A first look at the Airbus A321XLR, the aircraft Qantas has ordered to replace its ageing Boeing 737-800s

The aircraft Qantas has ordered to replace its ageing 737s, the Airbus A321XLR, is nearing completion in Germany. See how it’s taking shape.

It’s the aircraft Qantas says will make flying more comfortable when it arrives next April, signalling the long-awaited start of the airline’s domestic fleet renewal.

Pictures shared by Qantas show the first of the airline’s A321XLRs on the final assembly line at the Airbus factory in ­Hamburg.

Five metres longer than the Boeing 737s it will replace, the A321XLR will seat 197 passengers compared to 174 on the outgoing aircraft.

Twenty of those seats will be in business, eight more than the 737, and there will be 177 in economy with spacing between seats to remain the same at 76cm, plus an extra centimetre of width (to 44.7cm).

Economy passengers can also expect dual charging ports, a drop-down tablet holder for personal devices and adjustable meal table, plus free Wi-Fi and in-flight entertainment.

The business cabin will maintain the 2-2 layout, with the leather seats to come with a headrest, footrest and calfrest, an arm tray table with a built-in tablet holder, extendible cocktail table and a wireless charging pad.

Qantas says the plane offers more space for passengers.

With bigger windows and much larger overhead bins, the A321XLR will hold 60 per cent more carry-on than the 737, and burn less fuel per seat than previous generation aircraft. The aircraft can also fly a lot further, as its name would suggest – with an “extra long range” of 8700km or 3000km more than the 737-800.

That translates to 11 hours of non-stop flying, putting dozens of routes within its sights.

Qantas has indicated it may be used on services from Australian ports to Southeast Asia and the Pacific Islands.

To be christened “Great Ocean Road” and registered VH-OGA, the A321XLR will be the first of 28 to join the Qantas fleet as part of the progressive replacement of 737-800s over the next decade.

Smaller A220s have already gone to work in the QantasLink line-up.

Qantas CEO Vanessa Hudson said it was the biggest domestic fleet renewal in the airline’s 104-year history, and would bring significant improvements for customers.

“The A321XLR is a fantastic aircraft, which provides a more comfortable flight for customers and the longer range will in time give us the opportunity to explore more non-stop routes and operate them more efficiently,” she said. “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.”

Each of those pilots will spend up to 60 hours in the simulator before stepping into the flight deck of the A321XLR.

Qantas engineers are also preparing for the new aircraft’s arrival, adding almost 800 pieces of new tooling to maintenance depots. Once the assembly is completed and Pratt & Whitney geared turbo fan engines fitted, the A321XLR will go to the paintshop to be adorned in Qantas livery. As the pictures show, the tail is painted before the rest of the aircraft as it is often more ­complex.

Then there is a series of exhaustive tests on the aircraft to ensure the safety of all components, before Airbus test pilots take it to the skies.

Qantas is not the first A321XLR customer, with Spanish flag carrier Iberia becoming the world’s first commercial operator of the aircraft earlier this month.

Iberia is making the most of the aircraft’s extra long range on routes between Madrid and Boston – a seven hour flight – and from Madrid to Washington DC over almost ten hours.

American Airlines, United and Jetstar are also awaiting delivery of A321XLRs with Airbus’s order book stretching to more than 500.