Airbus 321
| A321 | |
|---|---|
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|
| A Condor A321 | |
| Role | Narrow-body jet airliner |
| National origin | Multi-national |
| Manufacturer | Airbus |
| First flight | 11 March 1993 |
| Introduction | 1994 with Lufthansa |
| Status | In service |
| Primary users |
American Airlines China Southern Airlines China Eastern Airlines Turkish Airlines |
| Produced | 1992–present |
| Number built | 1,490 as of 30 April 2017[update] |
| Unit cost |
US$114.9 million
|
| Developed from | Airbus A320 |
| Developed into | Airbus A320neo family |
The Airbus A321 is a member of the Airbus A320 family of short- to medium-range, narrow-body, commercial passenger twin-engine jet airliners manufactured by Airbus. It was the first derivative of the baseline Airbus A320 aircraft, and carries up to 236 passengers with a maximum range of 3,200 nmi (5,900 km; 3,700 mi). Final assembly of the aircraft takes place in Hamburg, Germany or Mobile, Alabama in the US.
The A321 is a stretched-fuselage variant of the Airbus A320 and entered service in 1994 with Lufthansa, around six years after the original A320. The aircraft shares a common type rating with all other Airbus A320 family variants, allowing existing A320 family pilots to fly the aircraft without the need for further training.
In December 2010, Airbus announced a new generation of the A320 family, the A320neo (new engine option). The similarly lengthened fuselage A321neo variant offers new, more efficient engines, combined with airframe improvements and the addition of winglets, named Sharklets by Airbus. The aircraft will deliver fuel savings of up to 15%.
As of 30 April 2017, a total of 1,490 Airbus A321 aircraft have been delivered, of which 1,473 are in service. In addition, another 1,630 airliners are on firm order (comprising 245 A321ceo and 1,385 A321neo). As of April 2017, American Airlines was the largest operator of the Airbus A321, operating 210 aircraft.
The A321LR is a proposed long-range variant of the A321neo, which Airbus predicts provides an overall 25–30% lower operating cost than the Boeing 757 on routes of up to 4,100 nmi (7,600 km; 4,700 mi) where a wide-body would be uneconomical.
The Airbus A321 was the first derivative of the A320, also known as the Stretched A320, A320-500 and A325. Its launch came on 24 November 1988, around the same time as the A320 entered service, after commitments for 183 aircraft from 10 customers were secured. The aircraft would be a minimum-changed derivative, apart from a number of minor modifications to the wing, and the fuselage stretch itself. The wing would incorporate double-slotted flaps and minor trailing edge modifications, increasing the wing area from 124 m2 (1,330 sq ft) to 128 m2 (1,380 sq ft). The fuselage was lengthened by four plugs (two ahead and two behind the wings), giving the A321 an overall length of 6.94 metres (22 ft 9 in) longer than the A320. This is achieved by adding a 4.27 m (14 ft 0 in) front plug immediately forward of wing, and a 2.67 m (8 ft 9 in) rear plug. To maintain performance, double-slotted flaps were included, in addition to increasing the wing area by 4 m2 (43 sq ft), to 128 m2 (1,380 sq ft). Other minor modifications were made to accommodate the A321-100's 9,600 kg (21,200 lb) increase in maximum takeoff weight to 83,000 kg (183,000 lb). The length increase required the overwing exits of the A320 to be enlarged and repositioned in front of and behind the wings. The A321 is the largest variant of the A320 family. The centre fuselage and undercarriage were reinforced to accommodate the increase in maximum takeoff weight of 9,600 kg (21,200 lb), taking it to 83,000 kg (183,000 lb).
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