Boeing Fair, the first long-range Airbus A321 leaf plant

With many airlines eagerly awaited, Airbus is finally about to start flying the A321XLR, Super Trump.

The A321XLR is a modified version of the Airbus A321neo, derived from the A321LR project, which already had an extended range due to the installation of additional fuel tanks in the aircraft hangar. The latest version, the XLR, goes even further, with a range of 8,700 km, outperforming the 7,250 km of the Boeing 757-200, carrying about the same number of passengers but with a much lower consumption.

Evidence of this is that the aircraft has more than 200 confirmed orders, as well as hundreds of flexible options or orders, according to which the airline will decide in the future between the A321neo, A321LR or A321XLR, demonstrating the modularity of the Airbus platform, which increases the range by 15%, respectively between each model.

The first aircraft in the XLR series was spotted outside the Hamburg factory by photographer Tobias Judd. It is unpainted and unbuilt, but actually has the serial number 11000, as well as stickers that indicate the A321 XLR and the additional central rear fuel tank.

Airbus expects to certify this variant by the end of next year, entering service in 2023. So far, no Brazilian airline has ordered this model, which can fly from Sao Paulo to Miami non-stop.