Aer Lingus welcomes two brand new planes to its fleet for transatlantic flights

The first two of six brand new planes have been welcomed to the Aer Lingus fleet at Dublin Airport.

The two new Airbus A321XLR aircraft, registered as EI-XLR St Lelia / Liadhain and EI-XLT St Melanie / Mella, are the first two of six new planes bound for Aer Lingus to serve existing transatlantic routes and fly customers to new destinations such as Nashville and Indianapolis in 2025.

The A321XLR is a single-aisle extra-long-range aircraft flying up to 8,700km, a 15 per cent increase in range compared to the A321LR. Aer Lingus is the second airline in the world to operate the A321XLR as well as the second in the International Airlines Group (IAG).

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The new aircraft’s long-range capabilities enable Aer Lingus to connect customers in comfort to new destinations and serve existing routes on its transatlantic network, with 18 routes to the United States now offered by the airline from Dublin Airport.

Customers travelling on the A321XLR will enjoy more space on board the widest single-aisle aircraft cabin on the market. The aircraft features larger overhead bins, allowing 60 per cent more cabin bags, as well as more comfort in wider seats, the latest technology for in-flight entertainment and acoustic engineering for quieter cabins.

The Aer Lingus A321XLR is configured with 184 seats in a two-class layout, featuring 16 full-flat Business Class and 168 Economy Class seats. The aircraft also has up to 20 per cent lower fuel burn per seat than similar previous generation aircraft and is capable of operating with up to 50 per cent Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF).

Georgia-Jane McCann, senior cabin crew; and James Harmon, senior cabin crew with the new Airbus A321XLR
(Image: Naoise Culhane)

Commenting on the new planes, Lynne Embleton, Chief Executive, Aer Lingus, said: “The arrival of our two new Airbus A321XLRs mark a significant milestone for Aer Lingus.

“The long-range capabilities of the XLR enable us to travel deeper into North America, offering previously unserved markets greater connectivity to Europe through our Dublin hub. Both new XLR aircraft will operate on our newly announced routes to Nashville and Indianapolis for summer 2025.

“Looking ahead, we’re on target to expand our XLR fleet from two to six aircraft in 2025, further strengthening our position as a market leader in North American connectivity."

Benoît de Saint Exupéry, Airbus Chief Commercial Officer, added: "Aer Lingus becomes the latest operator of the world's newest single-aisle aircraft: the A321XLR.

“It will truly revolutionise long-haul travel, allowing airlines to tap into new exciting city pairings as will be demonstrated by Aer Lingus. We stand alongside Aer Lingus and will together make its growing fleet of A321XLRs a resounding success operationally and with passengers."

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