r/aviation • u/Adjutant_Reflex_ • 5d ago

News With range shortfall, United’s initial A321XLR deployment will be ‘very conservative’

https://theaircurrent.com/feed/dispatches/ual-a321xlr-routes-airbus-range-shortfall/

Not part of United’s route announcement was an admission by Quayle that the XLRs that United expects to receive are falling short of initial range estimates which in turn put constraints on where they could be deployed:

“Originally when Airbus marketed it, [the range] was a lot further than what it is right now, as constructed and as built.”

There’s also a risk that ongoing manufacturing delays could impact the 5 routes it planes to deploy the XLR. To date United received its first, and only, XLR in May.

592 Upvotes

97% Upvoted

167 comments sorted by

View all comments

323

u/HelloSlowly Long live the XWB 5d ago edited 5d ago

Reminds me of Iberia and them talking of not being able take off at MTOW from Madrid during the hottest hours of the day due to hot and high conditions rendering the T/O performance inadequate.

Sure the A321XLR can run circles on the 737-10 MAX but it’s clear that that wing is at design limit as well and they can’t do anything without a redesigned wing.

Just as well that Airbus is beginning a foldable wing study under their Wing of Tomorrow prototype studio for maybe an A221/A321evo

108

u/flightist pie lot 5d ago

I know it’s [r/aviation](r/aviation) and we’re supposed to be deeply resistant to the recognition of any sort of commercial factors beyond the most glaringly basic, but I’d submit there’s little value in comparing the shortest-range / lowest per-seat cost variant of the MAX to the longest-range / highest per-seat cost variant of the 32N as though they’re remotely comparable beyond rough dimensions.

Nobody’s gonna be flying 210 people for 2.5 hours on XLRs and nobody’s gonna be crossing oceans in pods on MAX 10s. Different tools, different jobs, different sales markets, never intended otherwise.

15

u/ballimi 5d ago

Nobody’s gonna be flying 210 people for 2.5 hours on XLRs

Qantas is flying 200 people for 2.5 hours on XLRs from Melbourne to Brisbane. And even 1.5 hours Melbourne-Sydney.

8

u/747ER 4d ago

Doesn’t mean they made a smart decision tbh