Skift Take

Developing new aircraft is rarely easy, but this fresh delay to the company’s flagship narrowbody jet program will come as a disappointment to Airbus and its customers.

Gordon Smith

The first of Airbus’ new line of jets won’t arrive as soon as expected. The setback was revealed today by CEO Guillaume Faury as the company published its annual results.

The Airbus A321XLR (Xtra-Long Range) is due to be the planemaker’s flagship single-aisle product. It builds upon the hugely successful A320 and A321 programs, which are already the cornerstone of fleets at JetBlue, Frontier Airlines, and easyJet.

The XLR has been in development for several years. When the project was first announced in 2019, a target of summer 2023 was given for the first delivery.