The world’s newest airplane has changed the game by opening new routes to dozens of international destinations.
The Airbus A321XLR is a single-aisle jet, but it can fly 800 miles further than the Airbus A321neo.
This lets airlines fly it across the Atlantic to cities that wouldn’t be popular enough to fill a wide-body airplane. Most XLRs also have lie-flat seats in business class to make the longer journeys comfortable.
Plus, as part of the Airbus A320 family, the world’s most popular aircraft type, the jet is easy for pilots and flight attendants to adapt to. It has very similar controls to the standard A320, with only a few changes in systems related to long-haul flights and an extra fuel tank.
That’s ideal for airlines because it means their pilots only need a short training session to fly it, rather than a whole new type rating.
Last week, United Airlines and American Airlines unveiled a combined nine new international routes using the XLR. These are set to launch next year, but tickets can be booked now.
In addition to compiling airline announcements, Business Insider tracked 32 XLRs on Flightradar24 to see where they have been flying this month.
While there are another six in service with Wizz Air, the airline has been excluded from this list because it changed its strategy and now uses them on the same routes as typical narrow-body airplanes.
The Airbus A321XLR has opened routes to dozens of new cities, mostly between Europe and North America.
Not pictured here are another seven transcontinental or cross-country routes in the US, Canada, and Australia.
For the routes closest to you, try this interactive map.
Hover over each icon to see the destinations available from different cities around the world.
Aer Lingus
The Irish flag carrier was the second airline to start flying the XLR. All six that Aer Lingus ordered have been delivered.
From Dublin, it flies to Cleveland, Hartford, Indianapolis, Minneapolis, Nashville, New York JFK, Philadelphia, Raleigh-Durham, and Washington, DC.
In addition to these nine routes, Aer Lingus sometimes uses the XLR for short-haul flights around Europe. That lets the airline get the most out of them, keeping them in frequent use, while also showing their versatility.
Air Canada
Canada’s national airline started flying the XLR in June. Three of the 30 it has ordered are currently operating.
It flies them from Montreal to Berlin, Calgary, and the French cities of Nantes and Toulouse. Airbus has its headquarters in the latter.
American Airlines
American Airlines is one of two US carriers on this list, but it started flying the XLR first, beginning last December.
It ordered 40, and seven of those are flying today.
As of September 2026, it flies from New York JFK to Edinburgh and Los Angeles, and between Boston and Los Angeles.
However, in late August, American Airlines announced four new XLR routes for 2027, which are now open for booking:
- JFK to Amsterdam, starts March 28
- Philadelphia to Porto, Portugal, starts March 28
- JFK to Nice, France, starts May 6
- Philadelphia to Vienna, starts May 6
Iberia
Spain’s flag carrier was the first airline to receive an XLR and started flying it in November 2024. All eight that Iberia ordered have now been delivered.
From Madrid, it flies to Boston, the Dominican Republic, Newark, Puerto Rico, Toronto, Washington DC, and the Brazilian cities of Recife and Fortaleza.
Like Aer Lingus, Iberia occasionally uses its A321XLRs on short hops around Europe.
Qantas
The Australian airline operates seven XLRs and has another 41 on order.
At the moment, they are used for flights between Australia’s major cities, which could be operated by a regular narrow-body jet.
It plans to use the XLR for longer flights: Manila was supposed to be its first international use in October, but this has been postponed.
The first of its 16 configured with new business-class suites is scheduled to arrive in 2028.
United Airlines
United Airlines is set to become the largest operator of the XLR as things stand: It has ordered 50.
However, only one has been delivered so far. After Business Insider toured the jet at July’s Farnborough Airshow, it has flown a few times, mostly around the US.
United will launch the XLR in earnest on December 1, when it is scheduled to fly from Washington Dulles Airport to Amsterdam and Dublin.
Last week, it also announced a handful of new routes for 2027 that are open for booking:
- Newark to Luxembourg, starts April 2
- Washington, DC, to Toulouse, starts April 26
- Newark to Ibiza, Spain, starts May 31
- Newark to Valencia, Spain, starts June 2
- Newark to Marseille, France, starts June 4
Read the original article on Business Insider
The post A new plane is changing how airlines think about long-haul flights. Here’s everywhere you can fly on the Airbus A321XLR. appeared first on Business Insider.
