Qantas has had to cancel arrival celebrations for its first Airbus A321XLR, VH-OGA Great Ocean Road, which was due to arrive in Sydney on this morning, after departing the Airbus facility in Hamburg, Germany, earlier this week.
The arrival of its first A321XLR is a significant moment for Qantas but the carrier said there will be opportunities over the coming months to celebrate the milestone.
Earlier this week, flight QF6041 departed Hamburg for Bangkok, making history as the longest A321XLR flight operated by a commercial airline at more than 9,600 kilometres. The aircraft then continued on from Bangkok to Sydney, a journey of over 7,600 kilometres, and touched down at Sydney Airport on Wednesday 2 July, shortly after 10am. The total journey from Hamburg to Sydney took 42 hours door to door with 21 hours of flying time.
This delivery follows the successful completion of the aircraft’s customer acceptance flight last Tuesday and represents a pivotal step in the Group’s historic fleet renewal program. The A321XLR’s 8,700 kilometre (4,700 nautical mile) range – the longest of any narrowbody aircraft – will open up new opportunities for the national carrier.
More than 45,000 hours of training have already been completed across the organisation in preparation for the new aircraft, with nearly 1,000 team members trained – including pilots, cabin crew, engineers, and ground staff.
The aircraft is the first of 28 A321XLRs Qantas has on order. It offers the widest cabin of any narrowbody aircraft globally, with space for 60 per cent more bags, wider economy class seats, more economy and business class seats, and larger windows than the Boeing 737. The spacious interior also offers ambient LED lighting and higher ceilings.
The XLRs will feature only 20 business class seats. Among the new features are cabin bins that will fit four 10kg wheelie bags above every three seats, leaving ample room for carry-on luggage, making turnaround faster.
The new aircraft type also marks another step toward more sustainable air travel, incorporating advanced lightweight materials and design technologies that can enable reduced fuel burn and lower emissions per seat on like-for-like sectors, when compared to previous generation aircraft.
“It has been incredibly exciting to be in Hamburg with our team to officially take delivery of our first Airbus A321XLR,” Qantas Domestic CEO Markus Svensson said.
“We are proud to be the first A321XLR operator in Asia Pacific and its arrival will mark the beginning of an exciting new chapter for Qantas and a significant step forward in enhancing the experience we offer our customers.”
