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By Bjorn Fehrm

September 7, 2023, © Leeham News: The advertised range of 4,700nm for the Airbus A321XLR enables true trans-Atlantic single-aisle routes that can originate further inland, both in the US and Europe. When EASA and FAA demanded that Airbus add extra fire protection around the tank that gives the extended range, rumors told of a substantial range loss.

Last week we could see that whatever the weight increase, the range loss is not substantial. Now we look at what Airbus could do to restore the range of the A321XLR.

Figure 1. The Airbus A321XLR. Source: Airbus.

Summary:

• We could see last week that the range shortfall from the rumored weight increases is less than rumored.
• When we look at the fixes for any range shortfall, they seem straightforward and doable.