Airbus Updates No.4445

 

Qanot Sharq to lease five long-range A321neo

Qanot Sharq (HH, Tashkent International) has signed a dry-lease contract for five extended-range A321-200neo, including two A321-200NX(LR)s and three A321-200NY(XLR)s, from Air Lease Corporation.

The aircraft are scheduled for delivery in 2026 and 2027, and will come from the lessor's existing orderbook with Airbus. The lessor has unfilled orders for twenty-two A321-200NX(LR)s and thirty A321-200NY(XLR)s.

Qanot Sharq, Uzbekistan's second-largest airline, currently operates two A320-200s, two A321-200NX, and two A330-200s. All six aircraft are dry-leased from Air Lease Corporation. The carrier also wet-leases one more A330-200 from Southwind Airlines. The airline did not disclose any specific plans for the newly contracted extended-range A321neo.

Airbus Updates No.4350

 

United Airlines to add first A321neo(XLR) in late 4Q25

United Airlines (UA, Chicago O'Hare) is set to receive its first A321-200NY(XLR) in December 2025 and will use these new-gen Airbus narrowbodies to replace its ageing Boeing B757 fleet.

In an interview with Business Insider, United’s senior vice president for global network planning and alliances, Patrick Quayle, said the B757 is becoming uneconomical to use for the cities and smaller markets it serves, such as Tenerife Sur and Reykjavik Keflavik. "But we want to continue flying to these cities, and the A321neo(XLR) is long-ranged and has much better fuel burn and maintenance costs.”

The Chicago-based carrier has an order for fifty A321neo(XLR)s. They will mainly be used on flights to international destinations. United currently operates its B757-200s and B757-300s to international destinations such as Dublin International, Edinburgh, Shannon, Lima International, Lisbon, Malaga, Porto, Tenerife, and Reykjavik, the ch-aviation schedules module shows. They are also used broadly in domestic operations across the United States.

However, Quayle said the carrier is also looking at new destinations, previously unreachable with narrowbody gauge aircraft, such as France, Italy, Scandinavia, and parts of Africa. “The A321neo(XLR) can fly much further [than the 757] and will open up new stations that either don’t have service from an airline today, or don’t have United Airlines' service.”

ch-aviation has contacted United Airlines for comment. The ch-aviation fleets module shows the carrier has forty B757-200s (averaging 27.6 years of age) and twenty-one B757-300s (22.1 years on average).

Airbus is set to deliver the first XLR to Iberia (IB, Madrid Barajas) later this year. In November, the Spanish carrier will introduce it to commercial service from Madrid Barajas to Boston.

Airbus Updates No.4301

 

Iberia schedules A321neo(XLR) EIS for mid-4Q24

Iberia (IB, Madrid Barajas) has scheduled the entry into service (EIS) of the first A321-200NY(XLR) for November 14, 2024, connecting Madrid Barajas to Boston, ch-aviation research has revealed.

Then, on January 15, 2025, Iberia will deploy the new extra-long-range narrowbody jet into scheduled service to Washington Dulles. The A321neo(XLR) will have a two-class configuration with 14 seats in business and 168 in economy.

Earlier this year, the IAG International Airlines Group dropped Aer Lingus (EI, Dublin International) as the global launch operator of the XLR, after a pilot pay dispute was not resolved in time, exchanging it instead for Iberia in this role. Due to this reason, there are currently two A321neo(XLR)s, msn 11348 and 11504, that could be the first delivered to Iberia.

Msn 11348 was supposed to be the first taken by Aer Lingus, and would have become EI-XLR upon delivery. However, it was recently spotted with the Irish company’s livery on its tail but Iberia’s logo on the engine. Meanwhile, msn 11504 has both its tail and engine with Iberia’s livery.

ch-aviation has asked the IAG for comment on which aircraft will be the first to be delivered to Iberia.

In 2019, IAG ordered fourteen A321neo(XLR)s, six of which were initially destined for Aer Lingus and eight for Iberia. The aircraft type still needs to be certified, with Airbus saying in May that the ongoing certification and flight-test campaign is in its final stages.

Airbus Updates No.4224

 

Airbus delays A321neo(XLR) induction to 3Q24

Airbus (AIB, Toulouse Blagnac) has reportedly warned its customers that aircraft delivery delays will persist through at least early 2025, according to Reuters' sources. Aircraft due in late 2024 and early 2025 could be delivered a few months behind schedule.

While the carrier declined to comment, sources indicated that supply chain issues related to various parts have persisted. During an annual press conference, the manufacturer confirmed that the first A321-200NY(XLR) is now scheduled to enter into service in the third quarter of 2024, as opposed to the second quarter planned previously.

"We are finalising the [certification] documents, coming close to the certification. We need to close all of them, and there are thousands. So far, we have been planning the entry into service in Q2 2024, we have a slight delay, so it's shifting from Q2 to Q3 this year but we're very close to the entry into service and that's something we have also discussed with our customers, and for most of the aircraft, it doesn't change the delivery dates," Chief Executive Guillaume Faury said.

Airbus plans to deliver "a handful" of XLRs this year before ramping up production in 2025.

"We have as many bottlenecks as we have suppliers," he said, stressing that the specific nature of the bottlenecks depended on individual suppliers and their environment. "There is a lot of complexity, not a single bottleneck that is to be resolved. We're trying to find the right sweet spot between the very strong demand we have and the many, many bottlenecks on the supply side."

One of the complex issues is about engines. Although Faury stressed it was not the only one, he underlined that Airbus was "not happy" with the on-wing time of Pratt & Whitney PW1500G engines on the A220, but said that demand was proof that those issues had not dampened customers' appetites.

Airbus has grown its supply chain workforce by 150% over the last two years, Faury explained.

The current bottlenecks affect all aircraft families. While the A320neo Family comprises the majority of Airbus's deliveries and is thus bound to be affected, it is currently ramping up its A220 and A350 assembly rates much more rapidly, which thus creates pressure on these types.

Airbus Updates No.3788

 

India's IndiGo again eyes UK using A321neo(XLR)s

Illustration of IndiGo Airlines Airbus A321-200NXL© Airbus

06.09.2022 - 00:14 UTC

IndiGo Airlines (6E, Delhi Int'l) is mulling broadening its international horizons and operating flights to the UK using the A321-200NY(XLR). The Indian low-cost carrier is due to take the first of the planes in mid-2024. With a range of 4,700 nautical miles (8,700 kilometers), the jet offers IndiGo the chance to significantly expand its international network.

“The XLR is a couple of years down the road. We are working out what is happening with the network. But it is too early to say,” AirInsight reports an IndiGo official saying. Asked about longstanding plans for London Heathrow flights, the official said it was too far out to give a firm answer, adding the airline would need to make a decision about one year out in order to apply for slots there.

IndiGo has a 50% plus domestic market share. However, its international network is now limited to Asia (as far east as Guangzhou, Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, and Singapore Changi), the Gulf region, and as far west as Istanbul New. During a recent earnings call, CEO Rono Dutta also mentioned IATAT!LV, Nairobi Jomo Kenyatta, and even Milan Malpensa as other potential destinations currently on IndiGo's radar.

According to the ch-aviation fleets advanced module, IndiGo has a fleet of 273 aircraft including twenty-eight A320-200s, one hundred and forty-five A320-200Ns, sixty-five A321-200NXs, and thirty-five ATR72-600s. The airline also has a further 518 narrowbody jets on order from Airbus (AIB, Toulouse Blagnac) across the A320neo and A321neo families including sixty-nine A321neo(XLR)s and 252 A321neo.

Meanwhile, as an interim step before potentially launching its own flights to the UK, IndiGo announced a new codeshare agreement with Virgin Atlantic (VS, London Heathrow) last week that will see carrier funnel passengers on and off Virgin Atlantic's multiple daily flights into India (2x daily to Delhi Int'l and daily to Mumbai Int'l). The agreement allows IndiGo to book its passengers through to the UK from multiple origin points in India.

Airbus Updates No.3736

 

airBaltic still eyeing A321neo(XLR)s

Airbus A321-200N XLR© Airbus - Bockfilm / Bengt Lange

05.07.2022 - 04:41 UTC

airBaltic (BT, Riga) chief executive Martin Gauss has reiterated that longer-range Airbus jets, specifically the A321-200NX(XLR), continue to be of interest to the airline at some point in the future as it considers more distant destinations rather than acquire widebody aircraft.

According to the ch-aviation fleets advanced module, airBaltic currently operates a single-type fleet of thirty-six A220-300s, with 14 more on order (and options for 30 more), and is wet-leasing in extra capacity - currently two A319-100s (from Carpatair and Hi Fly Malta) and a B737-400 (from Air Horizont) - to cope with resurgent summer demand while it wet-leases out some of its A220s during the summer 2022 season.

Telling Airways Magazine in an interview that the A220 has been “the right choice for airBaltic’s fleet renewal” because of its fuel efficiency and it being “an overall excellent flying experience” for customers, at the tail-end of the 2021-22 winter season it received its first A220-300 certified to operate up to 149 seats, as opposed to 145 seats previously.

“Going forward, also the existing fleet will be adjusted to use the additional capacity, which will further drive the efficiency of our operations,” he said. “airBaltic plans to unblock the additional seats on its entire fleet by summer 2023.”

The A321neo(XLR), meanwhile, performed its first flight on June 15, but Airbus conceded in a recent financial report that it would enter into service in early 2024, not in 2023, due to delays in certification. According to Airways Magazine, Gauss said that the A321neo(XLR) was an option for the near future, but talking to Flight Global last month he said it “is a very interesting aircraft if we look into the longer-term future.”

The current fleet enables direct flights from Riga to destinations such as Dubai Int'l, but the XLR would boost the Baltics’ lack of long-haul connectivity and “fly even longer though it’s still a little aircraft. That’s the only type to be able to do something in the future that fits our model,” he told Flight Global.

An order would occur after the carrier launches its initial public offering (IPO) in the coming years and pays off its Covid-associated state aid, he added.

Gauss said in June 2019 that airBaltic could potentially use the then-newly-announced XLR version of the A321-200neo to launch transatlantic and other long-haul flights in the future.

Airbus Updates No.3690

 

Airbus defers A321neo(XLR) service entry to 2024

Airbus A321-200N XLR© Airbus - Bockfilm / Bengt Lange

11.05.2022 - 05:21 UTC

Airbus (AIB, Toulouse Blagnac) conceded in its first-quarter financial report that the A321-200NX(XLR) will enter into service in early 2024, not in 2023, due to delays in certification.

A source told Reuters the delay is about fire risk concerns concerning the design of the added central fuel tank. The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) is reportedly considering mandating a relatively substantial redesign of the A321neo's lower fuselage, requiring more durable and heavier materials to address its worries. This could then add between six and 12 months to the certification procedure.

Despite the delays, Airbus insists that the type's maiden flight will take place by the end of June 2022. The manufacturer said it did not expect the redesign to noticeably shorten the type's range, even though Bloomberg had previously reported that this was a possibility.

Airbus's existing A321-200NX(LR) variant has been authorised to fly under the existing A321-200N type certificate as its added fuel tanks are placed in its cargo holds. In contrast, the XLR variant will require an entirely new certificate due to the scope of the redesign and the addition of a new fuel tank in the fuselage.

The European manufacturer said it is on track to increase its A320neo Family production rate from the current 50 per month to 65 per month by mid-2023. By 2025, it intends to increase rate to 75 units per month.

"Airbus will meet the higher production rates by increasing capacity at its existing industrial sites and growing the industrial footprint in Mobile Downtown, US, while investing to ensure that all commercial aircraft assembly sites are A321-capable," the company said.

The ch-aviation fleets advanced module shows that Airbus currently has 5,889 unfilled orders for A320neo Family aircraft, including 495 orders for A321-200NX(XLR)s. The largest customer for the XLR variant is IndiGo Airlines (6E, Delhi Int'l) with 69 on order.

Airbus Updates No.2522

India's IndiGo puts long-haul on hold pending A321neo(XLR)s

Illustration of IndiGo Airlines Airbus A321-200... © Airbus

20.02.2020 - 06:33 UTC

IndiGo Airlines (6E, Delhi Int'l) has abandoned plans to add widebody aircraft and will defer the launch of flights to Europe until it takes its first A321-200neo(XLR) narrowbodies starting in 2023, The Economic Times has reported.

"There is no precedent of low-cost carriers operating international flights on twin-aisle aircraft [or they] have not been successful even if they have. This is primarily because fundamentals for low-cost carriers do not work on a dual-aisle aircraft. Hence, we will be launching flights to Europe and others only on an A321neo(XLR)," an unnamed official at the LCC said.

IndiGo Airlines previously considered adding A330s to launch flights to destinations beyond the range of the A320-200neo and A321neo.

However, despite the change of plan regarding the type of aircraft used for long-haul services, IndiGo Airlines still intends to equip "around twenty" A321neo(XLR)s with a two-class configuration for these services. Currently, all 254 aircraft operated by the carrier are outfitted in a single-class all-economy layout, the ch-aviation fleets advanced module shows.

The official underlined that while the A321neo(XLR) would have the range to operate from India to London and Tokyo, there were other interesting markets which have thus far attracted less attention.

"While everyone seems to be focused on Europe and London, we see a lot of market in Africa, China, and other parts of the world too. We will soon be announcing flights to Moscow," the source said.

IndiGo Airlines will also look at launching long-haul flights from secondary cities in India rather than from major gateways.

The airline is the world's largest customer for the A320neo Family. It already operates ninety-six A320neo and ten A321neo, and has a further 236 A320neo and 388 A321neo (including the extra-long-range variant) on firm order from Airbus.

Airbus Updates No.2389

Air Malta eyes India, US with A321neo(XLR) from 2024

Illustration of Airbus A321-200N XLR © Airbus

12.12.2019 - 11:16 UTC

Air Malta (KM, Malta Int'l) is planning to add two A321-200neo(XLR)s in 2024 to launch long-haul operations to India and possibly the United States, Chairman Charles Mangion told Air Transport World.

The Maltese carrier had previously said it was studying the A321neo(XLR) but did not confirm plans to add such jets.

Mangion explained that the A321neo(XLR) will be operated by subsidiary Malta MedAir (MM, Malta Int'l), which is wholly-owned by Air Malta and currently operates a single A320-200 on behalf of the Maltese flag carrier.

Air Malta did not name its preferred destinations in India. In the United States, the carrier is evaluating flights to New York. Previously, Air Malta has mentioned Toronto Pearson in Canada as a potential destination.

The Maltese airline currently operates seven A320-200s and three A320neo (including the one wet-leased from Malta MedAir). It plans to complete the roll-over from the ceo to the neo by 2023.

Airbus Updates No.2280

India's SpiceJet mulls order for at least 100 Airbus jets

Illustration of SpiceJet Boeing 737-10 © Boeing

02.10.2019 - 01:59 UTC

SpiceJet (SG, Delhi Int'l) is considering placing a “sizeable” order for A321neo(LR) and A321neo(XLR) aircraft, with chairman Ajay Singh telling Bloomberg that “any aircraft order SpiceJet places would at least be 100 aircraft”. Airbus has “made us a commercial offer and we are evaluating it”, he said.

Inducting Airbus aircraft into the fleet for the first time is being considered in part due to the grounding of the B737-8, Singh explained. SpiceJet has so far taken delivery of thirteen of the jets with another 192 on order.

Switching to Airbus will not be “the easiest thing in the world to do, of course – our entire infrastructure is geared for a Boeing fleet – but if this takes too long we may not have too much of a choice,” he said.

Such an Airbus order could exceed USD10 billion based on 2018 prices, Bloomberg speculated.

Besides the MAX aircraft, the LCC has a fleet of fifty-two B737-800s, seven B737-700s, three B737-700(BDSF)s, one B737-900, four B737-900(ER)s, and thirty-two Dash 8-400s.

Boeing has told SpiceJet that it expects US regulators to re-certify the B737 MAX 8 in early November, Singh said, adding that he hoped his airline could start flying it again in January.

“We look forward to the MAX aircraft coming back because that’s where the biggest pain point for SpiceJet is currently,” he admitted.

As with other airlines, SpiceJet is currently in talks with Boeing over compensation for costs incurred through the ongoing grounding, Singh confirmed.

Meanwhile, SpiceJet has signed a lease for four MAX jets that were previously operated by Jet Airways, Singh told the company's Annual General Meeting (AGM) on September 30, according to the Economic Times. He added that 10 to 12 more MAX were ready to be delivered to SpiceJet in the US. In its 2018-19 annual report, SpiceJet said it was optimistic about the imminent return of the aircraft type to service.

In related news, SpiceJet plans to sell shares in its cargo division SpiceXpress in an Initial Public Offering (IPO) within 12 months, Bloomberg reported in a separate article.

“We have a country of 1.3 billion people, one of the fastest-growing economies in the world, and we have very few air logistics players,” Singh said. “We think that’s a good space for us.”