Wizz Air receives first Airbus A321XLR at Hamburg ceremony

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Wizz Air receives first Airbus A321XLR at Hamburg ceremony

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Owain Jones Chief Commercial Officer of Wizz Air | Wizz Air

By Sky Industry News

May 26, 2025

Wizz Air has received its first Airbus A321XLR aircraft at a ceremony held at Airbus' Hamburg Finkenwerder site in Germany. This aircraft is the first of 47 that the airline plans to acquire. It is noteworthy as the first Airbus A321XLR powered by Pratt & Whitney engines and featuring a low-cost carrier cabin.

The delivery coincided with Wizz Air's 21st anniversary, marking over 437 million passengers flown to more than 200 destinations since its inception. The airline aims to expand further, with the new XLR playing a crucial role in launching some of its longest routes to date.

The handover event was attended by Owain Jones, Chief Commercial Officer of Wizz Air, and Christopher Zammert, Head of Program for the Airbus A320 family. Jones commented on the occasion: "We've always flown Airbus aircraft and we've always flown Pratt [& Whitney] powered engines... We can now go further into that big wide world than we’ve ever been before."

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The new aircraft is registered as G-XLRA under Wizz Air's UK subsidiary. It follows a similar naming convention used by British Airways for its fleet. G-XLRA has MSN 11631 and first flew on March 18th, 2025. It is the sixth XLR delivered globally, following deliveries to Iberia and Aer Lingus.

This A321XLR will have an all-economy cabin layout with seating for up to 239 passengers, similar to other Wizz Air A321XLRs but distinct from Iberia and Aer Lingus which include lie-flat beds.

Wizz Air plans to debut this aircraft on a route between London Gatwick Airport (LGW) and Jeddah in Saudi Arabia. Initially scheduled for March, the route was launched using a regular A321neo due to delays with the XLR model.

Additional routes for the new aircraft are yet to be announced; however, there are reports that Wizz Air is exploring more long-haul options within Europe’s vicinity.

Air Canada also expects to operate its initial A321XLRs shortly after receiving them. These operations will commence 'incognito' for training purposes before entering full commercial service.