Australian airline Qantas has ordered an additional 20 Airbus A321XLR aircraft to join its current fleet, with 16 of them to feature lie-flat business seats. The new fleet addition is meant to provide an excellent customer experience and introduce international destinations they were unable to reach before.
Qantas order 20 New Airbus A321XLR
The new aircraft to join Qantas’ current Airbus fleet will arrive at the beginning of the 2028 calendar year, with 16 of the 20 A321XLR being fitted with modern lie-flat business seats to provide excellent customer comfort and keep passenger satisfaction as a priority.
The introduction of the new configuration A321XLR will mark the largest ever expansion program to happen with Qantas, taking the airline’s next generation Airbus A321XLR fleet to 48.
Jetstar A321XLR will be introduced from 2027 and will be fitted with two-class cabins for international travel. CEO of Qantas, Vanessa Hudson, shares about the significant fleet expansion:
“Investing in new aircraft is one of the most significant ways that we can provide our customers with a better flying experience and these billion-dollar investments are possible because of our continued strong financial performance.”
After selecting Airbus as their preferred aircraft in 2021, Qantas are working to replace the current Boeing 737 with A321XLR.
The new aircraft Qantas has ordered provides an extended range of over 3,ooo kilometres, totalling the range to 8,700 kilometres, which the airline shares their new ability to travel long-haul to international destinations including South East Asia and the Pacific Island’s which were not yet viable.
A321XLR for short-haul and long-haul flying
Qantas ordered the first two A321XLR configured for domestic and short-haul international flying with initial schedules from Sydney-Melbourne and Perth-Sydney. The airline is expected to start commercial flying with the new aircraft from mid-September. CEO, Vanessa Hudson shares:
“Not only will the A321XLRs help us serve the corporate market travelling between Perth and the east coast of Australia, they will also allow us to expand flying on existing routes into South East Asia and open up new possibilities like Perth-India and Adelaide-Singapore.”
It will become the first ever airline in the Asia Pacific to operate the A321XLR aircraft, and by the end of the year, the airline aims to have seven of the aircraft types, highlighting its priority to provide an outstanding customer experience.
More routes to international destinations will be rolled out over the course of the aircraft introduction.
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