An Airbus A321XLR Neo passenger aircraft performs a flight display at the Paris Air Show on Monday, June 19, 2023, at Le Bourget in Paris, France.
Nathan Lane | Bloomberg | Getty Images
Airbus announced on Wednesday that it has taken delivery of the A321XLR, its first ultra-long range narrowbody aircraft. This marks another step in the era of smaller, more fuel-efficient jets flying longer distances, further widening the delivery gap between Airbus and Airbus. rival boeing.
The first aircraft was delivered to Spain’s Iberia and is scheduled to debut between Madrid and Boston next month. american airlines and united airlines I also ordered a 321XLR.
According to Airbus, the XLR can fly non-stop for up to 11 hours, or 4,700 nautical miles, about 15% farther than the A321LR (a long-range version of the 321 used for transatlantic missions). That’s what it means. jet blueservice between New York and Amsterdam.
The plane maker has been working on getting the aircraft certified for five years. According to the manufacturer, it consumes about 30% less fuel than older aircraft.
The European company has more than 500 A321XLRs on order. It’s a small portion of its backlog of about 8,600 planes as of the end of June, but the company is debuting new planes at a time when rival Boeing Co. is struggling.
Following two fatal 737 Max accidents. boeing It has put on the back burner plans for an entirely new aircraft that could sit between the 737 and wide-body jetliners and potentially replace the aging 757, which currently sits between the two.
The company is currently planning to slim down, cut staff and potentially eliminate businesses it considers non-core to save cash and improve quality.
“Boeing is an airplane company, and the rigshWe need to develop new airplanes in the future, but we have a lot of work to do before then,” new CEO Kelly Ortberg said during an earnings call last week.
