One year ago Qantas announced it was ordering the Airbus A321 XLR for delivery from 2024.
It was exciting news, potentially opening up new markets and pumping out further profits
for the airline. But a lot has happened in the past year. What’s happening with the
future Qantas A321 XLR fleet?
The airline had announced in May that it was deferring some aircraft deliveries. But that
deferral did not include the A321 XLR. These planes are still on track for delivery within
the original timeframes as the May announcement deferred three Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners and
18 Airbus A321neos slated to go to Jetstar.
When Qantas ordered 36 of the A321 XLRs last June, the airline kept its options open regarding
future plans. The order added to an existing Airbus order of twenty-eight A321LRs and forty-five
A320neos. Qantas CEO, Alan Joyce, said at the time;
“We’ll take a decision closer to the time about which parts of the Group will use these
aircraft, but there is plenty of potential across Qantas and Jetstar. We’ll also take
a view on whether they are used to replace older aircraft or whether they are used for
growth, which will depend on what’s happening in the market.”
While the big birds like the A380s and Boeing 747s get all the attention, the core of Qantas’
fleet are single-aisle Boeing 737-800s. There are 80 of these Boeings, and none of them
are getting any younger. At least half the 80 planes are over ten years old.
In November 2019, hairline cracks were found in the pickle forks of three older Qantas
737s, putting the spotlight on the aircraft type. At the time, Alan Joyce said he would
decide on the 737’s replacement aircraft sometime this year, saying:
“The replacements are not needed until the end of the next decade, the 2020s, but given
how fast aircraft orders are filling up, you need to make a decision, we think, in 2020,”
We think it’s likely a new A321XLR will replace a 737-800 on certain routes. However,
the capacity of the incoming A321XLR is problematic as it is substantially bigger than the 737-800.
Depending on cabin configuration, the incoming planes can carry up to 244 passengers- significantly
more than the 174 passengers squeezed onto a Qantas 737-800.
Qantas 28 A330s mostly handle that regional market and also fly medium-haul routes into
Asia. Qantas has multiple configurations of this aircraft type, but mostly they seat around
250 passengers in a two-class cabin. The A321XLR is an obvious candidate to replace older A330s
on some routes.
Then there’s Jetstar, Qantas’ low-cost subsidiary. It flies an all-Airbus fleet around
Australia but does send Dreamliners into Asia. The A321XLR could fit nicely into Jetstar’s
international operations. This would allow the Dreamliners to go back to Qantas, supplementing
its long-haul fleet and further eroding the need for the A380s.
While the A321xlr is too big for many of Jetstar’s domestic sectors, it’s certainly an option
for some routes. Where to slot these 36 new planes will be
keeping some people occupied at Qantas. Because of the A321XLR’s size, it is not a catch-all
solution to the aging 737-800s and might be a more obvious candidate to replace the A330s
and free up some Dreamliners. Delivery is still four years away, and a lot
can happen between now and then. All we know for sure is that right now, the A321XLR order
remains in place and on track. Do you think Qantas will keep its A321XLR
order? Let us know in the comments.