Airbus ended 2021 on a high note, as it received a large order from Aviation Capital Group on December 30th.
This came just days after confirming an even larger order with Air Lease Corporation and announcing agreements with Qantas and the Air France-KLM Group two weeks prior. So, with this massive wave of optimism expected to arrive at the end of 2021, what can we expect from the European planemaker in 2022?
The A321XLR has a pivotal year ahead of it.
The year 2022 will be critical for Airbus and its A321XLR. With hundreds of orders already placed for its extra-long-range A321neo variant, the planemaker will need to ensure that its first working prototype is fit to fly and can pass all necessary certification tests before mass production can begin. All of this critical airworthiness testing will take place over the next year.
Philippe Mhun, Airbus’ Executive Vice President of Programs and Services, told Aviation Week Network in June 2021 that flight tests would begin in 2022, with the aircraft entering service in 2023. This timeline appears to be accurate, as Airbus displayed a nearly finished A321XLR in early December.
As a result, many of the standard milestones for any new aircraft type as it enters service will occur in 2022, including:
Structural testing on the ground
The first flight
A flight test campaign in which the jet will be subjected to extreme conditions. Among the activities included in the testing are the following:
Trials of water ingestion
Tests of low-speed take-off
Flutter examinations
Takeoffs and landings were rejected.
EASA and FAA certification for the aircraft (and its engines) in pursuit of a Type Certificate.
The A350F campaign will continue.
Airbus officially launched its A350F program in 2021, introducing a freighter variant to its flagship widebody twinjet. While this new and upcoming type hasn’t seen the same astronomical levels of success in terms of orders as the A321XLR, the planemaker has found interested parties from all over the world. They are as follows:
READ ALSO: Airbus Poised To Seal Second A350 Freighter Sale After Dubai
Air Lease Corporation has placed an order for seven Singapore Airlines has placed an order for seven CMA CGM has placed an order for four and the Air France-KLM Group has placed an order for four
While orders are slowly coming in and computer mock-ups and promotional graphics are being created, the type is still a long way from entering service. Indeed, Airbus appears to be aiming for in 2025, the first of its kind will be delivered. As a result, Airbus will quietly develop the A350F in the background while continuing to secure interest and orders for the jet in 2022.
