Here is Qantas' first Airbus A321XLR: when it will be delivered and on which routes it will fly

First Iberia, then Aer Lingus and now Qantas. Australia's flag carrier is ready to receive the first of 28 A321XLR ordered by Airbus. In recent days, in fact, the first aircraft with the iconic QF livery was photographed in Hamburg by several spotters (the enthusiasts who lurk at airports to photograph various aircraft, ed.). 

The plane, makes VH-OGA, will be called "Great Ocean Road" and will presumably be delivered in April; while, according to the carrier's plans, it should start flying with passengers on board as early as the middle of this year. Qantas, for its part, has already begun training its pilots (and flight attendants, of course) through the use of simulators. In short, everything is more or less ready: the countdown can begin.

Qantas' A321XLRs-which, as they are known, will gradually replace the more than 70 Boeing 737-800s in the fleet-will be configured with two classes of service: business and economy. At the front of the plane will be 20 business class seats, with a 2-2 layout; immediately behind, however, about 180 economy seats will be installed, with a 3-3 configuration.

The range of the A321XLR, by now, is no secret: it can travel through 8700km without it needing to refuel. This is made possible by the presence of a large tank located in the lower part of the fuselage, exactly behind the landing gear located at wing level. 

With such a high autonomy, therefore, the company will be able to reach new destinations from its four key hubs, namely Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney. For example, XLR will be able to fly from Sydney to Hong Kong, Bangkok e Jakarta: destinations, these, to which it was not possible to fly nonstop with B737s.

• a321xlr