Airbus has confirmed that the entry-into-service date for the A321XLR has been pushed back even further to Q3 2024.
The aircraft has already been delayed from its initially targeted entry date of 2023, which changed to early 2024 after concerns by EASA surrounding the safety requirements of its rear fuel tank came to light.
This further delay was due to certification process issues, which its CEO Guillaume Faury said “took a bit longer than expected”.
Airbus is currently in the final phase of completing the certification for the A321XLR and ensuring it is ready for delivery by Q3. Despite the potential for a 200 nautical mile (nm) reduction in range caused by the design adjustments surrounding this rear fuel tank, Faury suggested that these issues had now been resolved.
“We are satisfied with the production of the programme,” he said, adding that its range met “expectations of what we had when we launched the programme.”
Single-aisle evolution
Part of the A320 family, the A321XLR is the next new variant in the single-aisle market. Meeting market requirements for increased range and payload, the A321XLR will deliver a range of up to 4,700 nm with 30% lower fuel consumption than previous next-generation aircraft.
There is still a mass of confidence and keen anticipation for this programme. Airbus confirmed it had received 550 XLR aircraft orders, amongst a total of 6,100 orders for A321neos. Notable low-fare carrier orders for this new aircraft include 10 from Saudi Arabian carrier flynas and 30 orders from Air Asia X.
The OEM also confirmed that the first customer-destined A321XLR entered the Final Assembly Line in December.
Image credit: Airbus
