Saudia has taken delivery of its first Airbus A321XLR, accepting the plane during a handover ceremony at Airbus’ facility in Toulouse today (May 24). This makes the Saudi flag carrier the first operator of the extra-long-range narrowbody in the Middle East, joining an exclusive but growing group of airlines to fly the A321XLR since its commercial debut with Iberia more than 18 months ago.
The Saudi Arabian airline has a total commitment for 15 A321XLR’s, with the remainder expected to arrive before the end of 2027. The airline has configured its narrowbodies with a low-density 144-seat layout — featuring 24 fully lie-flat business class suites and 120 economy seats — making it the most premium A321XLR cabin in the skies today.
Saudia’s First A321XLR Heads To Jeddah
The aircraft, registered HZ-ASBA, departed Toulouse at 09:20 AM (UTC) under flight code SVA9010, ahead of its approximately six-hour journey to Jeddah Airport (JED), where it will be welcomed with a traditional water cannon salute. Saudia’s team was on hand to formally take control of the plane, which had previously flown under the test registration F-WWAD. Interestingly, the A321XLR did not immediately fly in the direction of Jeddah — instead, it made a quick pass over Luxembourg, which Flightradar24 claims was done “likely for financing or insurance purposes,” before turning south for Saudi Arabia.
Saudia has had to wait around two years longer than planned for its first A321XLR, having initially expected deliveries from 2024. It will now take over a dozen more airframes over the next 18 months, with all 15 A321XLR’s expected to arrive by the end of 2027. The airline is set to debut the aircraft early next month, with its inaugural flight from Jeddah to 
Madrid Barajas Airport (MAD) scheduled on June 3rd
Largest A321XLR Business Cabin
Saudia’s A321XLR will bring luxury and unrivaled business class space onboard the 144-seater jet. Comparing Saudia’s A321XLR configuration to other operators, the Middle Eastern airline has the most premium capacity with 24 lie-flat suites in business class. This exceeds American Airlines and its 20 Flagship Suites, while Aer Lingus offers 16 business seats, followed by 14 seats with Iberia and Air Canada.
The suites are in a 1-1 configuration at the front of the plane, ensuring full aisle access for all customers. The seat itself is the Thompson Aero VantageSOLO, which also features in JetBlue’s Mint cabin and on Iberia’s A321XLRs. The economy cabin can fit up to 120 passengers, which is the smallest of any A321XLR in service today.
Future A321XLR operator United Airlines will have one of the most premium-heavy versions of the plane — featuring 20 Polaris suites and 12 Premium Plus seats — when it finally takes delivery of its first plane. The carrier’s first airframe completed its maiden test flight last month ahead of its imminent delivery, with United set to begin flights later this summer.
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Which Saudia Routes Will The A321XLR Fly?
The carrier is expected to debut the type on its Jeddah-Madrid route before introducing the plane to additional routes in the coming weeks. Paris and Vienna are slated to be the next airports joining later in June, while other destinations, including the Maldives and Geneva, will be added later in the summer.
The A321XLR’s capabilities make it perfect for serving long and thin routes that would not be economically viable for widebody deployment. With an advertised range of up to 4,700 nautical miles (8,700 km), the A321XLR can fly for up to 11 hours, putting most of Europe and many leading Asian destinations comfortably within range of Saudia’s hubs.
Deliveries are expected at a pace of around one plane per month, and Saudia will be adding capacity on many key routes as its fleet size increases. Saudia also flies the Airbus A321neo, along with the A320-200 and A321-200, and is rapidly modernizing its narrowbody fleet as part of a commitment for over 100 A320neo-family jets.
