Iberia’s New Airbus A321XLR Aircraft Has Smaller Galley Spaces For Flight Attendants

Iberia is hitting the headlines with its brand-new Airbus A321XLR. The carrier has performed some short-haul familiarization flights within Europe before it starts deploying it to Boston Logan International Airport (BOS).

While a lot of thought has gone into making the cabin comfortable for passengers for the long flights this aircraft is meant for, some of its features for the cabin crew might not be the most spacious.

Smaller galley space for flight attendants

Iberia’s Airbus A321XLR will soon fly medium long-haul routes, and the airline has designed the cabin layout for most passengers, keeping in mind the length of the journey. The airline has chosen a seating layout for 182 passengers, 168 of whom will be accommodated in economy class and 14 in business class, which has fully flat seats.

However, longer journeys also mean serving the passengers multiple meals and beverages, highlighting the importance of the galley for such purposes.

Iberia has opted for Airbus’ space-saving Space-Flex cabin design, which reduces the size of the galley to half. As highlighted by Paddle Your Own Kanoo, the space at the back of the aircraft will be shared with two lavatories.

As such, flight attendants will have to carry out their duties, including assembling and setting up meals, in a smaller space than on planes with regular galley space. It remains to be seen how fast cabin crew members adjust to the smaller galley space on these aircraft.

Iberia’s new A321XLR

Last month, the Spanish carrier took delivery of its first Airbus A321XLR plane. With more range than the A321LR, the XLR opens up more routes for airlines, and Iberia wants to utilize it to enhance its network offerings as well.

The airline has gone for the VantageSOLO seat from Thompson Aero Seating for this aircraft, the same that JetBlue has for its business class product. Its cabin also features XL overhead bins to provide more space for carry-on bags.

A few days ago, the A321XLR (registered EC-OIL) made its first commercial flight from Madrid–Barajas Airport (MAD) to Paris Charles de Gaulle (CDG), completing a key milestone. Simple Flying’s Tom Boon reviewed that flight. Those interested in finding out more can check out the following video.

Popular plane

There has been a significant shift in using narrowbody aircraft for longer flights and the Airbus A321LR and XLR are expected to lead this market in the years to come. Iberia is one of many airlines to have ordered this A321 variant and 25 different carriers await the delivery of their own XLRs.

IndiGo, the largest operator of the A320neo family of airplanes, is also at the top of the list of carriers that have ordered the XLRs, at 69 airplanes. American Airlines, United Airlines, Wizz Air, Qantas, Air Canada, and Air Arabia are some other airlines that have placed substantial orders for the type. IndiGo’s CEO Peter Elbers had this to say about the XLR:

“The XLRs will increase our operations to various destinations in Europe and Asia, including cities like Athens, Seoul, and Rome. Their introduction into the fleet represents a significant expansion for IndiGo.”