Qantas has taken delivery of its initial Airbus A321XLR, one of 28 on order with the Australian airline.
The carrier received the twinjet – fitted with Pratt & Whitney PW1100G engines – at the airframer’s Hamburg Finkenwerder plant, following a customer acceptance flight on 24 June.
Qantas becomes the launch operator of the XLR in the Asia-Pacific region.
Airbus points out that the long-range performance of the aircraft (VH-OGA) is being demonstrated during the delivery flight.
The jet took off from Finkenwerder on 30 June on a 5,200nm ferry flight to Bangkok, followed by a further 4,100nm sector to Sydney.
It is scheduled to arrive in Sydney on 2 July, says Qantas.
The carrier says nearly 1,000 personnel – including pilots, cabin crew, engineers and ground staff – have been trained in preparation for the XLR’s introduction.
“Its arrival will mark the beginning of an exciting new chapter for Qantas, and a significant step forward in enhancing the experience we offer our customers,” says Qantas domestic chief Markus Svensson.
Airbus says the twinjet has been configured with 197 seats including 20 in the business-class cabin. The aircraft will initially be deployed on domestic flights.
Qantas’s low-cost subsidiary Jetstar is also set to take XLRs, with 12 of the type on order.
