be delayed as it’s the delivery flight and everyone wants to celebrate this historic milestone.
Marco Sansavini, CEO & Chairman at Iberia stated,
Reuters earlier reported that it will be delivered on Tuesday but FlightRadar24 data shows Wednesday evening. Anyways, it’s getting delivered and it is the best news for Airbus, airlines, aviation enthusiasts, passengers, and everyone who follows the field.
Christian Scherer, CEO of Commercial Aircraft at Airbus, said:
So, when will the world’s first delivered A321XLR (as Airbus already has a few test A321XLRs) enter into commercial service?
According to the latest reports and data, Iberia has scheduled the first A321XLR for November 1, 2024. The airline plans to deploy the game-changing plane on Madrid-Paris (CDG) flights.
Further from November 14, the airline plans to deploy A321XLR on Transatlantic flights, i.e. on Madrid-Boston (BOS) route.
All-Airbus fleet operator, Iberia’s A321XLR will be in a two-class configuration with 182 seats. Further, there will be 14 lie-flat business-class seats and 168 latest Recaro model, the CL3810 economy seats. Well, all previous narrowbody aircraft except A319s have all-economy configurations.
Further, Overhead storage capacity increases by 60% through XL bins, streamlining boarding procedures. Universal in-seat connectivity and advanced lighting systems elevate passenger comfort levels.
This is also the first time that IAG-backed carrier will operate A321neo aircraft (CFMI engines). According to Planespotters.net data, Iberia has a narrowbody fleet of 17 A320neo, 13 A321-200, 11 A320-200 and four A319s aircraft.
Delivery Delays Affect Schedule
Due to delivery delays and supply chain issues, the airlines that have ordered Airbus A321XLR will be forced to adjust their network frequently. So if you are planning to fly on these aircraft, make sure to read the news of delivery and then book your tickets accordingly.
Airbus A321XLR got its EASA-type certification on July 19, 2024, and was scheduled to begin delivery by the end of the Summer season. Here we are at the end of Summer and the beginning of Winter 2024-25 season, ready to witness historical delivery on Oct 30, 2024.
It’s not at all easy to carry out Entry-into-service (EIS), Airbus customer service and development teams have to go through a lot over four years.
But finally, it’s done. So Airbus has received over 550 orders for A321XLRs from various airlines across the world. With India’s largest low-cost carrier, IndiGo (6E) leads the order book with 69 planes.
So far, aviation analysts and passengers have shown a mix of opinions. One group says that this will unlock new long routes ever served by narrowbody aircraft, while others argue the viability for passengers on less comfortable seats for 8-hour journeys.
The A321XLR extends the A320neo platform capabilities, achieving a 4,700 nautical mile range, surpassing the A321LR by 15%. Fuel efficiency improves by 30% per seat compared to predecessor models while reducing NOx emissions and noise levels.
Overall we will better know the aircraft once it regularly operates flights and we experience it ourselves.
Featured Image by Tobi (@Tobias_Gudat) / X
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