Holding a degree in Aerospace Technology, Tom is a certified pilot and a passionate specialist in European aviation. As Content Manager of Simple Flying, he leads the content team overseeing all aspects of Simple Flying's daily output. Tom works closely with airlines around the world to provide topical content and has provided commentary for other outlets, including the BBC. Based in Frankfurt, Germany.
This week, Simple Flying met with the Group CEO of Air Arabia, Adel Ali, in Frankfurt ahead of the airline's route launch to the German city on December 15. Among the many topics of conversation was the airline's Airbus A321XLR order. With the first of the type due to join the airline next year, we wanted to find out what to expect from the new aircraft at Air Arabia.
The Airbus A321XLR would put the United States within range of the airline's Moroccan subsidiary. Ali confirmed this to Simple Flying, saying, "We may consider [transatlantic flights], but it is not in our plan at the moment." The Airbus A321XLR has an advertised range of 4,700 NM (8,700 km), putting the US East Coast comfortably in range.
The US Is In Range But Not In The Plan
Speaking to Simple Flying, Ali clarified that transatlantic is "a different market" from what Air Arabia currently operates. He hopes the XLR will give the airline about 45 minutes more flying time than the current Airbus A321LR it flies. But a condition for deciding to fly west would require real-world XLR performance tied to proven demand from Morocco.
Airbus gives the range of the Airbus A321XLR as 4,700 NM or 8,700 km. That is calculated as a still-air max. Westbound headwinds and payload variations can cut the actual range on a flight-by-flight basis. However, the East Coast would be comfortably in range. In fact, the first Airbus A321XLR route from Iberia saw the aircraft connecting 
Madrid Barajas Airport (MAD) to 
Boston Logan International Airport (BOS) at a distance of 2,956 NM (5,475 km). This is around 50 km shorter than 
Casablanca Mohammed V International Airport(CMN) to Boston.
Adel Ali, Group CEO of Air Arabia, told Simple Flying,
"If the market demands from Morocco across the Atlantic, we may consider it, but it is not in our plan at the moment."
Where Will Air Arabia Fly The A321XLR First?
Air Arabia is looking into two main roles for the XLR once it joins the fleet. Firstly, the aircraft should give the carrier an extra 45 minutes of flight time over the LR. Ali said, "That will take us more into places such as Southeast Asia, into perhaps Jakarta, if we wanted to go into Hong Kong". But the aircraft will also make payloads more comfortable on the airline's existing long flights to London, and so on.
Each new aircraft that Air Arabia has added has increased range from the circa five-hour range of the A320ceo. The A320neo family added 45-60 minutes to the range, with the A321LR allowing Air Arabia to open Malaysia, Thailand, Milan, and London. London Gatwick takes around seven and a half hours on LR from Sharjah.
When asked how customers feel sitting on an all-economy narrowbody for almost an entire working day, Ali remarked that "The seat factors are good". I asked him if a "Eurobusiness" model blocking out the middle seat could be attractive for the airline. The short answer is not for now,
"It's not broken at the moment, so it doesn't need fixing. Will we do it one day? I wouldn't say no. But I also say it is not in the plan today."
No Widebody Aircraft Are Planned As Of Now
It seems that 4,700 nautical miles will be the limit of Air Arabia's network for the foreseeable future. While neighboring flydubai is awaiting the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, Air Arabia has no plans to add any widebodies to its fleet for the time being. Ali said the current narrowbody model is doing its job, remarking,
"I've always said that what we've got seems to be working, seems to be giving us the right margins, and reaches where we want to operate. Hence, we've not really looked into [widebodies]."
The Sharjah, UAE-headquartered airline remains in a period of growth. It will launch a new long-haul route to Frankfurt, Germany, in mid-December, having just launched a domestic Dammam hub in Saudi Arabia. The order for the Airbus A321XLR is part of a much larger order for 120 Airbus A320neo family aircraft placed at the 2019 Dubai Airshow.