Airbus SE marketed its A321XLR as offering widebody-jet capabilities at narrowbody economics, an attractive proposition to low-cost airlines seeking to expand their radius. Now some customers are showing buyer’s remorse as they struggle to unlock those advantages.
The A321XLR was supposed to open long-haul routes for Wizz Air Holdings Plc, Frontier Airlines Inc. and JetBlue Airways Corp., with the trio ordering a combined 78 XLRs. But the airlines may end up taking just 23 units, some saying the plane’s real range is shorter than advertised when it’s full of people and luggage.
An Airbus A321 XLR.
Photographer: Matthieu Rondel/Bloomberg
The extra fuel tank, touted ...
