Qantas First Airbus A321XLR Arrives In 2025

Australian flag carrier Qantas is currently overhauling its fleet and has been focusing heavily on taking delivery of new planes.

The arrival of the Airbus A220, for QantasLink acting as the more regional division, was broadly considered the first part of the overhaul, at least for the mainline fleet, following Jetstar’s acquisition of the A321LR.

However, preparations are well underway for the airline to take delivery of its first Airbus A321XLR, the next-generation single-aisle set to reshape the airline’s day-to-day operations.

The first unit has entered the final assembly line of the Airbus production facility in Hamburg, Germany. The first aircraft is expected to be delivered in the coming months.

Qantas says it is forecasting that the first delivery of the XLR will likely occur in April 2025. However, with the continued supply chain difficulties, there are obvious uncertainties about when a plane will arrive until it’s quite literally out of the airline’s hands.

The Australian flag carrier has 28 commitments on firm order for the A321XLR. That order includes purchase rights, which can be activated to increase the total should Qantas deem additional aircraft are necessary.

Ultimately, the A321XLR will have a fundamental role in fleet renewal efforts, replacing the Boeing 737. From a unit-reliance perspective, the 737 is the most important fleet type and drives the airline’s domestic operations.

By purchasing the A321XLR, Qantas will have added capacity to its domestic network and range capabilities, enhancing network possibilities.

The enhanced network possibilities aided by range are considered Airbus’ driving factor in developing the XLR and have been a massive selling point for this new aircraft.

Airbus A321XLR Plan With Qantas

Once the A321XLRs are delivered, Qantas says they’ll begin being deployed on domestic flights currently operated by the Boeing 737.

The A321XLRs are five metres longer than the 737, which allows for a 13% increase in total seat capacity. Furthermore, this allows for 197 seats, 20 of which will be in Business and 177 in Economy.

Qantas has optimised the configuration of its first XLR as well to see a 66% increase in premium seats as the company looks to cater its upcoming aircraft to a wide array of demographics.

This new fleet type will offer what Qantas describes as a far more comfortable flying experience than older aircraft. This is thanks to continued technological advancements that make flying quieter and smoother, aligning with sustainability goals.

Qantas adds that the aircraft will have wider seats, larger windows, and even free and fast Wi-Fi to enable connectivity across domestic flights.

Space will also be prioritised away from the seats with overhead bins, allowing for 60% more baggage than what is found on the outgoing 737.

Pilot training for the A321XLR is currently underway. Pilots must spend up to 60 hours in a simulator before entering the next-generation aircraft. All this is being aided by the 800 pieces of new tooling that Qantas Engineering has had.