With airlines scrambling to secure order slots for single-aisle, fuel efficient, financially sound jets such as the A321LR that continues to unlock new range capabilities as the aircraft evolves, Airbus has inaugurated its new A320 Family final assembly line (FAL) in Toulouse, its main site.
The ceremony at the new site, which is the former A380 “Jean-Luc Lagardère” assembly building - a sign of the global shift from large aircraft to smaller, more efficient jets - was attended by French Minister of Economy and Finance Bruno Le Maire, French Transport Minister Clément Beaune, Minister of State for Industry Roland Lescure, and Minister of State for Territorial Collectivities and Rural Affairs Dominique Faure, as well as hundreds of Airbus employees.
“The inauguration of this new A321-capable final assembly line in Toulouse represents another milestone in the ongoing modernisation of our global industrial system. This FAL will contribute to the ongoing production rate ramp-up to 75 A320 Family aircraft per month in 2026, while meeting the increased demand for A321s which currently represents around 60 percent of the total A320 Family backlog,” said Airbus CEO Guillaume Faury. “We’re pleased to see this new facility join our worldwide network of final assembly sites which will comprise four FALs in Hamburg, Germany; two in Toulouse, France; two in Mobile, United States; and two in Tianjin, China, all them capable of assembling the A321.”
A variety of innovations feature prominently in this latest A320 Family final assembly line, with the aim of maximising product quality, efficiency, as well as establishing new standards for health, safety and sustainability. These innovations include digital production control using tablets and smartphones to reduce paper consumption, automated logistics for parts distribution and light-weight robots for joining sections.
I visited the new FAL when it started initial operations at the end of 2022 with the delivery of the first fuselage sections. The roll-out of the first aircraft fully assembled in this facility - an A321 - is expected to take place by the end of this year. The industrial site will progressively ramp up operations between now and 2025, directly employing around 700 workers.
Airbus is actively progressing towards a monthly production rate of 65 aircraft by the end of 2024 and 75 in 2026, with entry-into-service for much-awaited A321XLR, the longest range variant of the A321, is expected to take place in Q2 of 2024. The test A321XLR has already taken to the skies and is in the middle of a lengthy flight test campaign, working towards its eventual certification. The "Extra Long Range” A321XLR will boast an unprecedented extra-long range of up to 4,700nm — 15% more than the A321LR while maintaining the same fuel efficiency.
With this added range, airlines will be able to operate a lower-cost single-aisle aircraft on longer and less heavily travelled routes – many of which can now only be served by larger and less efficient wide-body aircraft. This will enable operators to open new world-wide routes such as India to Europe or China to Australia, as well as further extending the Airbus single-aisle jets portfolio non-stop reach on direct transatlantic flights between continental Europe and the Americas.
For airlines, commonality is key. The A321XLR has been designed to maximise overall commonality with the A321LR and the rest of the A320neo Family — meaning flight crew can be certified to fly the aircraft without significant ‘conversation’ training. There are some changes, however, including a new permanent Rear Centre Tank for more fuel volume; a modified landing gear for an increased maximum take-off weight of 101 metric tonnes; and an optimised wing trailing-edge flap configuration to preserve the same take-off performance and engine thrust requirements as today’s A321neo. The new optimised Rear Centre Tank holds more fuel than several optional Additional Centre Tanks did previously, while taking up less space in the cargo hold – thus freeing-up underfloor volume for additional cargo and baggage on long range routes.
Once the A321XLR is certified, Airbus’ entire single-aisle, long-range portfolio will include multiple variants. The A321neo (new engine option aka "NEO”) — which first flew in February 2016 — has a range of approximately 3,700 nautical miles. It’s also capable of flying transatlantic between Paris and New York in an all-Business Class configuration — but most airlines are using the jet for mid-haul routes.
The A321LR (long-range) — which first flew in January 2018, has a range of approximately 4,000 nautical miles, and can fly from London to New Delhi non-stop. It’s in service with multiple airlines, including TAP Air Portugal, Aer Lingus, Kazakhstan’s flag carrier, Air Astana, and Scandinavian Airlines.
Qatar Airways will take delivery of 40 Airbus A321neo jets, and 10 Airbus A321LR jets, with deliveries set to commence in 2026, later than originally scheduled (owing to the lengthy Airbus-Qatar dispute over accelerated surface degradation on Qatar’s A350 jets, which has now been resolved in a mutual agreement between the airliner and the manufacturer).
And soon, the A321XLR (extra long-range) — American Airlines, United, Qantas and Air Arabia are set to take the jet once it enters commercial service.
Australia’s Qantas Airways, which is backing Airbus’ new extended range A321XLR with an agreement covering 36 aircraft, plans to deploy the aircraft on key long-haul routes with a thinner demand.
Europe’s International Airlines Group (IAG) has selected the A321XLR to expand its fleet of highly efficient single aisles with a firm order for 14 aircraft. Of these, eight are destined for Iberia and six for Aer Lingus.
Qatar-backed IAG, the parent company of major airlines also including British Airways and Iberia, is one of Airbus’s largest customers and this agreement will take the overall order from the group to over 530 aircraft. Describing the jet, Willie Walsh, former IAG chief executive (now IATA CEO) said: “The A321XLR has the same unit cost as a widebody long-haul aircraft which will enable profitable network expansion. This will strengthen both Dublin and Madrid hubs providing new transatlantic routes and additional flexibility for connecting passengers. These aircraft will also bring further cost efficiencies and environmental benefits.”
The aircraft will enable Aer Lingus to launch new routes beyond the US East Coast and Canada. For Iberia, this is a new aircraft type that will enable it to operate new transatlantic destinations and increase frequencies in key markets.
JetBlue will add the A321XLR, along with American Airlines and United.
Air Canada will also take the A321XLR, with Michael Rousseau, president and chief executive officer of Air Canada explaining that the “acquisition of the state-of-the-art Airbus A321XLR is an important element of this strategy and will drive our core priorities of elevating the customer experience, advancing our environmental goals, network expansion and increasing our overall cost efficiency.”
One of the main drivers of air travel recovery following the pandemic has been in the single-aisle or "middle of the market” category, where Airbus already had a significant advantage before the crisis.
The author is an aviation analyst. Twitter handle: @AlexInAir