On the presentation of its First Quarter 2022 results, Airbus has confirmed that it is moving A321XLR planned Entry Into Service (EIS) date from late 2023 to early 2024, to «meet certification requirements».
The company stated that the variant’s first flight it is still expected by the end of Q2 2022. According to a Bloomberg report, The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) remarked early last year that the design of the additional fuel tank, integrated into the fuselage, posed «a special risk» in the event of a fire.
This led the agency to require additional fire prevention measures to be incorporated to protect the cabin before the certification process of the A321XLR starts. This was joined by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), that has raised similar special conditions for the model last month.
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