United Airlines expects to take delivery of its first Airbus A321XLR in January 2026, when the long-range narrowbody jets will start replacing United’s ageing Boeing 757s.
Patrick Quayle, United’s senior vice-president of global network planning and alliances, said on a 9 October call with reporters that the XLR is not expected to play a role in the carrier’s planned network expansion next spring, which includes flights to Greenland and Mongolia.
“It will arrive after the summer season,” he says, hinting that the XLR will eventually unlock “even more unique stuff” as United continues identifying off-the-beaten-path destinations.
The Chicago-headquartered carrier ordered 50 XLRs in 2019, anticipating the need to move on from its fleet of relatively inefficient Boeing 757-200s.
Airbus secured European certification of the XLR, covering the CFM International Leap-1A version, days before Farnborough air show in late July. Certification of the Pratt & Whitney PW1100G-powered version is expected this year.
Airbus’s higher-weight XLR was approved by European regulators on 11 October.
Earlier this month, IAG carrier Aer Lingus announced plans to launch direct flights next summer from Dublin to Nashville using XLRs.
IAG, set to be the first customer for the XLR, is expecting imminent delivery of the type its Spanish subsidiary airline Iberia.
