This aircraft was meant to change flying forever. The reality is rather different

The Telegraph ^ | 14 November 2025 10:00am GMT | Greg Dickinson

[E. Pluribus Unum]

Hailed as a revolution in air travel, the much-hyped A321XLR has had a bumpier first year than expected...

On this day last year, the Airbus A321XLR took flight for the first time.

The aircraft was described as a “game-changer” by Iberia’s CEO, Marco Sansavini, ahead of its maiden flight from Madrid to Boston. The Telegraph predicted it would ignite “a fresh new era for air travel”.

There was good reason for all this fanfare. The XLR is a narrow-body, long-haul jet for the modern era, burning less fuel per passenger than any other jet on the market and offering a longer range than other narrow-body aircraft.

It represented a middle-market replacement for older, less efficient planes, helping airlines with ambitious net zero targets while also giving budget carriers the chance to extend their horizons. Low-cost flights from Britain to cities such as Delhi and Atlanta seemed like a realistic prospect.

Boeing, the chief rival to Airbus, has paused a project to develop its own new middle-market aircraft. As a result, airlines previously loyal to Boeing, such as Icelandair, American and United, have incorporated the Airbus model into their fleets. In total, Airbus says it has secured more than 500 orders for the XLR.

However, the XLR’s first year hasn’t been all smooth sailing, with delayed deliveries, reduced orders and lingering questions over its true range.

Going the distance

The main selling point of the XLR is right there in the name: “extra long range”. Airbus promised a maximum non-stop flying time of 11 hours, with a range of up to 4,700 nautical miles (nm).

“Up to” being the operative words. The plane’s design is novel, positioning a rear central fuel tank within the contours of the fuselage. This allows for more fuel capacity, theoretically giving the aircraft 15 per cent greater range...

[crusty old prospector]

Heck, I see 737 and 757’s flying northeast cities to Europe. Icelandair flies all the way to Seattle and Portlandia.

[chaosagent]

My wife and I flew on an A321Neo from Frankfurt to Budapest back in 2019.

Like flying on a bus, but not a nice bus, more like the one from Romancing The Stone.

[Java4Jay]

Passengers hate stretched, single isle aircraft.

Without an updated wing, that’s what killed the 757-300

[Java4Jay]

Cannot quick turn these 321 extended. Takes to long to load, unload. Stretched single isle aircraft are no-joy. Boeing’s replacement for the 737 will be a twin isle.

[willk]

I don’t like the smaller windows on Airbus jets.

[Olog-hai]

Boeing plans to replace the 737 line with a new narrow-body single-aisle plane, not a two-aisle wide body.

https://aerospaceglobalnews.com/news/boeing-new-narrowbody-737-successor/

[Ditto]

4,700 nautical miles Is around 5400 miles… not really that far. That’s London to LAX. Lots of planes do that now.

[Paal Gulli]

Airbus has just sold the A350-1000ULR to Qantas. It can do 9700 miles, 22 hours in the air, on one tank of gas. That’s non-stop from JFK to Melbourne, or London to Sydney, with enough reserve to divert to an alternate.