Airbus nearing handover of first P&W-powered A321XLR

Airbus is expecting to deliver its first Pratt & Whitney-powered A321XLR shortly, to budget carrier Wizz Air, which has 47 on order. Speaking during a briefing on 9 January, commercial aircraft chief Christian Scherer referred to the initial delivery to Iberia in late October and the subsequent handovers to Aer Lingus in December. Both carriers’ XLRs are fitted with CFM International Leap-1A engines. Scherer says the first PW1100G-powered XLR delivery for Wizz Air is “imminent”. The carrier initially selected the Pratt & Whitney engine for its A321neo fleet in 2016. Wizz intends to open a London Gatwick-Jeddah route with the XLR from March this year. Pratt & Whitney parent RTX says 13 customers have chosen the powerplant for a total of 217 A321XLRs. The US FAA certified the engine for the twinjet on 12 December. The XLR was launched “on speculation”, Scherer points out, without orders as a precondition for board approval. Some 500 XLRs have been ordered worldwide since the long-range variant was unveiled at the Paris air show in 2019.<br/>