The A321XLR, an ultra-long-range single-aisle aircraft under development by Airbus

Airbus’ upcoming Extra Long Range single-aisle narrowbody aircraft, the A321XLR, is expected to disrupt the status quo of long-haul travel. With a range of up to 8,700 kilometers (4,700 NM), it is not for nothing it has been heralded as a ‘game-changing’ aircraft. Airbus commenced the structural assembly of its new plane in May this year – but just where is it all taking place?

Any aircraft built today is a tale of multiple sites and countries. Innumerous components come together from all over the world to create the engineering marvels that are the foundations of modern commercial-scale air travel. Airbus has long brought the various parts of its airplanes to its Final Assembly Lines (FAL) from all across Europe and beyond. The trek of the A380 to its FAL in Toulouse will always remain a logistics legend.

While transporting the parts of Airbus’ potentially revolutionizing narrowbody A321XLR may not need quite the same considerations (especially fortified roads through the French countryside), bringing them all together to form a plane still requires some operational planning.

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