Airbus is confident that it will be able to accumulate over 1,000 orders for the A321XLR, the long-range variant of its single aisle jet. The statement was made by the company’s Head of Marketing, Francois Caudron, during the Singapore Airshow. Launched during last year’s Paris Air Show, the A321XLR has already accumulated over 450 orders, part of them from existing order conversions.
The Airbus executive, by the way, believes that the 1,000 orders mark will be obtained in the same way, a mixture of new aircraft agreements and updates already present in the company’s backlog.
“I wouldn’t be surprised to see more than 1,000 A321XLRs that are sold…I would say safely in the next 10 years,” Caudron said to journalists in Singapore.
New assembly line
The A321XLR was a variant expected by the market since Airbus successfully launched the A321LR, which expanded its range with the addition of new fuel tanks. With minor changes, the planemaker raised its maximum takeoff weight and extended its range to 4,700 nm or 8,700 km.
With this performance, the jet is capable of flying on intercontinental routes with up to 220 passengers in two classes. The acceptance of the model was immediate, which made Airbus decide to occupy the space left by the A380 in Toulouse with a new assembly line for the A321XLR.
However, the successful aircraft will not become a reality for its customers until 2023.
