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Qantas receives first Airbus A321XLR amid fleet renewal

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Qantas receives first Airbus A321XLR amid fleet renewal
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Geoffrey Thomas Editor-In-Chief - US Bureau Chief | Airline Ratings

Qantas has taken delivery of its first Airbus A321XLR, marking a significant milestone in the airline's fleet renewal program. The aircraft, named VH-OGA Great Ocean Road, departed from the Airbus facility in Hamburg, Germany, and is expected to arrive in Sydney on July 2.

The journey includes a historic flight from Hamburg to Bangkok as QF6041, covering over 9,600 kilometers—the longest A321XLR flight operated by a commercial airline. From Bangkok, it will continue to Sydney, totaling more than 7,600 kilometers and arriving shortly after 10 am on Wednesday. The entire trip spans 42 hours door-to-door with 21 hours of flying time.

This event follows the successful customer acceptance flight last Tuesday and represents an important step for Qantas. The A321XLR offers a range of 8,700 kilometers (4,700 nautical miles), the longest for any narrowbody aircraft. This opens new opportunities for Qantas.

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Training for the new aircraft involved over 45,000 hours across nearly 1,000 team members including pilots and cabin crew. The aircraft is part of an order of 28 A321XLRs and features enhancements such as wider economy seats and larger windows compared to the Boeing 737.

The A321XLR also supports sustainable air travel with advanced materials that reduce fuel burn and emissions per seat on comparable routes versus older models.

Markus Svensson, CEO of Qantas Domestic stated: "It has been incredibly exciting to be in Hamburg with our team to officially take delivery of our first Airbus A321XLR. We are proud to be the first A321XLR operator in Asia Pacific."

Sharon Petersen from AirlineRatings.com added: "The A321XLR will open up a new suite of options for the Qantas network... For passengers, there’s greater overhead luggage space...and slightly wider seat width compared to the 737s."

The delivery flight can be tracked via Flightradar24.

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