Qantas' 'lightning fast' Airbus A321XLR set to fuel Australia's short-haul market with next-generation cabins, gradually replacing airline's Boeing 737 fleet
Qantas has ordered the new Airbus A321XLR aircraft with the first due to arrive in April 2025.Low-cost carrier Jetstar has just picked up its eighth “next generation” Airbus A321neo in time for the busy school holiday period.Emirates, meanwhile, has taken delivery of its new Airbus A350-900 which accommodates 312 passengers, 32 in lie-flat business class seats, 21 in premium economy and 259 in economy.
Spain’s Iberia Airlines was the first airline globally to operate a commercial flight with the A321. The A321s are expected to open up new direct Australian domestic and short-haul international routes as more enter the fleet.Qantas has configured the layout to seat 197 passengers – an increase of 13 per cent in total seat capacity with no reduction in space between seats and a 66 per cent increase in premium seats.
The A321 will enable airlines to connect distant destinations such as Sydney to Kuala Lumpur, New York to Rome, London to Vancouver or Delhi to London.The new plane would be more fuel-efficient and would take to the skies by the mid-2030s. “The headrest is adjustable six ways up and down and side to side, so you don’t have to bring a neck pillow if you want to sleep,” he wrote in The Telegraph.