Iberia has taken delivery of the first Airbus A321XLR: when it will start flying and on which routes
It was June 2019 when Airbus, in the setting of the Paris Air Show, launched the Airbus A321XLR program, [...]

It was the month of June 2019 When Airbus, in the setting of the Paris Air Show, was launching the Airbus program. A321XLR, the single-aisle aircraft with the longest range. Today, five years later, albeit with some delay, the big day has come: the first Airbus A321XLR (brands EC-OIL) was delivered to the Spanish national airline Iberia.
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The launch customer for the A321XLR was IAG, the International Airlines Group: the group-which owns British Airways, Iberia, and Aer Lingus, among others-has ordered 14 aircraft, 8 of which are destined for the Spanish flag carrier while the other 6 will be taken over by the Irish airline. It was to be Aer Lingus the launch customer but, as has been known for several weeks, it was instead Iberia that took delivery of the first XLR.

Photo: @Airbus
When will the first XLR take off? It was originally scheduled to debut on Nov. 14; Iberia then moved it up to Oct. 28 but was eventually forced to postpone it to the November 5, 2024. The first destination of Airbus' new little gem will be. Paris: As Aeroroutes reports, Iberia is expected to employ the XLR in rotation on the MAD-CDG route until November 13, 2024; The next day, however, it will make its debut in the long haul, in the section Madrid-Boston. Finally, on January 15, 2025, it will be the turn of the Madrid-.Washington (IAD).
The XLR is part of Airbus' A320 family: however, it has significant differences in terms of range from the A321neo and A321LR. If the A321LR stops, in fact, at a range of 'only' 7400km, the XLR, on the other hand, can boast a maximum range of as much as 8700km: this is all possible is made possible by a large tank located in the lower part of the fuselage, exactly behind the landing gears located at wing level.
Iberia's Airbus A321XLR is outfitted in. two classes, business and economy. They will be 14 the business class seats, with a 1-1 layout, and all will have direct access to the corridor; 168, on the other hand, seats in the 'tourist' class, with a 3-3 configuration. All 182 passengers will have not only an entertainment system equipped with Bluetooth, but also wi-fi (which will be free for exchanging messages).