Airbus’ new long-range jet may not fly as far as promised

Airbus is grappling with a growing shortfall in the range of its upcoming A321XLR passenger jet after reaching an agreement with European regulators on design safeguards needed to achieve certification, industry sources said. The setback has prompted the planemaker to offer some customers potential deals for the larger A330neo to help them fill a gap in targeted performance, the sources said. “Airbus expects no significant impact on the XLR’s unique range advantage in the single-aisle segment,” an Airbus spokesperson said in response to a Reuters query. Launched in 2019 to expand on the successful A321neo jet and steal a march on Boeing’s plans to build a new jet in the middle of the market, which were later abandoned, the A321XLR made its air show debut at Le Bourget outside Paris last month. The plane’s design calls for a novel type of rear central fuel tank, moulded into the contours of the fuselage, to eke out more space for fuel and extend the range by 15% compared with Airbus’s most capable current single-aisle model, the A321LR. But the design raised concerns among regulators about the risk of fire and evacuation times in the event of an accident, prompting talks over design changes needed for certification. Airbus programs head Philippe Mhun told FlightGlobal in an interview last month that Airbus had reached agreement with the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) on a basis for certification including the design of the new fuel tank.<br/>