Uh Oh: Airbus A321XLR Faces Range Limitations Due To New Safety Features

Airbus is having some issues with delivering on the range that it has been promising airlines with its new ultra long range narrow body jet…

The A321XLR needs new fuel tank safety feature

The Airbus A321XLR is an exciting new aircraft, which was announced in 2019. Over 500 of these jets have been ordered by over two dozen airlines, and they’ll usher in a new era of long haul travel on narrow body jets. The plane is a huge competitive advantage for Airbus, as Boeing doesn’t have a competitor. This is quite the flip, because Boeing used to have the advantage in this market, with the 757.

The A321XLR is an evolution of the existing A321 model, and the plan is for this to be the longest range narrow body aircraft ever. It’s amazing just how much improvement we’ve seen to the A321:

• We first saw the introduction of the A321neo, featuring new engines offering lower fuel burn, and in turn, more range
• We then saw the introduction of the A321LR, featuring even more range
• We’re now seeing the introduction of the A321XLR, offering up to 4,700 nautical miles, thanks to a new fuel tank, plus a higher maximum takeoff weight

The A321XLR will be a game changer for some airlines, and allow them to operate point-to-point flights in long haul markets in an economical way when it wasn’t previously possible.

While the aircraft was initially supposed to enter passenger service as of 2023, it has encountered some delays with the certification process. Just over a year ago, we learned that the A321XLR has been delayed until 2024.

The reason is that the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has expressed safety concerns about the aircraft’s extra fuel tank. The whole reason the A321XLR is longer range is because it has an extra fuel tank in the rear fuselage, and the concern was that this posed a fire safety risk.

There’s both a positive and negative update regarding this. Reuters is now reporting that Airbus and the EASA have reached an agreement about new safety features for the jet, paving the way for this aircraft to be certified.

These modifications call for a new protective liner to be added to the rear fuel tank, as well as some other reinforcements. Unfortunately these safety improvements are coming at a significant cost, though…

This may reduce the plane’s range by 200 nautical miles

While the initial estimate was that these new safety features would add 200-300 kilograms to the weight of the aircraft, sources now suggest that this will add 700-800 kilograms of weight to the jet.

The estimate is now that this added weight will reduce the aircraft’s range by around 200 nautical miles, making the maximum range of the jet around 4,500 nautical miles.

Keep in mind that the maximum range is far from the practical range under normal operations:

• Range doesn’t factor in the jet stream; it takes more fuel to fly westbound than eastbound, given how winds work
• Every flight operates with significant fuel reserves to account for any disruptions, like weather, congestion, the need to divert, etc.

So even with the initial planned range of 4,700 nautical miles, the actual operational range was going to be closer to 4,000 nautical miles. It sounds like that has now been knocked down closer to 3,800 nautical miles.

This is significant, but not the end of the world

In a statement, an Airbus spokesperson has stated that “Airbus expects no significant impact on the XLR’s unique range advantage in the single-aisle segment.” Of course that’s accurate, because Airbus doesn’t have a competitor in this market. The A321XLR is still much longer range than any version of the Boeing 737 MAX.

Apparently Airbus has approached some A321XLR customers about potentially swapping A321XLR orders for the larger A330neo aircraft, especially for situations where the performance gap could impact the reason airlines ordered plans.

This range change won’t be an issue for routes from the Northeast of the United States to Western Europe. However, this could limit the ability of airlines like JetBlue to fly from Fort Lauderdale to Paris, or Fort Lauderdale to Buenos Aires.

Similarly, it could be an issue for flights from the Midwest of the United States to Europe, or for flights from the Northeast of the United States to Eastern Europe.

I am curious, for those with more knowledge than me on how these negotiations work, any clue what happens here in practice? Can all airlines that ordered this aircraft try to renegotiate how much they paid, given that they’re not getting the full range they “paid” for? Or is there not quite as much wiggle room to retroactively negotiate?

Bottom line

The Airbus A321XLR has been facing some certification issues due to safety concerns regarding the plane’s rear fuel tank. The good news is that regulators are nearing a deal with Airbus about the fix needed. The bad news is that it’s expected to add 700-800 kilograms to the plane’s weight, reducing the plane’s range by around 200 nautical miles.

While this doesn’t destroy the jet’s value proposition, it certainly limits the viability of some potential city pairs that this plane could have flown.

What do you make of these Airbus A321XLR range updates?