Carrying on with my recent interest in the Airbus variants, I wished to fly, today, the Airbus A321, an interesting niche plane, which (remarkably) to this day, still remains (somewhat) a niche plane (see, below reference to "A321XLR"). This was the first (and stretched) derivative of the A320 (longer than A320 by more than 20 ft), just as the A340 (please see my earlier post on A340-600) was the (first) stretched derivative of the A300. 

A321 is the longest-fuselage member of Airbus' ever-popular (and best-selling), single-aisle A320 Family. Just as the (A340/A330/Skip A320/A310) were considered part of the A300 family (either stretched or shrunk), the (A321/A319/A318) are part of the A320 family (either stretched or shrunk). Since, the A320 family appeared, as the 2nd-stage competitive entry after A300, primarily aimed at B737/DC9, the derivatives of it (A318/A319/A321) were designated in single increment numbers, not 10s... (All the nearby ones, 310-through-340, were already taken...🙂...)

The stretch in the A321 is achieved by adding a front (fuselage) plug, 14 ft long, immediately forward of wing, and another 9 ft long rear plug (thus yielding a total stretch of about 23 ft, over the A320). The original A321 (now called A321ceo) can be likened to be in the class of B737-900 and B757-200, while the (newer) A321neo can be compared with the larger variants of the 737 MAX series. I've flown on the A321 on several occasions, and the A321 has been lately of (further) interest to me particularly because of its latest variant the "A321XLR", a derivative of A321neo, and an a/c exceptionally suited for extra-long range narrowbody (single aisle) operation. Here, the venerable Boeing 757 comes to mind...So, indeed, the A321XLR, is being looked at, by several airlines, as a potential replacement for the B757 (there are none other, so to speak, to take the place of the 757, especially in the freighter market). It seems, only a modernized version of the B757 (or equivalent) could fill the currently existing gap between the top end 737 MAX and bottom end 787, and also be in the same niche as the upcoming A321XLR... (to be seen what happens in that segment) ...

While no freighter version of the A321 has been factory-built by Airbus, 3rd-party (passenger-to freighter) conversions of A321 are taking place. The first such conversion of A321 (called "A321-200P2F") was delivered to launch operator Qantas Airways. And, of course, A321neo itself is another A321 variant that has also already entered service since 2017. Starting this year and beyond, it's expected that the original A321 (aka A321ceo) orders will gradually dwindle down to make room for the A321neo, which is dimensionally same as the A321ceo, but with increased engine thrust and MTOW performance characteristics etc.

So, the A321, of this post, seen, here, is the common base (dimensionally identical) for all the above modified variants of A321. The original A321 came equipped with two types of powerplants (CFM56 and IAE V2500), and the ones you see on the images, below (see close-up shots), are IAEs. The A321neo and its (above mentioned) extension (the A321XLR), use (CFM) LEAP-1A and PW1100 powerplants.

Hope you enjoy this sample of images of the Airbus A321(-231), similar to A320 in most respects (frankly, it's quite possible, early on, I might have even travelled on an A321 without even knowing it was not an A320...🙂...), except for a few significant differences, besides just length... (flying, here, in a lift-off sequence, in the fictional (but iconic and unforgettable) color of PANAM...) ...

Thanks for your interest...!!

Edited September 18, 20223 yr by P_7878

Nice shots! 😉 

Fine shots - again !

cheers 😉

Interesting. Having just jumped from my Boeing comfort zone to take on the FSLabs A320 I enjoyed this post. Certainly, an interesting and fun aircraft to explore.

Good looking shots !! .

John, pmplayer, and Will:

Thanks for the comments...glad you liked these images of the A321...!!

 

3 hours ago, Patco Lch said:

Interesting. Having just jumped from my Boeing comfort zone to take on the FSLabs A320 I enjoyed this post. Certainly, an interesting and fun aircraft to explore.

Why not...🙂...? It's a great idea to explore (and learn more about) the Airbus a/c via our SIMs...after the Boeings....I feel the same way as a (purely) virtual aviation enthusiast...And of course, the FSLabs  A320, in terms system-fidelity and realism, remains a classic...have fun with it...!

[Coming to think of it, the initial (Airbus) strategy to first attack the 3-engined (mid-range) market with a 2-engined (twin-aisle) widebody offering (A300), and then later coming back to the smaller narrowbody market (A320) ...was a smart move, indeed....and it has paid dividends...]

Cheers...!!