Qantas' first A321XLR en route to Australia

Following the official handover last week, Qantas’ first Airbus A321XLR, VH-OGA Great Ocean Road, has just departed the Airbus facility in Hamburg, Germany, and will arrive in Sydney on the morning of Wednesday 2 July. Flight QF6041 will fly from Hamburg to Bangkok, making history as the longest A321XLR flight operated by a commercial airline at more than 9,600 kilometres. The aircraft will then continue on from Bangkok to Sydney, a journey of over 7,600 kilometres, and will touch down at Sydney Airport on Wednesday morning shortly after 10am. The total journey from Hamburg to Sydney will take 42 hours door to door with 21 hours of flying time. 

This delivery follows the successful completion of the aircraft’s customer acceptance flight last Tuesday and represents a pivotal step in the Group’s historic fleet renewal program. The A321XLR’s 8,700 kilometre (4,700 nautical mile) range—the longest of any narrowbody aircraft—will open up new opportunities for the national carrier. More than 45,000 hours of training have already been completed across the organisation in preparation for the new aircraft, with nearly 1,000 team members trained—including pilots, cabin crew, engineers, and ground staff. 

The aircraft is the first of 28 A321XLRs Qantas has on order. It offers the widest cabin of any narrowbody aircraft globally, with space for 60 per cent more bags, wider economy class seats, more economy and business class seats, and larger windows than the Boeing 737. The spacious interior also offers ambient LED lighting and higher ceilings. 

The new aircraft type also marks another step toward more sustainable air travel, incorporating advanced lightweight materials and design technologies that can enable reduced fuel burn and lower emissions per seat on like-for-like sectors, when compared to previous generation aircraft. 

Qantas Domestic CEO Markus Svensson commented:  “It has been incredibly exciting to be in Hamburg with our team to officially take delivery of our first Airbus A321XLR. We are proud to be the first A321XLR operator in Asia Pacific and its arrival will mark the beginning of an exciting new chapter for Qantas and a significant step forward in enhancing the experience we offer our customers.” 

The delivery flight can be tracked on Flightradar24 here.