Airbus A321XLR Completes First Transatlantic Flight

DALLAS — Spanish carrier Iberia (IB) marks the completion of the first transatlantic flight of the Airbus A321XLR (Extra Long Range).

The aircraft, registered as EC-OIL,  arrived at Boston Logan International Airport (BOS) at around 2:30PM EST, completing its inaugural long-haul journey from Adolfo Suárez Madrid–Barajas Airport (MAD) after 8 hours and 45 minutes.

With this landmark flight, IB347, the A321XLR, a single-aisle aircraft designed for long-range operations, is pushing the boundaries of what narrowbody planes can achieve in terms of distance and efficiency.

Iberia, as the launch customer for the A321XLR, has configured the aircraft with 182 seats in a two-class layout:

• Business Class: 14 seats featuring the VantageSOLO model, offering fully flat beds and direct aisle access
• Economy Class: 168 seats equipped with the new Recaro R3 model

The A321XLR boasts a range of up to 4,693 nautical miles (8,693 km), making it capable of operating transatlantic routes that were previously the domain of larger wide-body aircraft.

This extended range is achieved while maintaining the efficiency advantages of a narrow-body jet, with Airbus claiming 30% lower fuel burn per seat compared to previous generation competitor aircraft.

A New Era of Single-isle, Long-haul Travel

One caveat of this flight is that meals on this aircraft are served in one go instead of being divided into starters and main courses, and desserts and drinks are served separately from the food. That's what you get when flying long-haul on a narrow single-jet aircraft.

Regardless, as this flight marks the beginning of a new era in long-haul, single-aisle operations, it's an exciting day for aviation enthusiasts and the industry as a whole.

The A321XLR's entry into service on transatlantic routes is expected to open up new possibilities for point-to-point travel between secondary cities, potentially reshaping long-haul route networks in the coming years.