Heathrow’s dominance in global travel is under threat from the game-changing Airbus A321 XLR aircraft. The XLR has a longer range than its competitors and can carry 182 passengers, enabling smaller airports to offer long-haul flights. Industry watchers predict non-stop services between Europe and the US West Coast will be popular with travelers.
Key Features
The Airbus A321 XLR
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The aircraft has a huge fuel tank that can hold almost 3,000 gallons of kerosene, adding an extra hour and a half or 700 nautical miles to its range.
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The XLR can carry 244 people, but Iberia has restricted it to 182 passengers to accommodate a business-class cabin with 14 fully flat bed seats.
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The XLR’s narrow body and improved fuel-storage capacity enable smaller airports to offer long-haul flights.
Impact on Airlines and Travelers
Regional carriers are pioneering new routes
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Regional carriers are pioneering new routes to far-flung destinations and cutting out aviation hubs.
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Low-cost airlines such as Wizz Air have ordered 47 XLRs and plan to launch operations with seven-hour flights from Gatwick to Jeddah in Saudi Arabia.
Industry Predictions
Non-stop services between Europe and the US West Coast
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Industry watchers predict that non-stop services from Manchester or Edinburgh to Seattle and Portland on the US West Coast would be popular with travelers, shaving hours off today’s indirect routes.
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The XLR has won more than 500 orders from airlines, including American Airlines, Qantas, and Indigo of India.
Quotes
Experts’ opinions
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“The XLR will take people much further inland, to the Midwest for example.” – Christopher Jasper
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“With the new fuel tank we’ve been able to add range but not add costs. It’s much smaller than a wide-body but so is the cost of operating it. So you end up with a plane that only needs 100-plus passengers to break even.” – Antonio Da Costa, head of marketing on Airbus’s single-aisle programme
Orders from Airlines
Airlines’ plans for the XLR
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American Airlines is expected to deploy the XLR on transatlantic flights.
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Australia’s Qantas could use it to connect cities such as Brisbane and Perth to Hong Kong.
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Indigo of India is looking at services to East Asia and Europe.
Comparison with Boeing 737 Max 10
The XLR’s longer range
- The XLR has a longer range than the Boeing 737 Max 10, which falls short by almost 1,000 nautical miles in comparison.
