Spanish carrier 
Iberia has celebrated its first full year of service for the game-changing Airbus A321XLR. The airline first debuted the narrow-body long-haul aircraft on November 14, 2024, between Madrid and Boston. The introduction of this aircraft aims to fill the gap for middle market routes, providing airlines with the chance to expand their long-haul network, with less risk than traditional widebodies.
The Airbus A321XLR has an extended range when compared to other Airbus narrow-body aircraft, with the plane having a maximum non-stop flying time of up to 11 hours, or can fly the distance of up to 4,700 nautical miles (8,700 kilometers). This is made possible with a rear central fuel tank, which is shaped within the contours of the fuselage, giving the plane an additional 15% greater range when compared to the Airbus A321LR.
A Bumpy Start
According to ch-aviation, Iberia currently operates five of the A321XLR, with another three on order. It hasn’t been plain sailing since its introduction for the oneworld carrier; one of its aircraft suffered a bird strike just weeks after entering regular commercial service. This happened in August this year, which caused significant damage to the airplane’s nose cone. This occurred on a Paris-bound flight from Madrid, which saw the aircraft return to base. Passengers affected on the flight were rebooked onto a recovery flight.
For Iberia, the A321XLR is perfectly sized to expand its international reach, with lower overhead costs when compared to traditional widebody aircraft. These aircraft are currently deployed on select European services; however really shine with their range talent on transatlantic services, such as to 
Boston Logan International Airport (BOS), Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD), Luis Munoz Marin International Airport, San Juan (SJU), and Santo Domingo Las Américas International Airport (SDQ).
Two new routes to Brazil are also set to launch later this year and next, including Recife (December 13) and Fortaleza (January 2026). Ramiro Sequeira, Iberia’s Chief Production Officer, shared his thoughts on the A321XLR following a year of service for the airplane type:
“The Airbus A321XLR has transformed our long-haul strategy, enabling us to open new destinations and increase frequencies with unprecedented efficiency.”
A More Flexible Future
As airlines look at new ways to become more sustainable and offer new routes, with less risk. Iberia has celebrated the success of the A321XLR, boasting its capabilities to now offer an expanded network with new destinations (such as Recife and Fortaleza). The capabilities of the A321XLR allow Iberia to offer flexibility and adaptability across markets, while also providing these with less risk when compared to traditional widebody airplanes.
November last year was the beginning of this transition, with the aircraft connecting Madrid to Boston. This route has proven to be a great success, and combines the abilities of the aircraft to provide sufficient range, and less than traditional route options to passengers. The A32XLR can provide a 40% fuel saving when compared to its widebody counterparts, while also being able to provide a similar high level of comfort onboard.
For Iberia passengers flying on the A321XLR, the aircraft is configured with the ‘Airspace’ cabin, which offers larger-than-usual overhead lockers, LED lighting, and enhanced feelings of space onboard. It is configured across two cabins, business and economy, providing a total of 182 seats.
Other Airlines Flying High With The A321XLR
A close sibling, AerLingus (another carrier alongside Iberia in the International Airlines Group, IAG), also operates the A321XLR, and once again has revolutionized its long-haul network with the range and capabilities of this aircraft. Already, via its home at Dublin International Airport, the Irish carrier has added new international routes to the United States, including Nashville, Indianapolis, and Raleigh-Durham. What makes these routes even more appealing is the ability to clear through immigration and customs pre-clearance at DUB, allowing travelers to enter the US as domestic passengers.
WizzAir, another European carrier, is also seeing the fruits of the A321XLR, using the capabilities of this aircraft to fly direct between London and Saudi Arabia, while Qantas is also set to change the way people travel to and from Australia, having recently welcomed its first of the aircraft type. Currently, the Australian carrier is flying this aircraft domestically, but is expected to schedule it onto routes to and from Asia and the Pacific next year.
While just recently Lufthansa made public it had no plans to order the A321XLR, American Airlines already has its first of 50 XLRs onboard, while United Airlines and Air Canada are set to become operators as they await delivery in 2026. Once these airplanes arrive, they are expected to provide additional capacity and routes between North America, and Europe.
