Is A321XLR the answer to Indian LCCs expansion plans to Europe?

Indigo, Vistara, AirAsia, Spicejet and Air India are all ordering Aircrafts to meet their international expansion Plans

Vistara and Air India are into Widebody Aircrafts whereas India’s largest carrier by Market Share Indigo is into Narrow Body aircrafts only

Problem with current Narrow Body Aircrafts is the range and with these aircraft’s airlines will not be able to fly nonstop from say Delhi and Mumbai to some of the worlds most popular destinations like London, Tokyo and Johannesburg

In order to address this concern Airbus was working on a Narrow Body Long Range aircraft and they have now come up with A321XLR

A321XLR is the latest extra long-range variant of A320 family with a range of 8,704 kms. Yes, you have read it right 8,704Kms!!

This aircraft can be an answer to Indian Low-Cost Airlines requirement to fly non stop flights from India to Europe, India to Far East Asia and India to West and South Africa

As you can observe this aircraft can open up various route combinations for Indian LCCs which they are not able to service currently. In addition, this aircraft boasts 30% lower fuel burn when compared to previous generation aircraft with seating capacity in the range of 180 to 220 seats

With the above configuration, making profits on these routes are quite clear and this can be a game changer for the Indian LCCs, as they can compete easily with Gulf Carriers on these routes

Let’s wait and watch how this aircraft changes the Indian carrier’s expansion plans to medium haul destinations like Europe, Africa and Far East!!!