Aer Lingus, the national carrier of the Republic of Ireland is poised to receive its first Airbus A321XLR direct from the manufacturer’s final assembly plant in Hamburg, Germany. Once handed over, the aircraft will then depart on its delivery flight directly to the Irish carrier’s main base at Dublin Airport where it will be prepared for commercial service.
The aircraft involved, aptly registered EI-XLR (MSN 11348) and named ‘Liadháin’ (pronounced “Leah-dawn”), was originally due to depart from Airbus’ Hamburg-Finkenwerder Airport (XFW) site on Friday, December 13, 2024, although this flight was then postponed until Tuesday, December 17, 2024, departing Hamburg at 19:15 and due to arrive in Dublin around 20:05 local time. However, once again, the delivery flight was delayed until Wednesday, December 18, 2024, and the aircraft is now due to leave Hamburg at 11:00 to arrive in Dublin around midday, according to data from Flightradar24.
The Irish flag carrier has been waiting for the arrival of its first A321XLR for some time, and in fact, had to wait even longer than originally planned. The carrier was due to become the worldwide launch customer for the type in October 2024. However, a long-running pay dispute between the airline and its pilot unions meant that the first aircraft (MSN 11504) was diverted to fellow IAG carrier Iberia, which began operating the plane registered as EC-OIL on transatlantic services in late November 2024.
The moment we’ve all been waiting for is finally here!
Aer Lingus is taking delivery of its brand-new A321XLR today! With the sleek registration EI-XLR and the beautiful name Liadháin (pronounced “Leah-dawn”), this aircraft is ready to take flight. We can expect a warm and… pic.twitter.com/AN2XUKDECp
— Dublin Flights And News (@DublinFlights_) December 13, 2024
The type will be used to spearhead Aer Lingus’ major expansion plans across the Atlantic Ocean in the coming months, with several new and existing routes seeing A321XLR service. With its range of 4,700 nautical miles, unmatched in the single-aisle aircraft arena, it is hoped by the airline that the new model will revolutionize its transatlantic operations and facilitate the carrier in operating more economical and efficient services between Ireland, the US, and Canada.
The carrier’s A321XLRs are expected to launch its recently announced new routes from Dublin to both Nashville and Indianapolis in the US in 2025. The first of these, serving Nashville International Airport (BNA) in Tennessee is due to launch on April 12, 2025 (as reported by AeroTime) and will operate year-round except during January and February 2026. Meanwhile, Flights between Dublin Airport and Indianapolis International Airport (IND) are due to commence on May 3, 2025, and will operate four times weekly to begin with.
Following the collective labor agreement reached between the airline and the Irish Air Line Pilots Association (IALPA) in July 2024, plans were quickly put back in place for the Irish carrier to receive its first two A321XLRs by the end of the year, with the first plane in the IAG batch having already been assigned to Iberia in Spain.
🔴 Aer Lingus is poised to take delivery of its first Airbus A321XLR, becoming the next operator of the type after Iberia. The airline’s second A321XLR (EI-XLT) was seen today performing a flight in full livery.
📸: Dirk Grothe/Airways #aerlingus #Airbus #Avgeek pic.twitter.com/LatlrHxpyh
— Airways Magazine (@airwaysmagazine) December 5, 2024
With EI-XLR due to be delivered on December 18, 2024, the second aircraft, registered EI-XLT (MSN 11590) is also still due by the end of 2024. The aircraft, named ‘St Mella’, was spotted earlier in December performing a test flight from Hamburg in full Aer Lingus colors and is expected to follow its sistership to Dublin in the coming days.