Airbus rolls out its new A321XLR aircraft

Airbus has rolled out its new A321XLR aircraft, the latest edition of its A320neo family, out of the paint shop, marking a significant milestone in the Airbus A321XLR program.

The Airbus A321XLR is a variant of the A321LR, modified for an even longer range. According to Airbus, the new aircraft will be able to cover 4,700 nautical miles (over 8,700 kilometers), versus 4,000 nautical miles (7,400 kilometers) for the A321LR. The aircraft is configured to accommodate a maximum of 244 passengers.

The airplane was launched in 2019, and has accumulated more than 450 orders in the first year alone. When completed, it is poised to become the longest-range narrow-body aircraft and will provide airlines with the capability to use it on intercontinental journeys. So far this has only been reserved for wide-body airliners.

Airbus aims to conduct the XLR’s maiden flight in 2022 and begin mass production of the aircraft in 2023.

In May 2021, Airbus started structural assembly of its first Airbus A321XLR. In December 2021, Airbus completed airframe assembly. The final assembly was conducted at the company’s final assembly facility in Hamburg.