Flights to destinations outside Europe are about to get a whole lot more affordable
Get ready holiday-goers, a brand new long-haul plane will be coming onto the market for budget flights to some popular destinations.
It’s great news for those looking to save money on their travels, as there will soon be a new airplane model from Wizz Air that will be able to give us a cheaper alternative to extra long haul flights.
If you’re planning a trip to the US or the Middle East, you’d usually have to start planning and saving funds weeks or months in advance, but the game is about to change from next year.
A number of new destinations will be within reach for budget airlines very soon (Getty Stock Photo)
The magical aircraft that is about to grant us all of our holiday wishes will be called the A321XLR, from European aerospace company Wizz Air, and it will be the widest ever single-aisle aircraft ever made.
Holding up to 244 passengers, it is similar to the A321neo, the latest model of the series, but the XLR will hold an extra fuel tank, meaning that it will be able to stay in the air for longer than its sister – for 11 hours, an hour and a half longer than neo.
Obviously, entertainment systems, TVs, comfortable seats and a premium section being added will be at the discretion of the airline, which all usually feature on long-haul flights.
It has been announced that its deployment will start from March 2025, but what kind of destinations will it be flying out to?
Well from 31 March 2025, Wizz Air will be flying the aircraft from London Gatwick to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, starting from just £134.99 one way.
For reference, a one-way flight from Gatwick to Jeddah on Saudia currently costs just shy of £400.
Brits will be pleased to hear that Jeddah isn’t the only destination that’ll be added to the airline’s list, as Wizz are set to open another base in Italy, with daily flights between Milan Malpensa and Abu Dhabi set to begin.
Despite having an 11-hour flying time, Wizz will only use the aircraft for a maximum of eight hours, which is a two-hour increase on its previous maximum flight time.
Wizz Air will be among the first to fly the aircraft (Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
There have been over 550 orders for the A321XLR, with Spanish carrier Iberia set to be the first to fly it from Madrid to Boston in November this year.
Other names waiting for the aircraft are the likes of American Airlines, Qantas and IndiGo, while EasyJet have described the new model as ‘quite niche for the network we have’.
Easyjet does use Airbus planes, including four A321neos, but according to Aviation Week, a spokesperson said that it will not place an early order on the A321XLR.
British Airways and Jet2 are also reported to pass on the first release of the single-aisle aircraft.
Featured Image Credit: Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto via Getty Images / Getty Stock Photo
