Iberia makes history with first Airbus A321XLR passenger flight

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Don’t be fooled by the modest nature of the A321XLR’s Madrid-to-Paris debut: this plane can fly seriously far with incredible efficiency. Get ready to shake up route networks worldwide.

Gordon Smith

An apparently routine flight between Madrid and Paris made aviation history on Wednesday morning. Just after 8:15 a.m. local time, Iberia became the first airline in the world to fly Airbus’ latest passenger aircraft.

The A321XLR (that’s Xtra-Long Range) is the company’s flagship single-aisle aircraft. It builds on the hugely successful A320 programme, which is already the cornerstone of the fleets of airlines such as JetBlue, AirAsia and easyJet.

The first XLR was in the air for just over 90 minutes on Wednesday, landing in the French capital just before 10am. The aircraft will shuttle between the two cities for a series of short-haul flights in the coming days. These quickly expand the pool of pilots and cabin crew who have worked on the new aircraft and help identify any final issues.

Where will the XLR fly next?

With an improved range of 4,700 nautical miles, the XLR is seriously overqualified for a 574nm jump between Madrid and Paris. After the European shuttle period is over, Iberia will take the plane transatlantic to the United States. Boston will be the first long-haul route later in November, followed by Washington DC as more XLRs join the Iberia fleet.

The impressive range isn’t the only big selling point drawing airlines to the new plane. The XLR has similar unit costs as traditional twin-aisle long-range jets. This allows for more profitable network expansion on routes that cannot support larger aircraft.

Some future operators, such as United Airlines and Icelandairlooking to the XLR to replace aging Boeing 757s, which are more expensive to operate and have poorer environmental performance.

How does the XLR like to fly?

Each airline will tailor the aircraft to individual specifications, with many low-cost airlines opting for a compact, all-economy layout. Iberia, for its part, remains true to its old business model and has configured the XLR with two different cabins.

There are a total of 182 seats on board, including 14 business class ‘mini suites’ with reclining beds. These are no different to those on more conventional long-haul widebody aircraft and offer direct aisle access and 18-inch 4K entertainment screens. New generation lighting has been installed in the aircraft to make the cabin feel more spacious.

The XLR can serve routes of up to nine hours, so improvements have also been made to the economy cabin.

The economy seats are an evolution of those found on much larger jets and feature a four-inch recline and leather headrests. Each seat has in-seat connectivity, with customers having the option to connect headphones and other devices via Bluetooth. USB A and C charging is available and free Wi-Fi messaging is available to all customers, in line with Iberia’s existing long-haul fleet.

A map of the Iberia A321XLR is available for viewing here.

Who else gets the XLR?

Wednesday’s quiet launch was carried out by the first of eight XLRs bound for Iberia. The airline confirmed to Skift that it plans to increase frequencies to existing destinations and expand its network by air to new locations. North American destinations will be the focus for aircraft.

Iberia is the first but certainly not the last to welcome the XLR. Aer Lingus – part of the same parent company as Iberia – will also receive the aircraft soon. The Irish national carrier is said to be the launch customer for the aircraft. However, a high-stakes labor dispute with pilots resulted in a late transfer.

The latest sales data from Airbus shows that there are more than 500 confirmed orders for the XLR. Big names committed to the project include US airlines, Qantasand JetBlue. Earlier this year, Pieter Elbers, CEO of IndiGo Airlines, said told Skift about his grand plans to connect India and Europe with the new aircraft.

Boeing scrapped plans to build a direct competitor to the A321XLR in 2020, leaving the company almost entirely dependent on its troubled 737 Max program.

Watch JetBlue CEO Joanna Geraghty discuss the A321XLR at the Skift Global Forum 2024: