Airbus’s A321XLR long-range passenger plane makes its maiden flight

Airbus ‘s A321XLR (eXtra Long Range) aircraft has successfully made its maiden flight. During the test flight, which lasted more than four hours, the aircraft’s main systems, including flight controls, engines and flight envelope guards, were tested at both high and low speeds.

Nearly 500 orders received for the Airbus A321XLR

Taking off from Hamburg-Finkenwerder Airport with test pilots Thierry Diez and GabrielDiaz de Villegas Giron, the A321XLR made its first flight with a total of 5 people together with its test engineers. The aircraft, which successfully passed the tests, remained in the air for a total of 4 hours and 35 minutes.

The A321XLR , the newest member of the A320 narrow-body single-aisle aircraft family and based on the A321neo , will offer 30% lower fuel consumption per seat compared to the previous generation aircraft. The aircraft, which will be able to carry out flights lasting up to 11 hours at a range of up to 8,700 km, will be able to carry between 180 and 220 passengers .

Philippe Mhun of Airbus: “This is an important milestone for the A320 Family and its customers worldwide. The airlines entering service with the A321XLR will be able to offer long-haul comfort on single-aisle aircraft thanks to its unique Airspace cabin. The A321XLR will open new routes with unrivaled economy and environmental performance . ” said.

Having already received around 500 orders for the A321XLR, Airbus plans to enter service in early 2024. However, the company’s biggest rival in the industry, Boeing , has not yet made a statement that they aim to develop an aircraft to compete with the Airbus A321XLR .