The world's newest airplane has changed the crippled by opening caller routes to dozens of world destinations.
The Airbus A321XLR is simply a single-aisle jet, but it tin alert 800 miles further than the Airbus A321neo.
This lets airlines alert it crossed the Atlantic to cities that wouldn't beryllium celebrated capable to capable a wide-body airplane. Most XLRs besides person lie-flat seats successful business people to make the longer journeys comfortable.
Plus, arsenic portion of the Airbus A320 family, the world's astir celebrated craft type, the pitchy is easy for pilots and formation attendants to accommodate to. It has very akin controls to the modular A320, pinch only a fewer changes successful systems related to long-haul flights and an other substance tank.
That's perfect for airlines because it intends their pilots only request a short training convention to alert it, alternatively than a full caller type rating.
Last week, United Airlines and American Airlines unveiled a mixed 9 caller world routes utilizing the XLR. These are group to motorboat adjacent year, but tickets tin beryllium booked now.
In summation to compiling hose announcements, Business Insider tracked 32 XLRs connected Flightradar24 to spot wherever they person been flying this month.
While location are different six successful work pinch Wizz Air, the hose has been excluded from this database because it changed its strategy and now uses them connected the aforesaid routes arsenic emblematic narrow-body airplanes.
The Airbus A321XLR has opened routes to dozens of caller cities, mostly betwixt Europe and North America.
Not pictured present are different 7 transcontinental aliases cross-country routes successful the US, Canada, and Australia.
For the routes closest to you, effort this interactive map.
Hover complete each icon to spot the destinations disposable from different cities astir the world.
Aer Lingus
The Irish emblem bearer was the 2nd hose to commencement flying the XLR. All six that Aer Lingus ordered person been delivered.
From Dublin, it flies to Cleveland, Hartford, Indianapolis, Minneapolis, Nashville, New York JFK, Philadelphia, Raleigh-Durham, and Washington, DC.
In summation to these 9 routes, Aer Lingus sometimes uses the XLR for short-haul flights astir Europe. That lets the hose get the astir retired of them, keeping them successful predominant use, while besides showing their versatility.
Air Canada
Canada's nationalist hose started flying the XLR successful June. Three of the 30 it has ordered are presently operating.
It flies them from Montreal to Berlin, Calgary, and the French cities of Nantes and Toulouse. Airbus has its office successful the latter.
American Airlines
American Airlines is 1 of 2 US carriers connected this list, but it started flying the XLR first, opening past December.
It ordered 40, and 7 of those are flying today.
As of September 2026, it flies from New York JFK to Edinburgh and Los Angeles, and betwixt Boston and Los Angeles.
However, successful precocious August, American Airlines announced 4 caller XLR routes for 2027, which are now unfastened for booking:
- JFK to Amsterdam, starts March 28
- Philadelphia to Porto, Portugal, starts March 28
- JFK to Nice, France, starts May 6
- Philadelphia to Vienna, starts May 6
Iberia
Spain's emblem bearer was the first hose to person an XLR and started flying it successful November 2024. All 8 that Iberia ordered person now been delivered.
From Madrid, it flies to Boston, the Dominican Republic, Newark, Puerto Rico, Toronto, Washington DC, and the Brazilian cities of Recife and Fortaleza.
Like Aer Lingus, Iberia occasionally uses its A321XLRs connected short hops astir Europe.
Qantas
The Australian hose operates 7 XLRs and has different 41 connected order.
At the moment, they are utilized for flights betwixt Australia's awesome cities, which could beryllium operated by a regular narrow-body jet.
It plans to usage the XLR for longer flights: Manila was expected to beryllium its first world usage successful October, but this has been postponed.
The first of its 16 configured pinch caller business-class suites is scheduled to get successful 2028.
United Airlines
United Airlines is group to go the largest usability of the XLR arsenic things stand: It has ordered 50.
However, only 1 has been delivered truthful far. After Business Insider toured the pitchy astatine July's Farnborough Airshow, it has flown a fewer times, mostly astir the US.
United will motorboat the XLR successful earnest connected December 1, erstwhile it is scheduled to alert from Washington Dulles Airport to Amsterdam and Dublin.
Last week, it besides announced a fistful of caller routes for 2027 that are unfastened for booking:
- Newark to Luxembourg, starts April 2
- Washington, DC, to Toulouse, starts April 26
- Newark to Ibiza, Spain, starts May 31
- Newark to Valencia, Spain, starts June 2
- Newark to Marseille, France, starts June 4
Read next
Pete Syme is an aviation newsman for Business Insider, based successful London.He writes astir each things related to the industry, from aviation safety and CEO interviews to route reveals and airplane tours. Pete besides uses information for manufacture analyses and to visualize breaking news events.Before joining Business Insider successful 2022, he graduated pinch an MA successful Newspaper Journalism from City, University of London, and a BA successful English from the University of Exeter.
English (US) ·
Indonesian (ID) ·