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Airbus A321XLR
Spanish carrier Iberia will be the launch operator of the Airbus A321XLR aircraft, with Boston and Washington expected to be the first destinations served by the long-range narrowbody.
Parent company International Airlines Group (IAG) confirmed earlier in May that Iberia, rather than sister carrier Aer Lingus, would receive the group’s first XLR once deliveries start “by the end of the summer.”
IAG placed a firm order for 14 of the aircraft type at the Paris Air Show in 2019, with eight designated for Iberia and six for Aer Lingus. It was initially expected that Aer Lingus would be the launch operator, but IAG decided to switch to Iberia after a pilot pay dispute at Aer Lingus was not resolved in time.
Iberia’s A321XLRs will feature 182 seats in a two-cabin configuration, including 14 in its business cabin with “full flat” seats that convert into beds and offer direct aisle access.
“The first A321XLR is scheduled to join Iberia’s fleet after the summer, when, along with the seven additional aircraft of this model that Iberia will receive in the following months, it will allow the airline to continue to expand its network of long-haul destinations, as well as to increase capacity in the cities it currently flies to,” a statement from Iberia says. “One of the great innovations offered by the A321XLR is its ability, as a single-aisle aircraft, to make long-haul flights, while also providing a premium service at the same level as that enjoyed in widebody models like the A330s and A350s in Iberia’s fleet.”
Iberia currently flies daily from Madrid Adolfo Suárez Madrid–Barajas Airport to Boston Logan International Airport, as well as to Washington Dulles International Airport four times per week. Both routes are operated using A330s.
Boston and Washington are two of eight cities in North America served by the airline from Madrid, alongside Chicago, Dallas-Fort Worth, Los Angeles, Miami, New York John F. Kennedy and San Francisco. By peak-summer, the Oneworld alliance member intends to offer around 38,300 two-way weekly seats on routes between Madrid and the U.S., OAG Schedules Analyser data shows, up by about 4.2% year-on-year.
With a range of about 4,700 nm (5,408 mi.), the XLR could enable Iberia to serve cities such as Atlanta, Charleston, Houston, Orlando and Philadelphia. O&D traffic figures provided by Sabre Market Intelligence reveal that Orlando and Houston were the largest unserved markets from Madrid during 2023.
Dublin To Vegas
Details of Iberia’s XLR plans came as Aer Lingus announced the expansion of its U.S. network from the winter 2024-25 season. Starting Oct. 25, the Irish airline will commence a route from Dublin Airport to Las Vegas, operating three times per week through April 29, 2025. The carrier will deploy A330-300s on the sector.
“In 2023, our city welcomed more than 52,000 visitors from Ireland, and this direct, nonstop service from Dublin will undoubtedly be motivation for Irish travelers and visitors throughout the UK and Europe to discover everything Las Vegas has to offer,” says Steve Hill, president and CEO of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority.
Aer Lingus serves 15 points in North America from Dublin at the present time, including a new route to Denver that launched on May 17.
