Airbus seems to have completed the fifteen route proving flights with an A321XLR on Friday. The aircraft returned to Toulouse, having completed 97 hours and 25 minutes since September 13. The aim was 100 hours in ten days as part of the route-proving program that will lead toward certification. The third XLR in the fleet is the only one with a fully finished cabin.
The flights started on September 13, when Flight AIB01AB departed Toulouse at 9.35 am local time and set course to Spain and Portugal, before crossing the Mediterranean Sea and Sardinia. The aircraft crossed the Italian coastline just South of Naples, flew North in the direction of Milan, and headed back West via Marseille to Toulouse. Here, she touched down at 4.21 pm local time after 6 hours 46 minutes.
Active as a journalist since 1987, with a background in newspapers, magazines, and a regional news station, Richard has been covering commercial aviation on a freelance basis since late 2016.
Richard is contributing to AirInsight since December 2018. He also writes for Airliner World, Aviation News, Piloot & Vliegtuig, and Luchtvaartnieuws Magazine. Twitter: @rschuur_aero.
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