In This Story
American fans of long-distance airline travel may soon have a new option to look out for when booking their tickets.
The airline industry news site The Air Current reports that the Federal Aviation Administration has given its approval to the Airbus (AIR-0.78%) A321XLR, a plane capable of some of the longest commercial trips in the world.
Airbus confirmed the news to Quartz, noting that the approval came in October but was not made public by the FAA until last week. The version that was approved features LEAP 1-A engines manufactured by France’s CFM International (GE+1.69%). Another version featuring engines by Pratt & Whitney (RTX+0.55%) is still awaiting sign-off.
The FAA did not immediately reply to Quartz’s request for comment on the development. The European Union Aviation Safety Agency, the European equivalent of the FAA, gave its approval to the model in July.
The “XLR” in the plane’s name stands for “extra long range,” because it can fly up to 4,700 nautical miles (or about 5,400 land miles) instead of the 4,000 nautical mile-range of the A321LR (“long range”) version. The plane is capable of that because it has fuel tanks that are spread along its body, which allows it to take on more fuel.
The A320 family of planes to which the A321XLR belongs competes broadly with Boeing’s (BA+0.92%) 737 Max planes. Both are so-called “narrow body” jets that have one aisle—instead of multiple aisles like a Boeing 787 or one of the Airbus A330 variants—and are lauded for their fuel efficiency. The Points Guy called the A321XLR a plane that could “revolutionize” long-distance air travel after taking a trip on it during a flight operated by Spain’s Iberia Airlines (IAG+2.84%).
FAA approval means that U.S. carriers can start taking deliveries as well. The airline news site View from the Wing reported in August that an executive from American Airlines (AAL-0.60%) responded to a X social media platform photo of an in-production American-liveried A321XLR by posting “<rubs hands together in anticipation>.”