On the last trade day of the 53rd Paris Air Show, Airbus and JetBlue have announced that the New York JFK based low-cost-carrier has converted 13 of its 72 orders for the A321neo to the A321XLR. Airbus launched the increased range A321XLR at the Paris Air Show earlier this week. In addition, JetBlue has firmed up a further ten options for the Airbus A220-300, taking its order total to 70, with 50 more options still available.
In April this year, JetBlue announced that it will start flights to Europe in 2021. The A321XLR would allow the airline to open up its European route network to reach further eastern destinations over that of the A321LR, of which JetBlue has an order for 13. It would also allow for European routes from the airline’s popular focus city Fort Lauderdale in Florida.
The Airbus A220-300 is set to replace its Embraer E190 regional fleet, and once complete, it will make JetBlue an all Airbus operator.
Matt is a Berlin-based writer and reporter for International Flight Network. Originally from London, he has been involved in aviation from a very young age and has a particular focus on aircraft safety, accidents and technical details.