Aer Lingus has taken delivery of its first two new Airbus A321XLR aircraft in Dublin Airport. Registered as EI-XLR St Lelia / Liadhain and EI-XLT St Melanie / Mella, the aircraft are the first two of six new Airbus A321XLR’s bound for Aer Lingus to serve existing transatlantic routes and fly customers to new destinations such as Nashville and Indianapolis in 2025.

The A321XLR is a single-aisle extra-long-range aircraft flying up to 8,700km, a 15% increase in range compared to the A321LR. Aer Lingus is the second airline in the world to operate the A321XLR as well as the second in the International Airlines Group (IAG).

The new aircraft’s long-range capabilities enable Aer Lingus to connect customers in comfort to new destinations and serve existing routes on its transatlantic network, with 18 routes to the United States now offered by the airline from Dublin Airport.

Customers travelling on the A321XLR will enjoy more space on board the widest single-aisle aircraft cabin on the market. The aircraft features larger overhead bins allowing 60% more cabin bags, as well as more comfort in wider seats, the latest technology for in-flight entertainment and acoustic engineering for quieter cabins. The Aer Lingus A321XLR is configured with 184 seats in a two-class layout featuring 16 full-flat Business Class and 168 Economy Class seats.

The aircraft also has up to 20% lower fuel burn per seat than similar previous generation aircraft and is capable of operating with up to 50% Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF).

Commenting Lynne Embleton, Chief Executive, Aer Lingus, said: “The arrival of our two new Airbus A321XLRs mark a significant milestone for Aer Lingus. The long-range capabilities of the XLR enable us to travel deeper into North America, offering previously unserved markets greater connectivity to Europe through our Dublin hub. Both new XLR aircraft will operate on our newly announced routes to Nashville and Indianapolis for summer 2025. Looking ahead, we’re on target to expand our XLR fleet from two to six aircraft in 2025, further strengthening our position as a market leader in North American connectivity."

Benoît de Saint Exupéry, Airbus Chief Commercial Officer, added: "Aer Lingus becomes the latest operator of the world's newest single-aisle aircraft: the A321XLR. It will truly revolutionise long-haul travel, allowing airlines to tap into new exciting city pairings as will be demonstrated by Aer Lingus. We stand alongside Aer Lingus and will together make its growing fleet of A321XLRs a resounding success operationally and with passengers."

For more information and to book flights, visit aerlingus.com.

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Editors’ notes

About the XLR

Business Class cabin

There are 16 spacious Thompson Vantage seats that lie fully flat, allowing customers to maximise their rest as they fly.

Each seat has its own mood lighting, massage function and lumbar support, as well as in-seat power and extra space for personal belongings.

The new aircraft uses the latest in-flight entertainment systems in both Business Class and Economy. In the Business Class cabin, there's 18-inch screens with 4k and Bluetooth connectivity, allowing our customers to enjoy our large selection of new release movies, classic films, tv boxsets, and games in style.

Economy cabin

The next-generation Recaro seats have a 30-31 inch pitch for additional space and leather headrests that can be adjusted to maximise comfort.

Like in the Business Class cabin, there’s a USB-C power connection and extra space for personal belongings and customers can enjoy endless hours of entertainment on 12-inch screens with 4k and Bluetooth connectivity.

The inflight entertainment systems are incredibly intuitive and user friendly, making them easy for all our customers to navigate with ease.

For those who like to keep track of their journey, the latest 3D satellite imagery and interactive maps will allow them to keep up to speed in real-time. 

About Aer Lingus

Aer Lingus is the Irish flag carrier, founded in 1936. Aer Lingus operates over 100 routes from Dublin, Cork, Shannon and Knock to Europe, the UK and North America. Reaffirming its commitment to North America, the airline will operate 24 transatlantic routes in 2025 from Dublin, Shannon and Manchester, UK to North America and the Caribbean.

Aer Lingus is a 4-star airline, awarded by Skytrax, the international air transport rating organisation. Aer Lingus is a member of International Airlines Group (IAG), one of the world’s largest airline groups. As part of IAG, Aer Lingus has pledged to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050 and has committed to powering 10% of its flights using sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) by 2030.