En route to certification – The Airbus A321XLR embarks on first international test flights

The A321XLR program has initiated an international flight-test campaign known as ‘Functional and Reliability Testing’ (FnR) or ‘Route Proving.’ This campaign aims to contribute to the EASA Type Certification expected for the A321XLR in 2024. The primary goal of the FnR is to demonstrate the maturity of the A321XLR’s systems before it enters service, involving approximately 100 hours of flying time over ten days with no system power-down.

The testing includes sectors that represent typical airline operations, taking into account various operator profiles, climatic conditions, flight durations, and airport turnaround times. This testing will involve real airline cabin and flight crews, alongside Airbus test pilots, flight engineers, and a group of around 30 passengers.

The campaign will address certification requirements, improving system maturity, and working with early customers to demonstrate the aircraft’s capabilities and gather feedback. It will involve flying various routes, including transatlantic operations, with multiple crew changes and ground crews to simulate real airline service.

After the flight tests, the assessment phase will involve reporting to EASA for certification purposes and internal development objectives related to system maturity. The aim is to ensure that the A321XLR integrates seamlessly into existing airline fleets, with minimal operational differences compared to the regular A321neo.

The success of the campaign will be measured by the crews, passengers, and ground support teams’ feedback, aiming to make the A321XLR an easy addition to airline fleets.