by A new extra-long-range aircraft will redraw the map for budget holidays after Wizz Air announced its plans to put the Airbus A321XLR into service by March 2025.
Wizz will fly from London Gatwick to Jeddah with the A321XLR from March 31, 2025. Tickets cost from £134.99 one way. The low-cost airline will also have a base in Italy from June next year and offer daily flights between Milan Malpensa and Abu Dhabi.
Airbus says the narrow-body aircraft has a maximum nonstop flight range of 11 hours (4,700 nautical miles), although Wizz will only use the A321XLR for up to eight hours, exceeding the previous maximum flight time of six hours. Here’s what we know about the aircraft that will change the low-cost airline map.
What is the A321XLR?
The Airbus A321XLR is effectively the same aircraft as the A321neo, but has an additional fuel tank that allows the aircraft to fly for longer. It is the widest of all narrow-body aircraft and can accommodate 244 passengers. However, it is up to the airlines whether they equip the aircraft with long-haul comforts such as lie-flat seats, entertainment devices and premium cabins. Wizz has no such plans, although the Jeddah to Gatwick flight is an overnight flight.
Which airlines have ordered the long-haul aircraft?
Numerous other airlines have ordered the new Airbus A321XLR, including the Spanish airline Iberia, which plans to be the first to use the new narrow-body jet on a route from Madrid to Boston in November. In total, Airbus has more than 550 orders for the A321XLR. American Airlines, Qantas, Air Canada and the Indian low-cost airline IndiGo are also expected to use the aircraft.
EasyJet uses Airbus aircraft and has four A321neo in its fleet, although a spokesman said Aviation Week that there are no plans to order XLR aircraft as they are “quite niche for our network”. Ryanair uses Boeing aircraft, namely the 737 and the 737 Max. British Airways has both Boeing and Airbus aircraft in its fleet, including the A321neo, but has not ordered an A321XLR. The same goes for Jet2, which added the Airbus A321neo to its fleet this summer.
Banjul, Gambia
Flight time: 6 hours 20 minutes
The Gambia has been described in these pages as a half-price alternative to the Caribbean. The Coco Ocean Resort and Spa is one of the most luxurious hotel options, with rooms starting from around £170 per night. As well as sun and sand, you’ll find exotic birdwatching experiences, forest walks alongside vervet monkeys and the chance to travel down the Gambia River in a dugout canoe. Currently, most flights stop in Casablanca or Barcelona and take between 8 and 11 hours.
Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
Flight time: 6 hours 30 minutes
The desert kingdom is investing $800 billion in developing its tourism industry, and Jeddah is playing a big role in that. Four Seasons and Raffles are among the major hotel groups investing in the city, and the country will host the men’s soccer World Cup in 2034 – by then, more low-cost airlines may add Saudi Arabia to their schedules.
Freetown, Sierra Leone
Flight time: 6 hours 40 minutes
The Sierra Leonean coast has been touted as the “next big thing” in African tourism for years, but it has never really materialised. From a British perspective, this is because getting to Freetown airport is expensive (rarely less than £800) and requires a stopover or two along the way. Idris Elba has plans for a futuristic tourist utopia on the island of Sherbro, but the introduction of low-cost direct flights could enable a faster transformation.
Tashkent, Uzbekistan
Flight time: 6 hours 50 minutes
The post-Soviet cities of Eastern Europe – Riga, Vilnius, Tallinn, Tbilisi – are already well served by budget airlines, but visiting Uzbekistan’s capital is like stepping back in time to a world of Soviet surrealism. Currently, most flights from London to Tashkent go via Istanbul, adding three to four hours to what could otherwise be a flight of less than seven hours.
Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Flight time: 6 hours 55 minutes
As Wizz has started its long-haul project with flights to Jeddah and already has a hub in Abu Dhabi (as of 2019), it would not be surprising to see flights from London to Zayed International Airport added in the not too distant future. The route is already competitive, with BA and Etihad offering flights from £350 upwards.
Muscat, Oman
Flight time: 7 hours 10 minutes
Unlike its ostentatious Gulf neighbours, Muscat has stayed true to its conservative roots and offers a more authentic travel experience – with a price tag to match. Oman Air currently offers direct flights from around £450 return, and there are longer options via Doha with Qatar. The Shangri-La Barr Al Jissah is an example of a five-star hotel with affordable prices, starting at £135 per night.
Dushanbe, Tajikistan
Flight time: 7 hours 15 minutes
Not the most obvious choice for a city break, but Dushanbe has been described in these pages as a Soviet-style “laid-back capital”, with the three-kilometre-long Rudaki Avenue providing a gateway to the city’s best museums, parks, cafes and international cuisine. With few British tourists visiting, it’s not the first choice of budget airlines.
St. George’s, Bermuda
Flight time: 7 hours 25 minutes
The TelegraphNigel Tisdall describes Bermuda as “like the runaway Channel Island”. Smaller than Guernsey and located 600 miles off the east coast of the USA, Bermuda has beautiful beaches and a climate that suits the low-cost airline market. Wizz CEO József Váradi has said he has no interest in transatlantic flights, but that does not mean that other low-cost airlines will not be tempted in the future.
New York City, USA
Flight time: 7 hours 50 minutes
Norwegian, Primera and Wow are among the airlines that have tried – and failed – at the transatlantic low-cost model in recent years. Norse has been in the space since 2021, but Wizz says it will not touch the world’s eighth-busiest route from NYC to London. Given the A321XLR’s cost-effectiveness, it could usher in a new era of super-cheap transatlantic flights if airlines are willing to take the plunge.
