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Dozens of global carriers have secured more than 550 orders for Airbus' newest narrowbody plane, the Airbus A321XLR, since its 2019 launch.
The jet is poised to be a long-haul workhorse, connecting lower-demand markets that would be otherwise inefficient with a widebody. Thanks to its extra fuel tank, the A321XLR can fly up to 5,400 miles (11 hours) nonstop. That compares to the 4,600-mile range of its Airbus A321LR predecessor.
United has purchased 50 of the A321XLR jets to replace its aging Boeing 757 planes. According to the airline, it has 61 Boeing 757 planes, with an average age of about 24 years.
United's SVP of global network planning and alliances, Patrick Quayle, told Business Insider on Wednesday its A321XLR will take over virtually all of the 757's existing routes and open new ones. Its first A321XLR is expected to be delivered in December 2025.
"We use the 757 to fly to smaller markets like Tenerife, Spain, and Reykjavik," he said, adding a Boeing 767 or a Boeing 787 wouldn't make sense on these thinner-demand routes. "The 757 is getting a bit uneconomic, but we want to continue flying to these cities, and the A321XLR is longer-ranged and has much better fuel burn and maintenance costs."
A company spokesperson told BI the A321XLR's network will be largely international flying. She said the only domestic route for which United consistently flies the 757 is Denver to Lihue, Hawaii, and, although subject to change, the company does not expect to swap that with the XLR. She added that the Newark, New Jersey, to Lima service is still being decided.
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This means customers can expect the A321XLR to fly existing 757 routes to places like Faro and Porto in Portugal Malaga, Spain, Edinburgh, Scotland, and Shannon, Ireland.
Quayle said United also plans to fly to places previously unreachable with a narrowbody jet, like France, Northern Italy, Scandinavia, West Africa, and North Africa.
"You can't really get further than Spain with a 757," Quayle said. "The A321XLR can fly much further and will open new stations that either don't have service from an airline today, or they don't have United Airlines service."
The A321XLR has secured certification from European safety authorities but is still awaiting certification from the Federal Aviation Administration, though Airbus said in July that it's "approaching the finish line."
Spanish flag carrier Iberia is the launch customer and is expected to receive the first A321XLR in November. This launch flight is scheduled to fly from Madrid to Boston.
The new jet burns 30% less fuel than previous-generation narrowbodies and can hold up to 220 passengers in two classes, making it a perfect jet for airlines beyond United looking to serve more niche long-haul markets.
In March, American Airlines' managing director of global network planning, Jason Reisinger, said the XLR was favorable because it can serve "routes that cannot support a 787 but where we still have a nice onboard product."
He suggested routes such as Raleigh, North Carolina, direct to London — negating a layover in the carrier's Charlotte or New York hubs along the way. American has 50 XLRs on order.
American Airlines
Orders from budget carriers IndiGo and Frontier Airlines are examples of the versatile plane's ability to fit into both low-cost and mainline operations.
IndiGo's former CCO Willy Boulte said in 2021 that the XLR could fill the gaps in flying between Indian cities and destinations in Europe and Asia, pointing to options such as Beijing, Seoul, and Amsterdam.
Frontier CEO Barry Biffle has suggested the XLR could allow the ultra-low-cost giant to ditch its largely domestic presence to serve more cities in South America and launch new routes to Hawaii and Europe.
