The plane could make hubs like Zurich unnecessary

Continental flights using small aircraft – made possible by the new Airbus A321-XLR. It also seems suitable for airports such as Switzerland and Basel. But parent company Lufthansa has temporarily abandoned the plan.

Stefan Brändle, Paris/ch media

Airbus announced on Wednesday at its Toulouse headquarters that the first A321-XLR has been delivered to Iberia. When asked, the Spanish airline confirmed that its latest acquisition will launch its first flight from Madrid to Paris next Wednesday.

The new machine will be used regularly on transatlantic routes, possibly to Boston. This was groundbreaking for a “single-aisle” aircraft with only one center aisle. US rival Boeing once had a similar plane in its range, the B757, but it has been out of production since 2004 because it couldn't fly far enough and didn't provide enough comfort.

On the other hand, the range of the A321 is increased to 8,700 kilometers. This is 1,300 kilometers more than the previous A321 version. From Europe, you can fly directly to destinations in the United States, Latin America, the Middle East or India. Please note that this is a medium-haul aircraft with up to 220 seats.

Boeing can't keep up

This means that routes such as Rome-New York, London-Vancouver or Berlin-India can also be achieved on relatively smaller, lighter and therefore cheaper aircraft. According to Airbus, the cost per seat has dropped by 30%. So far, only heavy twin-aisle aircraft such as the Boeing 747 and 787 or the Airbus 380 and 350 can cover such distances. These airlines mainly operate through “hubs” of the largest airlines such as Emirates or Lufthansa, which primarily serve their hubs through major airlines.

An A321-XLR at the Le Bourget Air Show near Paris in June 2023.Image source: Ludovic Marin/AP AFP POOL

The A321-XLR can fly to medium-sized cities and destinations with slightly lower passenger traffic without changing trains. This advantage has already brought Airbus more than 500 orders for the A321-XLR, even before the aircraft took off for the first time. The European aircraft manufacturer has a monopoly in this area: Boeing had nothing to object to, as a planned competing model codenamed “NMA” (New Medium Aircraft) never materialized due to other company problems.

Airbus engineers, on the other hand, did a fantastic job. Since 2019, they have extensively rearranged the baggage compartment in the XLR project, leaving space for additional fuel tanks in the lower fuselage. This masterpiece brings the range to 8,700 kilometers. Airbus can even go as far as 9,000 kilometers in the new XLR (short for Extra Long Range), but European aviation authority EASA requires smaller compromises.

The new aircraft is in high demand from low-cost airlines in large countries such as India. Among traditional European airlines, it's not just Iberia that's interested: Aer Lingus is even retiring older A330s in favor of at least six A321-XLRs.

The Swiss are at war

Others are more cautious. When asked, Swiss explained that the purchase of the A321-XLR was “not planned”, even though the possibility was “continuously studied”. In any case, parent company Lufthansa Group has the final say. When asked, he explained that procurement of new aircraft types was under “continuous” review, but that the A321-XLR was “not yet in the spotlight”. Chief Executive Carsten Spohr explained at a staff meeting in June that only a handful of routes would consider using the new Airbus aircraft. This is also because the Lufthansa Group and its partner brands SWISS, Austrian Airlines and Eurowings continue to rely on its hub concept with connection points in Frankfurt and Munich.

Airlines like AUA or Swiss, which due to their smaller market size are better suited to the A321-XLR than Lufthansa, have to succumb to this model. Airports such as Basel Europort will be very interested in the Basel-New York route. Probably only relatively small aircraft like the A321-XLR will be profitable.

Some experts believe it is risky for Lufthansa to retain these hubs. Low-cost rivals such as Indigo (India) or AirAsia won't miss the opportunity to use the A321-XLR to gain further market share in intercontinental business – why not Basel's Wizz Air? Hungarian Airlines knows European airports very well.

An eleven-hour flight—in a reclining seat?

Perhaps the deciding factor will be the passengers. The range is 8,700 kilometers and the flight time is 11 hours. Accomplishing this mission in a tight mid-range airframe with a seating capacity of 220 passengers is not for everyone. Therefore, Iberia installed business class reclining seats on its first aircraft. This reduces the number of seats to 182, thereby increasing the price per seat.

Paul Chiambaretto, an aviation expert based in Toulouse, definitely believes that the A321-XLR is a game-changer in civil aviation. The new aircraft, which have been guaranteed to be successful, will disrupt many flight plans and “put the entire hub logic into question as flights change at large airports”.

In terms of climate policy, no major changes are expected for the A321-XLR. Eliminating stopovers and reducing weight can reduce the ecological footprint of each passenger. Overall, the new aircraft makes flying more attractive. (aargauerzeitung.ch)

It's gray in the morning and blue in the afternoon – if you're lucky. This is the situation in the lowlands right now. The persistent fog is caused by an omega-shaped high-pressure area and two low-pressure areas. This weather condition is extremely stable and can last for days or even weeks. The fog was particularly oppressive.