Nonstop Paris-New York Flight Demonstrates The Jetliner’s Capabilities, Including On Busy North Atlantic Routes

An A321LR on Tuesday completed a Paris to New York nonstop flight, which Airbus says demonstrates this jetliner variant’s ability to serve new markets and operate on heavily-travelled North Atlantic routes.

The flight, which was completed in 8 hours and 44 minutes according to Airbus, was flown by the A321LR test aircraft with the registration D-AVZO. It was flown by the same crew that took the airplane on its first flight on January 31. The plane carried simulated passenger loads and testing equipment evaluate the airplane's capabilities on routes between Europe and North America.

Airbus says the airplane has a nonstop range of nearly 4,000 nautical miles. Tuesdays test flight was between Le Bourget Airport near the French capital to the New York region’s John F. Kennedy International Airport.

The LR designation is for ‘long range’. According to Airbus, the A321LR has the longest range of any single-aisle commercial aircraft today, able to fly nearly 4,000 nautical miles nonstop.

The A321LR is the latest variant of Airbus’ twin-engine A321neo. The planemaker expects the A321LR be a replacement for the large number of aging narrowbody and widebody aircraft facing retirement in the coming years.

Tuesday’s transcontinental flight, with the aircraft powered by two CFM International LEAP-1A engines, is part of nearly 100 hours of flight tests in advance of the jetliner’s airworthiness certification, expected in the second quarter of 2018.

(Image provided with Airbus news release)

FMI: www.airbus.com