Iberia has become the launch airline for the Airbus A321XLR aircrafton 30 October in Hamburg. The aircraft, equipped with 182 seats, including 14 couchette seats in business classwill enable the airline to serve several destinations on the American continent.
The new very long-haul version has a 15% greater range than the A321LR, a distance of 8,700 km. Its fuel consumption per seat has also been reduced by 30%. However, the programme for this new single-aisle Airbus has been delayed. The first aircraft were due to enter the market in 2023.
TheIberia will be making its European debut, notably at London Heathrow and Paris-CDG. The inaugural service took place in Paris on 6 November. The Spanish airline is planning further flights between Madrid and the French capital. Iberia then planned to integrate its new aircraft on Madrid-Boston at the end of November. The airport will be the first in the Americas to welcome Iberia's new aircraft.
The Spanish airline plans to offer other flights to secondary destinations on both sides of the Atlantic. For Marco Sansavini, CEO of IberiaThe A321XLR will enable us to reach new destinations, to operate transoceanic routes and to do so more efficiently".
The A321XLR is expected to launch new point-to-point services linking secondary cities on both sides of the Atlantic.
