Airbus, whose civil aviation base is at Blagnac, Toulouse, France, has chosen its ‘home’ airshow, the 53rd Paris Air Show, to launch its longest-range single-aisle airliner yet, the A321XLR. This is a long-range version of the already successful A321neo. “We can fly from north-eastern Asia into south Asia, from the Middle East to Bali or from Japan deep into Australia, and so on,” said Airbus chief salesman Christian Scherer. “It is therefore the lowest-risk investment for airlines on these kinds of routes.”
Air Lease Corp is the first customer for the new jet, having ordered 27 of the jets as part of a 100-plane deal with Airbus. According to Reuters, Airbus could announce close to 200 orders for the new model at the airshow, with JetBlue Airways Corp and U.S.-based private equity firm Indigo Partners among the buyers.
The A321XLR will have a range of up to 4,700 nautical miles, which is approximately 15 percent more than the A321LR, and it will now enter the market sector previously tied up by wide-body jets. As a more fuel-efficient aircraft, its arrival comes at a time where carriers are looking to maximize flexibility of single-aisle passenger jets.
