Icelandair receives its first A321LR, ending Boeing’s reign
Airbus delivered the first A321LR to Icelandair, the flag carrier of Iceland, on Tuesday.
It is the carrier’s first Airbus aircraft, which until now had relied solely on Boeing jets (apart from a few Dash 8 turboprops used on local flights).
The A321LR is part of a lease agreement for four of the type signed with SMBC Aviation Capital Limited.
Icelandair does, however, have an order for 13 ultra-long-range A321XLRs, which will be delivered in the future.
With the narrow-body aircraft, the airline will retire its fleet of 13 Boeing 757s, two of which are the unusual, stretched 757-300 variant.
The A321LRs, which have a range of 4,000 nm (7,408 km), will be configured with 187 seats in two classes (22 Business Class seats and 165 Economy Class seats).
Icelandair currently has a fleet of 45 aircraft, of which 39 are Boeing jets. In addition to the 13 757s, there are five 767-300 wide-bodies and 21 737 MAX 8 and 9 versions.
Icelandair’s routes are concentrated in continental Europe and North America.
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