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Officer and Head of International said A220s Long Range Leader
were currently connecting Delta passengers
on more than 100 routes at 25 percent* less Airbus’ A321 XLR (Extra Long Range) has the market for a sin-
fuel and CO2 emissions. *Compared to previ- gle-aisle jetliner that can fly up to 8,700 km nonstop, all to itself.
ous generation aircraft, The A220 is powered By the end of May 2022, A321XLR orders stood at more than 500
by Pratt & Whitney PW1500G geared turbofan from over 20 customers. The new long-range jetliner was officially
engines. Airbus is also promoting the A220 in launched by Airbus in 2019 and entry into service is targeted for
the Asia-Pacific region. According to the air- early 2024. In a single-class configurations, the A321XLR can seat
framer, the A220’s range and capacity make as many as 244 passengers, with 18” wide seats. It will also be
it ideal for carriers that want to open new able to accommodate premium classes with full flat seating and
regional routes out of Asia-Pacific, or require even suites. The A321XLR is estimated to cost USD142 million
an aircraft for lucrative but thin routes out of (@2018 list prices), though typically, airline customers negotiate
the country. significant discounts on these prices.

Airbus currently offers the A220 in the -100 Airbus’ first A321XLR made its maiden flight in June 2022. Philippe
variant with seating for 100 - 130 passengers Pupin, who leads the flight test engineering team for the A321XLR
and the larger -300 variant with seating for programme, explains the rationale for the flight testing phase:
130 and 160 passengers in a typical airline “In order to become a long-range aircraft, the A321XLR needs
layout. Airbus claims that the A220 generates to carry more fuel, which means increasing the A321’s maximum
fuel savings of up to 25 per cent compared take-off weight. In turn this requires uprated landing gear and
with older generation aircraft of a similar size. braking systems. However, since we are keeping the engine thrust
The A220 is also capable of flying non-stop unchanged, we have made some aerodynamic changes to retain
on routes of up to 6,300 km and hence can our desired take-off performance. This has driven the physical
allow airline customers to undertake connec- modifications to the high-lift system – the slats and flaps – as
tions from the Asia-Pacific region, to Australia, well as reprogramming of the flight control system, all of which
North Asia and the Middle East. needs to be flight-tested and certified.”

Customers in the region include Korean Air “In terms of flight hours of testing the -XLR programme stands
which operates the A220-300 on both domes- somewhere in between a brand new aircraft and a derivative.
tic and international services with a fleet of So we have to ‘re-test’ virtually everything regarding aircraft
10 aircraft. Australia’s Qantas will renew design and flight physics,” he adds. With the A321XLR, Airbus is
its domestic fleet from late 2023 and has also looking to update the overall flight control system design
ordered 20 A321-XLRs and 20 A220-300s – which was hitherto based on the original architecture for the
which will form the backbone of its domestic A321 designed in the early 1990s. Airbus is seeking to enhance
fleet. Qantas will also retain purchase right flight control design commonality across all of its programmes.
options for the smaller A220-100. According The highest maximum take-off weight (MTOW) on the A321XLR
to Qantas, The small and medium size A220s will be 101 tonne, as compared to 97 tonne on the A321neo
provide the airline with flexibility to deploy LR. The A321XLR can carry approximately 24,000 lt of fuel. To
these aircraft throughout most of its domestic cater for extra passengers, it will carry 400 lt of potable water
and regional operations. They could also be as compared to 200 lt on the A321neo.
used during off peak times between major
cities and on key regional routes to increase Indian low cost carrier (LCC) IndiGo is one of the customers for
frequency. the type, which will operate it on its long-haul routes. The airline
is to start taking deliveries in 2024 and the aircraft will feature
As per information on Qantas’ website, the
A220 delivers more than 20 per cent lower
fuel burn per seat than Boeing 717s, half the
noise footprint, and decreased emissions.
Another Asia-Pacific customer for the A220
is Air Vanuatu which has ordered three A220s,
comprising two A220-100s and one A220-300.
16 airlines today operate nearly 250 A220s on
four continents.

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