Aer Lingus will be the launch customer for the A321 XLR,, which has reached a major milestone with the first customer aircraft in the final assembly line.
Gary O’Donnell, Head of A321XLR Programme at Airbus, expresses gratitude for the support received throughout 2023: 2023 has been a pressured but amazing year for our #A321XLR and I have the pleasure to share that our 1st Customer Aircraft is in the Final Assembly Line with Wings, Tail and Landing Gears attached to the Fuselage.”
Aer Lingus CEO Lynne Embleton praises the A321XLR for its suitability in serving secondary cities or smaller markets, its ability to add frequency without increasing capacity, and its cost competitiveness compared to larger wide-bodied aircraft used for transatlantic flights. On IAG Capital Market Day she said “with them being small, they’re also great for adding frequency without doubling capacity in the market.”
Aer Lingus Chief Operations Officer Adrian Dunne said “we are looking forward to welcoming this amazing aircraft into our fleet in Q3 of 2024, leading to further exciting new routes in our growing USA network. We like them because of their costs, they’re also cost-competitive against the larger wide bodied aircraft that we deploy across the Atlantic.”
Aer Lingus Director of Fleet Planning and Procurement Lander Dominguez said ‘we are looking forward to seeing our first A321XLR painted green and welcoming it into our fleet very soon.”
