{"id":155752,"date":"2025-03-25T13:10:52","date_gmt":"2025-03-25T13:10:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/peraltafinancing.com\/aerospace\/wizz-air-delays-introduction-of-airbus-a321xlr-fleet\/"},"modified":"2025-03-25T13:10:52","modified_gmt":"2025-03-25T13:10:52","slug":"wizz-air-delays-introduction-of-airbus-a321xlr-fleet","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=155752","title":{"rendered":"Wizz Air delays introduction of Airbus A321XLR fleet"},"content":{"rendered":"


\n<\/p>\n

\n

In September 2024, AeroTime attended an exclusive launch event held by low-cost carrier Wizz Air in London. The event, hosted by the airline\u2019s CEO J\u00f3zsef V\u00e1radi, revealed the announcement that the carrier would be introducing the first of its factory-fresh Airbus A321XLR long-range narrowbodied aircraft on a new route being introduced between the UK and Saudi Arabia. \u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0<\/p>\n

Beginning on March 31, 2025, the airline\u2019s first Airbus A321XLR<\/a> (which is to be registered as G-XLRA), was to commence service on the carrier\u2019s new route between London-Gatwick Airport (LGW) and Jeddah (JED)<\/a> in Saudi Arabia, which covers a distance of 2,930 miles (4,688km).<\/p>\n

However, on March 24, 2025, the airline provided an update on this, stating that as the aircraft is still with Airbus in Hamburg, its delivery will be delayed by several days. Consequently, Wizz Air has pushed back the date that it will be introduced on the London-Jeddah route until April 10, 2025, buying the airline an additional eleven days to receive the aircraft and get it ready to enter revenue service.<\/p>\n

\"Wizz<\/source><\/picture>
Dirk Grothe \/ digroaero.com<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

However, the delay is not all bad news for passengers hoping they would be flying on the latest addition to the Wizz Air fleet. The airline has advised that the route launch will proceed as planned on March 31, 2025, albeit using one of its fleet of Airbus A321neos instead. However, although the aircraft are dimensionally similar, the A321neo does not have the additional fuel tanks and other modifications required to give it the range of the A321XLR.<\/p>\n

This means that the replacement A321neo will be forced to operate the route with fewer passengers, freeing up more weight for fuel and eradicating the need for a technical stop en route to refuel. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"LGW<\/source><\/picture>
GCmap.com<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Given that there will now be eleven rotations to Jeddah using the A321neo, there will be passengers who will be displaced from their booked flights due to the weight restriction. The westbound leg from Jeddah to Gatwick is likely to be affected most, as the high temperatures at Jeddah Airport impede aircraft take-off performance even more, requiring potentially even greater numbers of passengers to be offloaded. The westbound leg also takes around an hour longer, due to the prevailing eastbound headwinds.<\/p>\n