Aviation Week & Space Technology - January 15, 2015

24 AVIATION WEEK & SPACE TECHNOLOGY/JANUARY 15-FEBRUARY 1, 2015 AviationWeek.com/awst

H

ow to replace the Boeing 757 has been one of the last open

portfolio questions for civil aircraft manufacturers. Air-

bus’s A321LR has one answer. Boeing may have a second.

But if its model is launched, it will be a longer-term step.

Airbus formally launched a long-

range version of the A321 with a 97-ton

maximum takeof weight (MTOW). Air

Lease Corp. (ALC) is the fi rst custom-

er for this type , with a memorandum

of understanding for 30. “[ALC Chair-

man/CEO] Steve Udvar-Hazy said to

us that we could make this a 757 re-

placement, so we have to thank him for

the idea,” say John Leahy, Airbus chief

operating of cer-customers.

Leahy anticipates a market of

around 1,000 aircraft for the A321LR

as replacements for the 469 Boeing

aircraft still flying plus another 500

more. “We are burning up to 30% less

fuel than the 757,” he says.

First deliveries of the new A321neo

version are planned for 2019. The

aircraft will be equipped

with a third auxiliary cen-

ter fuel tank and could fl y

approximately 500 nm far-

ther than the A321ceo with

a regular 93.5-ton MTOW

(and only two additional

fuel tanks). For the new

aircraft , Airbus now as-

sumes a standard cabin

layout for 206 passengers.

The European manufac-

turer claims the calculated

4,000-nm range even exceeds the 3,850

nm of the Boeing 757-200W (winglet-

equipped). The longest current 757

route is United Airlines’ New York-

Berlin service, which is slightly more

than 4,000 nm and therefore can only

be fl own with less than maximum pay-

load. United has 169 seats on its trans-

atlantic 757s.

Airbus initially pitched the aircraft

to airlines in a premium 164-seat lay-

out with 20 seats in business class, 30

in premium economy and 114 in econo-

my. But discussions with potential cus-

tomers showed that higher seat counts

are prized by many airlines. In the pre-

mium confi guration, the A321LR range

decreases slightly to 3,904 nm because

of the extreme assumptions in terms of

weight per passenger.

The 206-seat confi guration includes

16 seats in business class at a 36-in.

pitch and 190 in economy at 30 in.

“The interest has gone beyond what

we initially thought,” Arnaud Demeu-

sois, A320 family product marketing

director, says. In theory, Airbus could

of er the aircraft with up to 240 seats

(its certifi ed maximum); however, that

confi guration is mainly geared toward

short-haul, low-cost carriers and

would likely of er less range.

Airbus is targeting airlines that are

currently fl ying the 757 on long-range

missions and those that would fl y such

routes but cannot, for lack of a suit-

able aircraft. Key routes defi ning the

aircraft’s needed capabilities are U.S.

East Coast to Central Europe; Europe

to the Middle East; North to South

America; Europe to West Africa; and

Australia to South Asia.

The Airbus Cabin Flex concept will

form the basis for the aircraft’s newest

version. Airbus is of ering a new op-

tional exit door confi guration in which

door 2 is removed and replaced by a

double overwing exit. Door 3 is moved

aft. Some minor changes to the wing

Jens Flottau Toulouse and Guy Norris Los Angeles

Filling the Gaps

Airbus launches A321LR as a Boeing 757

replacement; its competitor decides to wait

AIR TRANSPORT

are also planned, which will lead to

a weight increase of less than 100 kg

(220 lb.). The standard-range variant

and the 97-ton MTOW version would

share the same build standard , thus

shorter-haul operators will suffer a

small weight penalty. Customers who

have opted for the legacy door posi-

tioning are not af ected.

Boeing is signaling

it will not compete di-

rectly with the newly

launched longer-range

version of the A321neo,

leaving Airbus with the

only of ering in the sec-

tor while the U.S. man-

ufacturer focuses on a

longer-term, all-new

middle-of-the-market

(MOM) aircraft to fill

the gap between the 737 MAX and 787.

Although the move effectively

sacrifi ces the near- to mid-term 757

replacement market to Airbus, Boe-

ing believes the size of the sector

will not be as large as its competi-

tor forecasts. Boeing Commercial

Airplanes Marketing Vice President

Randy Tinseth says: “The thought of

a 1,000-aircraft-size market is frankly

a little bit laughable.”

Although Boeing delivered more

than 1,000 757-200s and -300s, the

company says of the surviving fleet

that only “50 to 60” are currently fl y-

Airbus and Boeing

Net Orders and Deliveries, 2013-14

NET ORDERS DELIVERIES

2013 2014 2013 2014

Airbus 1,503 1,456^626629

Boeing 1,355 1,432 648 723

Sources: Airbus and Boeing