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| Image: Airbus |
During "Routes America" event, Henning Greiser American's Head of International Network planning, said that Airbus A321XLR could be used to serve new secondary markets to Europe while still operating other services year-around.
He added that A321XLR can help increase American's diffusion in Europe, particularly in destinations with weak or has no presence of its own.
American Airlines has ordered 50 aircraft of the A321XLR (Extra Long Range). The first batch is expected to be delivered late 2023. The Airbus A321XLR will serve as a replacement of the aging B757-200ER that has been in service of decades.
Greiser also said that A321XLR will take part of American's North Atlantic network in summer of 2024. Due to the range of A321XLR, most likely it will be operated for east coast airports from Philadelphia, JFK and Boston to central Europe destinations
As the XLR will have far fewer seats to fill versus a widebody, it'll theoretically open up more markets. However, it'll have a higher seat-mile cost than twin-aisle equipment, requiring a higher average fare (but far fewer passengers) to break even. Moreover, the XLR would have a significantly lower sector cost than a widebody, helping to reduce the overall cost and risk of new routes.