American Airlines will become the next major international carrier to fly Airbus’ longest-range single-aisle plane on transatlantic routes, a leaked memo has revealed.
The airline has 50 Airbus A321XLR aircraft on order, and according to the memo sent to pilots in the last few days and leaked by aviation insider xJonNYC on X, the plane’s “primary mission” will be flying transatlantic routes.
If the current timeline sticks, American Airlines intends to start flying the A321XLR on yet-to-be-announced routes as soon as March 2026, although that could be subject to change given the fact that there are delays in installing new Business Class suites on these aircraft.
American Airlines intends to create a special subfleet of pilots who will operate its A321XLRs on transatlantic flights based in the New York area. Initially, there will be around 40 pilots assigned to this sub-fleet, although the airline anticipates this number to grow throughout 2026.
Although flying the A321XLR is very similar to flying any other A320 series aircraft, pilots will require some classroom and simulator training for an ‘Atlantic European’ qualification, which includes long-range international elements.
While pilots will be based in New York, the A321XLRs could be used for transatlantic flights across the East Coast, including from Philadelphia and even Charlotte.
The planes will be particularly useful in opening up new routes that might not necessarily have the demand for widebody service, or extending currently served destinations that normally only have enough demand for a seasonal service.
Where could American’s A321XLR fly?
While we now know that American Airlines plans to primarily deploy its A321XLR fleet on transatlantic flights to Europe, the exact route network hasn’t yet been revealed.
These aircraft will, however, likely serve destinations with lower demand, so don’t expect the A321XLR to be flying between major hubs like New York JFK to London Heathrow or Paris Charles de Gaulle.
The A321XLR could, however, easily replace the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner on routes between aircraft pairs, like:
- Philadelphia to Naples (3906 nautical miles)
- Philadelphia to Milan (3553 nautical miles)
- Charlotte to Edinburgh (3299 nautical miles)
- Miami to Milan (4285 nautical miles)
American Airlines will launch a new fully-flat Business Class suite on its A321XLRs, but the carrier has been forced to delay the introduction of the aircraft into service due to ongoing supply chain woes with these seats.
In fact, American Airlines has already taken delivery of its first A321XLR from Airbus, but it was put straight into storage while the Fort Worth-based carrier waits for the new suites to be completed.
What is the Airbus A321XLR?
The Airbus A321XLR is the newest aircraft type in the European aircraft manufacturer’s family of A320 single-aisle aircraft, designed specifically for long-haul flights.
There are three variants of A321neo available to airlines: the standard short-haul version, a long-range variant known as the A321LR, and finally the A321XLR
The A321XLR can fly for up to 11 hours with a maximum range of 4,700 nautical miles – around 15% further than the A321LR variant.
Based on the standard A321neo aircraft, the XLR variant has an additional fuel tank that makes its long-haul range possible.
What other airlines have ordered the A321XLR?
Airbus has won a significant number of orders for its A321XLR, including from:
- Aer Lingus
- Iberia
- Icelandair
- Air Canada
- Qantas
- United Airlines
- JetBlue
Which airlines are already operating the A321XLR?
Given that the A321XLR only received its so-called ‘type certification’ from European regulators in July 2024, there are still only a limited number of airlines operating the aircraft.
Spanish flag carrier Iberia became the launch customer in November 2024, when it launched transatlantic flights between Madrid and Boston. Aer Lingus followed a short time later with its own transatlantic flights using the A321XLR.
In May, budget carrier Wizz Air took delivery of its first A321XLR, and a month later, Qantas also started to operate the aircraft type.
I could see AA using these on some TATL crossings from Boston or even someplace like Pittsburg. I’m going to guess than they will use it for secondary routes, as you suggest. Also, they may use it mostly on “Long and Thin” routes to take advantage of it’s range and seasonal demand issues. Your Edinburgh example is also a good one.
Miami-Milan would never work. However, Miami-Gran Canaria would be a hit