The Airbus A321 is the longest variant of the Airbus A320 family of short-to-medium-range, narrow-body, commercial passenger twin-engine jet airliners. It's essentially a stretched version of the A320, designed to offer increased capacity for denser routes while maintaining the commonality benefits of the A320 family.
Here are its main characteristics:
- Type: Narrow-body, twin-engine jet airliner.
- Family: The largest member of the A320 family, which includes the A318, A319, A320, and A321.
- Capacity: Typically seats between 185 and 230 passengers in a two-class configuration, but can accommodate up to 236 in a high-density layout.
- Range: While designed for higher capacity, modern variants like the A321neo (New Engine Option) and especially the A321LR (Long Range) and A321XLR (Extra Long Range) offer impressive transcontinental and even transatlantic capabilities, blurring the lines between narrow-body and wide-body operations.
- First Flight: Made its maiden flight in March 1993.
- Distinguishing Features: The most obvious feature is its significantly longer fuselage compared to the A320. To handle the increased length and weight, it often features larger main landing gear tires and sometimes a double-slotted flap system. Like other A320 family members, it utilizes a highly automated digital fly-by-wire flight control system.
- Usage: Popular with airlines for high-demand domestic routes, regional flights, and increasingly, with the A321LR/XLR, for longer international flights where a smaller, more efficient aircraft is preferred over a wide-body.
The A321 offers airlines a highly versatile tool, allowing them to carry more passengers efficiently on existing routes or open up new, longer routes with a narrow-body aircraft, benefiting from the operational commonality with the rest of the A320 family.
