Iberia has taken delivery of its first extra-long-range A321XLR, becoming the launch operator of the world’s newest single-aisle aircraft. The Spanish flag carrier will operate the new twinjet on several regional flights across its European network — starting with Madrid-Paris on 6 November — before pressing it into service on its first transatlantic mission from Madrid to Boston.
Capable of flying up to 11 hours, the A321XLR’s debut at Iberia is hotly anticipated by aviation enthusiasts, who are lining up to get onboard the first flight.
Boasting Airbus’ Airspace cabin with the signature extra-large, flip-up XL Bin and ‘Hero’ lighting, Iberia’s dual-class, 182-seat A321XLR features lie-flat seats in a 1-1 configuration up front.
When airlines like Iberia adopt two-abreast layouts with direct-aisle-access business class seats on the A321XLR, “it feels like a private jet,” Airbus vice president cabin marketing Ingo Wuggetzer told journalists this week at the APEX Global EXPO in Long Beach.
He said airlines are also customizing the Hero light to fit their brands, but that Airbus defers to its customers, including Iberia, to reveal details when ready.
Eager to bring some commonality to the rest of its A320 family of aircraft, Iberia will begin updating its narrowbodies with Airbus’ ‘light-refit‘ Airspace L Bin retrofit solution — manufactured by EFW (Elbe Flugzeugwerke GmbH) — starting in the first quarter of 2025, Wuggetzer revealed at the show. As previously reported, Lufthansa will also retrofit the L Bin to 38 Airbus narrowbodies starting in January. The retrofit takes three to five days.
Airbus’ linefit XL Bin adds an extra 60% luggage capacity compared to the previous generation pivot bins, whilst the retrofit L bins (meaning Larger) are ever so slightly smaller than XL but nonetheless represent a huge improvement.
To date, Airbus has secured 50 airline customers for A320neo family aircraft with the Airspace cabin, Wuggetzer said.
Notably, with the delivery of this first A321XLR to Iberia, the Airbus Airspace cabin has become standard on the single-aisle fleet, the Airbus executive confirmed to Runway Girl Network. “From the first delivery onwards this will be standard for single-aisle.”
The XL Bin, specifically, is not yet standard, however, an Airbus spokesperson told RGN.
Airspace is now standard on Airbus single-aisle aircraft.
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Featured image credited to Airbus
