Irish flag carrier Aer Lingus has taken delivery of its first two Airbus A321XLR extra-long-range narrowbodies. The new CFM LEAP-1A-powered aircraft arrived yesterday at Dublin Airport — a month after Aer Lingus’ Spanish sister, Iberia, launched revenue service with the world’s first A321XLR.
As such, Aer Lingus bears the distinction of becoming the second airline in the world to operate the A321XLR as well as the second in the International Airlines Group (IAG).
Registered as EI-XLR and EI-XLT, the two new aircraft will be pressed into service in 2025 on existing transatlantic routes, and will be used to open up new destinations including Nashville and Indianapolis, which will benefit from the variant’s additional range.
Flights to Nashville are set to begin on 12 April, whilst Indianapolis will be served from 3 May. Four more A321XLRs are bound for Aer Lingus, says the carrier.
Aer Lingus’ A321XLR twinjets took off on 18 December from the Airbus production site in Hamburg, Germany, arriving at the carrier’s home base of Dublin Airport in Ireland. Image: Airbus
On the interiors front, Aer Lingus has — much like Iberia — played it safe, adopting a two-class configuration that is akin to the layout of the A321neo LRs in its fleet. To wit, its A321XLRs are fitted with 184 seats, the same number as found on its LRs. (We await clarity on the lavatory and galley footprint for the A321XLRs.)
Up front, Aer Lingus passengers can expect 16 full-flat business class seats based on Thompson Aero Seating’s popular Vantage platform. This product will be very familiar to the carrier’s frequent flyers. Configured with both seat pairs and thrones, the cabin layout strikes a balance between meeting the needs of couples and singles.
Each Vantage seat aboard the Aer Lingus A321XLRs “has its own mood lighting, massage function and lumbar support, as well as in-seat power and extra space for personal belongings,” says Aer Lingus, noting that USB-C ports are part of the offering.
Aer Lingus is a longtime customer of Panasonic Avionics’ IFE and connectivity hardware for its Airbus aircraft. The IFE screens aboard its A321XLRs are sized 18” in business class and feature 4K resolution and Bluetooth connectivity. The aircraft also offers onboard Internet.
Down back, Aer Lingus’ A321XLRs sport 168 Recaro seats with adjustable headrests. These are pitched at 30-31”, which is slightly tighter than the 31” standard found on most widebody aircraft crossing the Atlantic.
“Like in the business class cabin, there’s a USB-C power connection and extra space for personal belongings and customers can enjoy endless hours of entertainment on 12” screens with 4k and Bluetooth connectivity,” says Aer Lingus.
(In contrast, Iberia’s A321XLR features 186 seats, including 14 in business class based on Thompson Aero Seating’s VantageSOLO platform.)
Notably, Aer Lingus’ A321XLRs also feature Airbus’ signature Airspace cabin. The airframer points out that this is “the first aircraft in the Aer Lingus fleet to offer passengers and cabin crew the enhanced comfort of Airbus’ Airspace Cabin” including the XL flip-up overhead bins with 60% more storage space compared to prior generation aircraft.
“The arrival of our two new Airbus A321XLRs mark a significant milestone for Aer Lingus. The long-range capabilities of the XLR enable us to travel deeper into North America, offering previously unserved markets greater connectivity to Europe through our Dublin hub,” says Aer Lingus CEO Lynne Embleton.
“Both new XLR aircraft will operate on our newly announced routes to Nashville and Indianapolis for summer 2025. Looking ahead, we’re on target to expand our XLR fleet from two to six aircraft in 2025, further strengthening our position as a market leader in North American connectivity.”
Airbus chief commercial officer Benoît de Saint Exupéry adds: “Aer Lingus becomes the latest operator of the world’s newest single-aisle aircraft: the A321XLR. It will truly revolutionise long-haul travel, allowing airlines to tap into new exciting city pairings as will be demonstrated by Aer Lingus.
“We stand alongside Aer Lingus and will together make its growing fleet of A321XLRs a resounding success operationally and with passengers.”
The Thompson Vantage throne seats in business class aboard Aer Lingus’ current A321LRs are comfortable, featuring large IFE screens and a nice amount of real estate to spread out. Image of Aer Lingus A321LR interior: Mary Kirby
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Featured image credited to Aer Lingus
