Do you know Airbus A321?

In the third article to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the A320 family, we briefly introduce the longest family version of the Airbus A321.

Airbus A321

TC-JMN Turkish Airlines Airbus A321-231

The Airbus A321 is therefore an extended version of the A320 with small changes. The total length of the aircraft fuselage is extended by approx. 7 m, the area of the wings is slightly enlarged with adaptation to a greater load and the chassis is reinforced with wider tires and stronger brakes. The drive is powered by stronger versions of the CFM56 and V2500. Typical range with 188 passengers is 4,300 km for A321-100. A321-200 with a larger capacity of fuel tanks has a range of 188 passengers approximately 5 500 km. Interestingly, some parts of the hull are also produced in the neighboring Czech Republic at AERO Vodochody AEROSPACE a.s.

The Airbus A321 standard unit offers three basic cabin configurations:

All-economy for 200 passengers,
Charter – for 220 passengers,
Arrangement for two classes – a business with 16 seats and an economy with seats 170.
Of course, this airplane is very popular because it shares all the benefits of the family and some carriers prefer it to the competitive Boeing 757 (ceased to be produced in 2004) due to its similarity to the A318, A319 and A320. There are more than 1400 units in the world, including the extended range Airbus A321LR.

Revell A321 – Lufthansa

This type is operated by Lufthansa in addition to a number of others, and the D-AIRX registered aircraft has received a beautiful retro paint from the 1960s. This machine also became a model for the 1: 144 model from REVELL, and so all enthusiasts of transport planes could build it at home. Today, this kit is quite rare and it can be bought for big money somewhere on internet exchanges.

A321NEO – of course, this type was also upgraded and the first NEO aircraft took off in February 2016. It brings all the improvements that have already been described in previous articles on the A320 models, respectively A319. The first operators include Virgin America and China Southern Airlines.

Technical specification A321-100

Wingspan: 34,44 m
Length: 44,51 m
Height: 11,76 m
Engines: 2x International Aero Engines IAE V2530-A5 or General Electric/SNECMA CFMI CFM56-5B1 with thrust 138 kN
MTOW: 83 000-85 000 kg
Cruising speed: 828 km/h till 903 km/h
Ceiling: 12 500 m
Range: 4 352 km
Capacity: 188-220 seats

Technical specification A321-200

Wingspan: 34,09 m
Lenght: 44,51 m
Height: 11,76 m
Engines: 2x General Electric/SNECMA CFMI CFM56-5B3 or International Aero Engines IAE V2533-A5 with thrust 147 kN
MTOW: 89 000-93 000 kg
Cruising speed : 828 km/h till 903 km/h
Ceiling: 12 500 m
Range: 5 500 km
Capacity: 188-220 seats