Airlines SKY orders ten Airbus A321XLR

A firm purchase agreement has been signed between the manufacturer and SKY for 10 A321XLR aircraft. With the order, SKY shows its intention to expand its international footprint with the opening of new unserved markets.

Holger Paulmann, CEO of SKY commented: “This new aircraft fleet will allow us to expand our offer of international and wide-ranging routes, always under our successful low-cost model and its extremely convenient ticket prices. Now passengers can enjoy new and very attractive destinations on the most modern airplanes in the market.”

Arturo Barreira, President of Airbus Latin America, added: “We are delighted that SKY has selected the A321XLR to further expand its fleet of all Airbus aircraft. The A321XLR will allow SKY to offer its customers new destinations, such as direct flights from Santiago in Chile to Miami in the U.S.”

Airbus´ latest variant of its popular A321 is the XLR, which was presented on the Paris Air Show this year. The aircraft features additional fuel tanks that allow airlines to fly to destinations that are up to 4,700 nautical miles away. Compared with previous-generation aircraft, the A321XLR operates with a 30% lower fuel consumption per seat.

The aircraft was developed to meet the current market requirements for increased range and payload of a single-aisle aircraft. Also, Airbus wanted to prevent Boeing being the first one in this specific market. However, Boeing hasn´t been very communicative regarding a possible middle-of-the-market aircraft. This also led to American Airlines ordering 30 XLR aircraft lately.

SKY has been an Airbus customer for nearly 10 years and the aircraft can be smoothly integrated into the fleet, as the operator is currently flying with an all-Airbus fleet.

In Latin America, the Airbus Global Market Forecast (GMF) saw the need for 2,700 new aircraft in the next 20 years. Since 2002, the passenger traffic has doubled in the area and is expected to continue with this development over the next two decades.

Chile´s airline traffic is expected to increase from 0.89 trips per capita to 2.26 trips in 2038, according to GMF. This development requires modern and efficient aircraft, that put the least weight on the environment. SKY has taken the right choice in ordering the XLR aircraft.

Regarding its Latin America and Caribbean market, Airbus added: "Airbus has sold 1,200 aircraft, has a backlog of more than 600 and more than 700 in operation throughout Latin America and the Caribbean, representing a 60% market share of the in-service fleet. Since 1994, Airbus has secured nearly 70% of net orders in the region."

SKY Airline is a low-cost carrier that was founded in 2001. The airline has its main operational hub at Santiago Arturo Merino Benitez International Airport in Chile. The current fleet consists of nine Airbus A319s and 15 A320s, of which all are A320neo. SKY has a subsidiary airline in Peru as well, which was established this year.