Qantas’ inaugural A321XLR moves to final assembly
December 2, 2024
Drawing on sections built in specialist factories across Europe (including France, Spain, Germany and the UK), the first A321XLR destined for Qantas has entered final assembly at Airbus’ Finkenweder factory in Hamburg – representing the start of the biggest domestic fleet renewal programme in Qantas’ history.
Qantas’ inaugural A321XLR ‘Great Ocean Road’ is the first of 28 the airline has placed firm orders for, forming “part of the progressive replacement” of the group’s fleet of 737s over the next decade. Initially operating on domestic routes currently served by the 737, the entry into service of Qantas’ A321XLR will mark the type’s first foray into the Asia Pacific region.
Final assembly takes around one month to complete, with the major components joined on the assembly line before the Pratt & Whitney PW1100G-JM engines are fitted and the aircraft is sent to the paint shop.
Qantas Group CEO Vanessa Hudson described the A321XLR as “a fantastic aircraft,” with its extended range to, “in time, give us the opportunity to explore more non-stop routes and operate them more efficiently”. Able to fly around 3,000km further than the 737, these routes will include direct domestic services and routes across South East Asia and the Pacific Islands.
Five metres longer than the outgoing 737s (with an increase of 13% in total seat capacity), the 20 business-class seats also represent a 66% increase in premium seats.
“New aircraft mean more jobs, training and promotion opportunities for our people and we’ll be training more than 240 pilots on the new aircraft over the next three years,” concluded Hudson.
