I did a comprehensive look at long-haul, narrowbody flying recently, and now it’s time to think more about the future. On Thursday, Iberia became the first to put the A321XLR into service from Madrid to Boston, and there are hundreds of orders lined up across many different airlines.
This week on The Air Show, we tackled the question of whether the XLR will be a true game-changer or if it will just replace the 757s that ply the skies today.
Brian Sumers, Jon Ostrower, and I didn’t completely agree on this, so we’ll just have to gather again in five years and see what really happens.
Your thoughts, however, are welcome now… down in the comments.
2 comments on “The A321XLR – Revolution or Replacement?”
The A321XLR is essentially THE replacement for the 757s later stage usage. The routes that the 757 and now the XLR will fly mostly don’t work well with a wide body outside of peak periods, if at all, and would otherwise not be viable. Could the XLR also be used on higher volume routes to add frequency? Sure. And it likely will for some airlines, but the plane is hardly a game changer. It will ensure the routes that can only be served with a 757 are maintained, restored, or expanded.
It is mind blowing that Boeing couldn’t come up with a 757 replacement and ceded the sector to Airbus, instead opting to focus on the 737, which at this point is a 60+ year old design and in its latest versions, a piece of jiunk.