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Airbus A321XLR begins 10-day flight test program
September 14th 2023
Airbus’s A321XLR has commenced a 10-day route-proving campaign as part of the long-range narrow-body's certification process. Read More » The fifteen flights being operated in the 10 days will test the functionality and reliability (FnR) of the type with a mix of operator profiles, climatic conditions, flight durations and airport turnaround times. “This is where the A321XLR demonstrates its systems maturity, well before entry-into-service, with a target of approximately 100 hours flying time over 10 days in as close to airline operating conditions as possible,” Airbus said in a social media post. The air framer is targeting 2024 for European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) certification of the A321XLR, which is configured for 180-220 passengers and has a published range of 4,700nm. “For our certification obligations we will provide a report to EASA within two weeks from the end of the exercise because we have to present proof we have completed the 150 hours needed from a regulation point of view,” Airbus lead flight test engineer for the A321XLR FnR testing, Jim Fawcett, said.
