Icelandair has placed 13 firm orders for the Airbus A321XLR. In addition to the order, Icelandair will lease four Airbus A321LR variants. The A321XLR is a part of the A320neo family of aircraft. The A321XLR has an extra long range up to 4,700 nm, according to Airbus. This is a 15% range increase compared to the A321LR. It is currently unknown what routes the aircraft will initially fly.
A Growing Fleet
The order with Airbus brings a shift in Icelandair’s fleet strategy. Previously, Icelandair was an all Boeing airline with a fleet of Boeing 737 MAX, 757-200, 757-300 and 767 aircraft. The Airbus order provides additional capacity compared to Icelandair’s current fleet. According to Icelandair the A321XLR’s will seat 190 passengers which is more than the 757 and 737’s which currently seat 183 and 160-170. President & CEO of Icelandair Bogi Nils Bogason had this to say regarding the new order, “We are happy to announce that we have now reached a conclusion regarding Icelandair’s future fleet. We have decided that the capable and fuel-efficient Airbus aircraft, A321XLR and A321LR, will become the successors of the Boeing 757 we are gradually retiring.” As more airlines look to retire older less efficient aircraft, Airbus and Boeing are stepping up production to meet the demand for more efficient and cost effective aircraft.