Aer Lingus Adds A321XLR To Fleet
Intro
As I wrote about a couple of weeks ago, Iberia had just taken delivery of the very first A321XLR ever. The A321XLR is a revolutionary aircraft when it comes to range and fuel consumption, allowing airlines to fly a narrowbody well over 4000 nautical miles.
Well, the original launch customer Aer Lingus, has finally taken delivery of their first two A321XLRs, and they seem to fit the bill.
The Details
As of today, December 22nd, Aer Lingus has officially taken delivery of their first two A321XLRs with the registration codes EI=XLR (haha) and EI-XLT (not as funny, boo). Both of the jets were ferried in from Hamburg to Dublin and are already in service!
Interestingly, the airline has another 4 A321XLRs on order, and all four should be delivered by sometime next year (which is exceptionally quick).
As of now, the routes these aircraft will be flying are primarily to Indianapolis and Washington (due to the range) when these routes commence next May. In the meantime, it seems that Aer Lingus is operating these A321XLRs in place of certain A321LRs, but no schedule seems to be set.
Onboard
I was mightily excited to see Aer Lingus take delivery of the A321XLR, but unfortunately, they have chosen to stick with the same business-class concept for a seat. For reference, these are the Thompson Aero Vantage seats in a 2-2/1-1 configuration.
The economy section looks like more of an upgrade than business class, as seats will include Bluetooth audio, modern finishings, a 4K UHD TV, a six-way adjustable headrest, and USB C/A chargers.
Final Thoughts
Aer Lingus has finally delivered its very first two A321XLRs, and I have to say that they look snazzy from the outside. While the economy cabin looks good, it's unfortunate that Aer Lingus didn't go the same way as Iberia did with business class on this aircraft. While no schedule is published until May 2025 for these aircraft to operate, you might luck out and get to fly this new jet when expecting to fly the LR!
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