Airbus presses on with new plane seen as immune to travel slump
Airbus is stepping up development of its newest plane, pouring resources into the A321XLR even as it pulls back spending on other projects to save cash. The jet, dubbed XLR for “extra long range,” would be the longest-distance version yet of Airbus’s top-selling A320-series narrow-body. It has racked up more than 450 orders since its launch last year, and the European planemaker sees it as resistant to the historic collapse in demand for aircraft brought on by the coronavirus. The model has proved attractive to carriers eager to fly further with the economics of a single-aisle plane, and now has 24 customers, including American Airlines Group, JetBlue Airways and United Airlines. Its range of 4,700 nautical miles is 15% more than the existing A321 LR. The goal is to ensure that the XLR enters service on time in 2023. Chief Executive Officer Guillaume Faury has identified the new model as one that can help the company through a slump in demand that’s likely to weigh on single-aisle output until 2022, saying in April that the XLR “will be a fantastic plane as we go out of the crisis.” While it’s pulled back on investments -- slowing the ramp-up of its A220 single-aisle, for example -- Airbus has added resources to the A321XLR, including assigning more engineers, according to people familiar with the matter, who asked not to be named discussing internal decisions.<br/>
https://portal.staralliance.com/cms/news/hot-topics/2020-08-13/general/airbus-presses-on-with-new-plane-seen-as-immune-to-travel-slump
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Airbus presses on with new plane seen as immune to travel slump
Airbus is stepping up development of its newest plane, pouring resources into the A321XLR even as it pulls back spending on other projects to save cash. The jet, dubbed XLR for “extra long range,” would be the longest-distance version yet of Airbus’s top-selling A320-series narrow-body. It has racked up more than 450 orders since its launch last year, and the European planemaker sees it as resistant to the historic collapse in demand for aircraft brought on by the coronavirus. The model has proved attractive to carriers eager to fly further with the economics of a single-aisle plane, and now has 24 customers, including American Airlines Group, JetBlue Airways and United Airlines. Its range of 4,700 nautical miles is 15% more than the existing A321 LR. The goal is to ensure that the XLR enters service on time in 2023. Chief Executive Officer Guillaume Faury has identified the new model as one that can help the company through a slump in demand that’s likely to weigh on single-aisle output until 2022, saying in April that the XLR “will be a fantastic plane as we go out of the crisis.” While it’s pulled back on investments -- slowing the ramp-up of its A220 single-aisle, for example -- Airbus has added resources to the A321XLR, including assigning more engineers, according to people familiar with the matter, who asked not to be named discussing internal decisions.<br/>
