Airlines TAP Air Portugal receives first Airbus A321LR

A delivery ceremony was held at Airbus´ manufacturing side at Hamburg-Finkenwerder. With the delivery, the Portuguese carrier has become the first airline to operate a combined A330neo and A321LR fleet.

With the combination of the A330 and the A321LR, TAP will experience a powerful lever to cover the needs for the medium- to long-haul market. Both state-of-the-art aircraft feature fuel burn reductions between 20 and 25 per cent. In the same step, passengers will experience a higher comfort standard on board.

TAP´s A321LR is configured with 171 seats. Sixteen full-flat Business seats have been installed, while 48 passengers can seat in Eco Premium. The economy class can accommodate up to 107 passengers. As the entry into service, TAP will use their A321LRs on the Lisbon-Tel Aviv route.

Christian Scherer, Airbus Chief Commercial Officer, said: “We applaud TAP Air Portugal for becoming the first airline to leverage the benefits of the A321LR and the A330neo in a current fleet. The A321LR and A330neo working in tandem have the middle market segment nicely covered. The ‘Airbus NEO Midsize Aircraft’ - let's call them the ‘A-NMA's,’ are a winning, seamless combination - unprecedented capacity and transatlantic range with single-aisle cost with the A321LR, and unbeatable unit costs and flexibility for a truly long haul with the A330neo. Both with the most contemporary technology and cabin comfort in their class.”

Currently, TAP operates an Airbus fleet of 75 airframes, including five A330neo, 13 A330ceo, four A340-300 and 34 A320 Family aircraft. The single-aisle fleet is composed of 21 A319s, four A321s, two A3320neos and six A321neos.

About the A321LR, Airbus stated: "The A321LR is a member of the A320neo Family, with over 6,500 orders by more than 100 customers. It delivers 30% fuel savings and a nearly 50% reduction in noise footprint compared to previous-generation competitor aircraft. With a range of up to 4,000nm (7,400km), the A321LR is the unrivalled long-range route opener, featuring true transatlantic capability and premium wide-body comfort in a single-aisle aircraft cabin."

TAP Air Portugal is the flag-carrier of Portugal and based at Lisbon Airport. The airline commenced operations in 1946 and is currently a member of the Star Alliance. Subsidiary airline TAP Express operates on regional routes, while the mainline airline serves 87 destinations in Europe, South America and North America.