Czech Converts A320neo Order to A321XLR, A220

Following a successful launch of the Airbus A321XLR at the Paris Air Show last summer, Airbus has now landed another airline for the new product with Czech Airlines joining for its long-term expansion plans. The flag carrier announced this week that it was replacing its original order for seven A320neos with three A321XLRs that will join the fleet with deliveries beginning in 2025.

For Czech, the aircraft will be the largest aircraft that it owns with 196 seats being separated into a two-class configuration. The airline currently does utilize a single 276-seat Airbus A330-300 but the aircraft is leased and SkyTeam partner Korean Air uses it for flights between Prague and Seoul-Incheon.

To continue on the news of adding new Airbus products, the airline’s other four A320neos orders will be converted to Airbus A220-300s which are due to begin deliveries next year. The airline will utilize the aircraft in a single class configuration with 149 economy seats. The A220 has become quite popular in the European market with airlines like airBaltic and Swiss International Air Lines deploying the plane across multiple routes.

The Chairman of the Board of Czech Airlines, Petr Kudea, praised the two new products that will be joining the national airline saying, “The A220 and A321XR fit well with our long-term business strategy in terms of network expansion. These aircraft will definitely give Czech Airlines a competitive advantage and will increase the capacity of our regular flights.”

The Airbus products will join a fleet already familiar with the European jet maker’s products, which currently includes six Airbus A319-100s and a single Airbus A330-300 and which previously saw Airbus usage with the A310, A320 and A321-200. The airline also operates a single Boeing 737-800 and six ATR 72-500s.

Czech Airlines is based in Prague and currently operates 14 aircraft to 30 destinations across Europe and Asia. The airline is majority-owned by low cost carrier Smartwings and is a member of the SkyTeam alliance.

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Ian McMurtry

Although Ian McMurtry was never originally an avgeek, he did enjoy watching US Airways aircraft across western Pennsylvania in the early 2000s. He lived along the Pennsylvania Railroad and took a liking to trains but a change of scenery in the mid-2000s saw him shift more of an interest into aviation. He would eventually express this passion by taking flying lessons in mid-Missouri and joining AirlineGeeks in 2013. Now living in Wichita, Kansas, Ian is in college majoring in aerospace engineering and minoring in business administration at Wichita State University.

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