First Of Six For Airline To Expand Routes

Aer Lingus, the national air carrier of Ireland, took delivery of the first of its six Airbus A321XLR aircraft. They become the second airline in the world to operate the A321XLR and the second in the International Airlines Group (IAG).

The aircraft was flown from the final assembly plant in Hamburg, Germany, to the airline’s home base at the Dublin Airport (IATA: DUB, ICAO: EIDW) on December 18.

The Aer Lingus aircraft are configured with 184 seats in a two-class layout with 168 Economy and 16 Business Class seats. Aer Lingus plans to use the aircraft for new routes that go beyond the East Coast of the U.S. to interior destinations such as Indianapolis and Nashville.

The A321XLR are the first aircraft in the Aer Lingus fleet that offer the Airbus Airspace Cabin, which offers improved comfort for crew and passengers alike. Its larger bins have 60 percent more storage space than previous generation aircraft, and all passengers will enjoy in-seat connectivity.

The A321XLR is the latest in the A320neo family and was developed to respond to market needs for longer range and more payload. Its Xtra Long Range enables trips of up to 4,700 nm or about 15 percent farther than the A321LR. Its CFM LEAP-1A engines made by Safran yield about 30 percent lower fuel burn per seat compared to the previous generation of competitor aircraft, according to Airbus.

Airbus says it has received more than 500 orders for the aircraft to date.

FMI:  www.airbus.com/