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By Bjorn Fehrm

August 29, 2024, © Leeham News: We have compared the Airbus A321XLR to the Boeing 757 to see if it can replace the long-range single aisle on its trans-Atlantic routes. The result was convincing: The A321XLR is, in many respects, what the Boeing NMA should have been: a replacement for the 757 with additional range.

Now, we look at the short- to medium-range market and check whether a route that was previously only possible with the Airbus A330 can be flown with a fleet of A321XLRs. The advantage, at an equal per-passenger cost, is the doubling of the frequency to drive market growth, revenue, and margin.

Summary:

• The A321XLR is close to 50% of the passenger capacity of the A330-300/900 in a long-range configuration.
• It has most of the range of the A330-300 and can fly the bulk of the routes of an A330-900.
• Can an airline operate a dual daily A321XLR to a daily A330 at the same per-passenger cost?