Airbus sees its new long-range A321LR and extra-long-range A321XLR narrowbodies as complementary to the airframer’s A330neo and A350 widebodies and is not concerned the popularity of the former will lead to any meaningful shrink in demand for the latter. Rather, the longhaul single-aisle twinjets can be used to accommodate routes with less demand, to test markets, or indeed to open up new city pairs.

“We really see the LR, the A321 long range, and the A321XLR complementing the current widebodied aircraft,” Airbus’ marketing manager for single-aisle family aircraft, Nathalie Casanova told Runway Girl Network during a 3 December sit-down interview at Keflavík Airport (KEF) where Icelandair celebrated the arrival of its first Airbus aircraft, an A321LR which will be initially pressed into service to Stockholm. Together with the carrier’s forthcoming A321XLRs, the LRs will gradually replace Icelandair’s Boeing 757s.

“They cannot take over the full widebody market,” Casanova noted about the A321LR/XLRs, “first of all because they don’t have the full range capability as much as a widebody A330neo or an A350 can do.”

However, they’ll be just perfect for airlines who need to open/test new markets, new longhaul routes within the range capability of those aircraft, or if they need to complement/adapt the size of the aircraft module according to the demand.

Capable of flying up to 4,000 nautical miles, and with far lower trip costs than its widebody peers, the A321LR, said Casanova, is “the perfect aircraft to fly transatlantic, for instance, and it’s really enabling airlines to fly longhaul, but while reducing their cash operating costs and with less exposure to risk.”

The A321XLR features a third fuel tank and boasts a range of up to 4,700 nautical miles, though launch operator Iberia is not yet using the aircraft’s full range. The type is serving Boston and Washington D.C. before Iberia incorporates it into longer-haul destinations in its network.

Your author admits to being personally keen on the prospect that an operator will see fit to launch nonstop service from the US East Coast to Hamburg using a long-range Airbus narrowbody. (I was a fan of United Airlines’ seasonal Boeing 767 service between Newark and Hamburg before it was shuttered in 2018.) Apparently, I’m not alone in my wish, as Hamburg Airport leadership have expressed an interest in seeing the A321XLR link Hamburg with New York.

“I know that the Hamburg Chamber of Commerce is really also pushing to have more international connections and the XLR is part of the discussion,” noted Airbus media relations manager Daniel Werdung in KEF.

A resident of Toulouse, Casanova admitted she would personally be “more than happy to see a Toulouse-New York” nonstop. “That would be very nice.”

Elsewhere in the world, the A321XLR makes a lot of sense in Asia-Pacific, she noted. “We see Qantas, Jetstar operating the A321 long range from Australia to the Philippines. So yes, there is a huge potential for the aircraft around Asia.”

She is also confident there will be opportunities for the XLR in Africa. “We are working on it.”

Related Articles:

• Icelandair A321LR features several first including Astrova IFE debut
• What to expect in Iberia economy on the world’s first A321XLR
• Hands on with Iberia’s A321XLR business class seat
• Qantas takes consistent approach to PaxEx with A321XLR reveal
• American Airlines reveals preview of A321XLR

Featured image of Icelandair A321XLR at KEF credited to Mary Kirby