Qantas Orders 20 More Airbus A321XLRs, 16 with Lie-Flat Business Seats

The A321XLR has already entered the Qantas fleet and its operations, however, until now it had only been seen as an aircraft for medium range flights. With the new Qantas A321XLR order expansion the airline is looking at changing considerably the way it operates its long haul flights.

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Qantas Expands A321XLR Fleet

Qantas has been moving closer and closer to Airbus over the past years. It chose the A350-1000ULR as the aircraft for its ambitious “Project Sunrise” and has also placed orders for the A321XLR which is winning over so many airlines around the globe. It’s winning over Qantas even more as the airline has announced it is increasing its standing order, with a significant difference to the past.

Qantas Orders 20 More Airbus A321XLRs

Qantas is liking the idea of having a long range capable narrow body plane so much it has further increased its backlog with Airbus. Until 2025 Qantas primarily relied on the Boeing 737 for its short and medium haul operations. However that is changing with the first A321 arrivals.

The Aussie carrier has decided to invest more in the Airbus A321 for its fleet renovation by ordering additional 20 units. That drives up the total number of A321XLR ordered to 48.

The A321XLR has the additional benefit of being capable of serving long distance route while maintaining the economics of a narrow body plane. So far though Qantas has only received these planes with recliners in Business class which doesn’t make them suitable for real long range routes and operations.

16 A321XLRs with Lie-Flat Business Class Seats

What sets the new planes ordered apart from the prior 28 is the fact that these will truly be equipped for long haul duties. Instead of the recliners in Business class they will come with 16 flat bed capable seats.

Having those seats will make them compatible with operations to southeast Asia and the Pacific Islands from any of Australia’s major cities. This will be a game changer addition for Qantas operations. The airline will have the possibility of opening new routes that were prior deemed unprofitable or not possible due to aircraft incompatibility with the airfields.

Qantas A321XLR Routes and Delivery Timeline

The first two Airbus A321XLR have already arrived in Australia, they bear registrations VH-OGA VH-OGB. They, however, feature the non long range configuration featuring 20 recliner business class seats in a 2-2 layout. This aircraft configuration will continue to be delivered in coming months and years.

Five more are expected to fly down under by the end of the financial year (in Australia it ends in June) bringing the fleet up to 7. There will be a bit of a wait for the new configuration to start being delivered. Additionally in 2027 Jetstar, Qantas’ low-cost carrier, is also expected to receive its first A321XLR configured for international flights. That leaves the door open on what seat type Jetstar will have in Business class.

Sydney–Perth and Domestic Routes

The currently delivered Airbus A321XLRs, those with the short haul configuration, will start operating on domestic services at first. The first routes Qantas will deploy these brand new planes on are the busy Sydney to Melbourne route and the long transcontinental flight from Sydney to Perth.

Only at a later stage will Qantas start deploying them also on Pacific international routes. That means on flights to New Zealand and the other smaller islands regularly served deeper in the Pacific Ocean.

First Lie-Flat A321XLR Deliveries in 2028

As for the new Qantas Airbus A321XLR configured planes, those featuring the flat bed seats, the first delivery is marked on the airline’s calendar for 2028. From that point onwards Qantas will have this new sparkling arrow in its quiver to use.

Furthermore, Qantas will be the first airline in the Asia-Pacific region to operate this aircraft type which is already disrupting the transatlantic market status quo in between Europe and America.

A321XLR Capabilities and Benefits

The Airbus A321XLR is a game changer for any airline that starts using it for its flights. The airliner is capable of serving long distance routes will retaining the economics of a narrow body plane. It might not be the most comfortable for passengers seated in the back but it will certainly help boost profits and margins.

A321XLR Range: Up to 8,700 km

The main characteristic of the A321XLR is its impressive range. Thanks to its additional fuel tanks it can cover distances of up to 8,7000KM.

That would put all of southeast Asia, southern India, Eastern China, South Korea and Japan all within range from Sydney.

New Nonstop Routes to Asia and Pacific

Undoubtedly Qantas is already planning how it will put this new A321XLR variant to good use. There will be new routes and on some the A321 will certainly replace wide body planes to increase profit margins, particularly during low season.

Qantas A321XLR to Replace Boeing 737s

More investments in the A321 means the relationship with the Boeing 737 is coming to an end. As more A321 planes join the Qantas fleet the 737s will be, at a progressively faster rate, retired. That will also mean that there will only be 1 Boeing aircraft type in the entire Qantas main line (excluding QantasLink) fleet, the Boeing 787.

Customer Experience Upgrades

The A321XLR is a phenomenal tool for airlines to increase their profit margins. But it isn’t always the most comfortable way to travel for passengers. However there are some things to praise about this new aircraft type. Aspects that will improve the overall passenger experience.

Lie-Flat Business Class on Narrowbody Aircraft

The first that comes to mind is at the pointy end of the plane, in business class. Here there will be 16 lie-flat seats which will be on the same level as those on wide body planes. That means that, at least extending to these planes, there will no longer be a discrepancy of service type between wide body and narrow body planes in Business class.

Seatback Entertainment and Free Wi-Fi

Consistency will also be better in Economy class where each seat back will have its entertainment screen. Exactly as is the case on Qantas’ fleet of wide body planes serving long haul services. Another nice perk will be the complimentary Wi-Fi service which is becoming something most passengers have come to expect on premium carriers.