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Boeing’s quality control issues following the Alaska Airlines door plug explosion have forced the company to scale back production of the 737 Max jet and reduce delivery targets.
The company will not be taking any passenger planes to the Farnborough Airshow this year, one of the aviation industry’s largest and most well-attended events, as it focuses on cleaning up the latest Max fiasco.
With no commercial announcements from Boeing, which typically shows off its 777X and MAX test aircraft, attention will be focused on European rival Airbus, particularly its soon-to-be-certified new single-aisle jet, the Airbus A321XLR.
Airbus has won orders for more than 550 of the coveted “Extra Long Range” model from customers including American Airlines, Frontier Airlines, JetBlue Airways, United Airlines, Spain’s Iberia, India’s IndiGo, Qantas, Malaysian low-cost carrier AirAsia X, Chilean low-cost carrier Sky Airlines and Czech Airlines.
The XLR planes have the longest range in the A321neo family and have outsold Boeing’s 737s since the Max version of the plane was grounded in 2019 after two fatal crashes.
Airbus says the XLR is uniquely equipped for long-haul flights, with an extra fuel tank in the rear center that will enable a narrowbody jet to fly nonstop for up to 5,400 miles (11 hours).
Airbus says the plane will burn 30 percent less fuel than previous-generation competitors and offer travel costs at half the cost of twin-aisle aircraft.
The XLR’s increased range and economics make it a versatile option for airlines looking to capitalize on the lucrative, niche long-haul market without needing the cost or capacity of wide-body aircraft.
Historically, the Boeing 757 was the primary narrowbody choice for transatlantic flights, but airlines such as JetBlue Airways and Air Canada have since switched to the more efficient A321neoLR and Max, respectively, between the East Coast and Europe.
Airlines like JetBlue are capitalizing on the trend to fly narrow-body planes across the Atlantic.
Taylor Raines/Business Insider
The XLR design builds on this growing trend for long-haul routes and is expected to open up new connections between cities where connecting flights are required or flying doesn’t make economic sense.
Fortunately, airlines and customers won’t have to wait much longer.
In May, Airbus XLR said it was in the final stages of certification, noting that extensive paperwork had dragged the process beyond the originally anticipated June timeline.
Still, unlike Boeing’s Max 7 and Max 10, whose certification remains in limbo, Airbus expects the XLR to enter service as soon as November.
Airbus’ new XLR jet will open up new options for previously difficult routes
Spain’s national airline Iberia The airline is XLR’s launch customer and will begin selling tickets for its first passenger flight from Madrid to Boston on November 14, according to its website.
The Washington Dulles service will begin on January 15. The XLR will replace the Airbus 330 wide-body aircraft that Iberia currently operates to Boston, and the Dulles route will be a new service.
Iberia says its new XLR aircraft will have 182 seats in economy and business class, carry The maximum number of students in both classes is 220.
The premium seats feature fully flat beds that are commonly found on long-haul widebody aircraft and are likely to be standard on the long-haul XLRs.
For example, JetBlue plans to introduce Mint Business Class, and American Airlines plans to introduce XLR in its new Flagship Suites.
The new Flagship Suites on American Airlines’ A321XLRs come complete with sliding doors.
American Airlines
in marchJason Reisinger, American Airlines’ managing director of global network planning, said the XLR is favorable because it will allow the airline to serve “routes that can’t support the 787 but still have great in-flight amenities.”
He proposed a route such as a direct flight from Raleigh, North Carolina, to London, meaning passengers wouldn’t have to stop at the airline’s Charlotte or New York hubs along the way.
Meanwhile, United Airlines Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Andrew Nocera said in announcing the order in 2019 that the XLR would be a good replacement for “the older, less efficient aircraft we currently operate between the most important cities in our intercontinental network.”
Indigo and Frontier’s XLR orders suggest the plane will fit into both mainline and budget models.
IndiGo’s former CCO Willy Boult said in the summer of 2021 that XLR would fill a gap in air routes between Indian cities and Europe and Asia, citing options such as Beijing, Seoul and Amsterdam.
Frontier CEO Barry Biffle has suggested that the XLR might enable Frontier to move away from primarily domestic routes, serve more cities in South America and launch new service to Hawaii and Europe.
Airbus said the XLR could also be used on already popular routes that could benefit from a lower-capacity option.
“Even well-known city-to-city routes like London-Miami and Sydney-Kuala Lumpur will benefit from the year-round sweet spots that the XLR offers airlines,” said Airbus marketing expert Ludek Jund. Said September 2023.