‘Game changer’: Inside the new Airbus coming soon to Qantas

At 12.35pm last Thursday, Captain Jose Del Valle, Iberia’s chief pilot, pushed forward the throttle on flight IB347. The plane raced down the runway at Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas Airport and flew for seven-and-a-half hours to Boston. Iberia has been flying from Madrid to Boston for years, so why were Del Valle and the passengers on board making history?

The Airbus A321XLR flies further and burns less fuel than previous models.Credit: Airbus

The Boeing 747 veteran was captaining the first long-haul passenger flight of the new Airbus A321XLR jet. It marks the start of a new era in air travel that will offer passengers new cabins, new routes and more choice of when and where to fly.

The A321XLR is a single-aisle jet – the newest model in the Airbus A320 family of planes that most of us will have boarded on domestic Jetstar or Virgin Australia flights, or on short-hauls in Europe. Such jets can usually only fly for a few hours but improved aerodynamics, larger fuel tanks and engines that burn less fuel per kilometre mean the XLR can fly for up to 11 hours and cover 8700 kilometres. This means it can reach destinations such as Bangkok or Hong Kong from Sydney or Melbourne; Tokyo from Brisbane; Bangalore, Colombo or even the Maldives from Perth.

Iberia’s economy class cabin. The A321XLR is a rarity as a single-aisle jet capable of flying for up to 11 hours at a time.

Airlines favour the new small long-range jet because with only about 200 seats it is easier to fill than large, twin-aisle planes, such as the Boeing 777 and 787, Airbus’s A380 superjumbo and its A330 and A350 models, which can accommodate up to 550 passengers. That gives carriers the chance to open new long-haul routes that would be uneconomic to operate with larger, harder-to-fill jets, or to offer more services on existing routes.

Take last week’s flight IB347. Iberia’s Madrid to Boston service runs almost every day. The A321XLR means that Iberia can now offer new extra services during the peak summer months, sometimes going double daily. Iberia will also use it to start a year-round Madrid to Washington service from next year.

“This aircraft is a game-changer because it will enable countless new non-stop destinations, opening a new chapter in air connectivity,” says Marco Sansavini, President of Iberia.

Qantas will receive its first Airbus A321XLR in April next year.

Qantas has 28 of the planes on order with plans to replace its ageing fleet of Boeing 737s with the new jets. The first is expected to arrive in April next year.

Major carriers around the world, including American Airlines and budget European airline Wizz, are among the airlines to have ordered more than 500 A321XLRs between them. United Airlines is looking to the XLR to replace its ageing, fuel-guzzling Boeing 757s. Expect to find yourself on one soon.

What do we have to look forward to? I had a sneak peek at the A321XLR in the hangar at Barajas Airport.

New routes and services are always welcome. Those who like to get on and off quickly and not wait so long for bags and the carousel will definitely think small is beautiful. The dedicated hand luggage only brigade will – and this is not too strong a word – rejoice at the vast overhead bins.

Travellers who only use hand luggage will appreciate the larger overhead bins of the A321XLR.

But those who find themselves aboard the A321 on a route on which they would usually expect to board a wide-bodied jet might be disappointed. The A321 is small and feels even smaller thanks to those overhead bins.

The business-class suites – 14 on the Iberia jet, while others may have more, or in Wizz’s case none at all – are narrower than those found on wide-bodied jets, but beds are big enough to sleep comfortably, with a big footwell (Qantas’ will have 20 business seats in a 2-2 configuration, but will they will not lie flat).

Working on a laptop, however, especially with a mouse, will be tricky, not least because the tray table is small and only hinged on one side so it wobbles. If you want to work, snag one of the two front row suites, which have extra room in front. The TV in each suite is a generous 18.5 inch (47 cm) 4K screen which can be angled to face downward, so you can easily watch when lying down. There is only one lavatory.

Iberia’s business class. Qantas’ version will not have lie-flat seats.

The 168 seats in the economy class cabin have a seat pitch – the measure of legroom – of only 30 inches (76 cm). Many airlines offer 32 inches in economy on international flights. But Antonio da Costa, VP of Single-Aisle Marketing at Airbus, points out that the seats themselves are so thin – “yet still comfortable” – that the 30 inches “feels like 32 inches”. Qantas’ economy class on board will also feature 30 inch seat pitch, but seats will be slightly wider than its 737s at 17.6 inches (0.4 of an inch, or a whopping 1 cm, wider).

Choose your economy seat wisely. The front and exit row seats have so much extra legroom they are on par with premium economy. They are worth paying extra for. Some rows do not recline because they might obstruct an emergency exit.

Iberia’s headrests in all economy class seats are robust and the sides wrap around your head, making it easier to sleep. The TV is a 12-inch 4K screen and there is Bluetooth connectivity for headsets and new USB Type-A and Type-C charging ports. Wi-Fi is free in all classes for WhatsApp or text messaging and emails without attachments. There are only three tiny lavatories and two of those you have to walk across the galley to get to.

The design for economy class on board Qantas’ A321XLR.

On Qantas, however, you won’t find any seatback screens with passengers expected to bring their own entertainment (seats in all classes will feature tablet holders as well as USB ports for charging). The airline is promising free and fast Wi-Fi on board too.

The early verdict? Enjoy the new routes and make sure you beg, borrow or steal to get an extra legroom seat. If you find yourself in a regular seat, content yourself with a little eco-smugness. The A321XLR’s engines burn the least fuel per passenger of any jet – 30 per cent less than the generation of aircraft it replaces, Airbus says. This makes an economy seat on board the greenest way to fly long-haul.

The Telegraph, London