MEA first buyer of new
extra long-range Airbus plane

Four A321XLR planes on order

Middle East Airlines (MEA) has signed a firm order for four Airbus aircraft of the new extra-long range narrow-body model A321XLR.

The list price of each A321XLR plane is around $120 million, said Mohamad El Hout Chairman of MEA. This model benefits from fuel cost efficiencies, he said.

This deal makes MEA the ‘launch airline customer’ of the A321XLR body, which means that it is the first air carrier in the world to order this model.

“The agreement takes Middle East Airlines’ cumulative single aisle orders with Airbus to 15 A321neo family aircraft, including 11 A321neos and four A321XLRs with deliveries starting in 2020. MEA will use the A321XLR to strengthen its network in Africa and Asia,” Airbus and MEA said in a joint statement.

MEA’s existing fleet consists of 18 Airbus airplanes. The national carrier’s consolidated route network covers 1,150 destinations in 177 countries.

The A321XLR was unveiled this week at the Paris Air Show with orders topping $13 billion. By the end of the Show, Airbus had completed, or was close to completing, orders for 200 aircraft from American Airlines, JetBlue, Cebu Air, Frontier Airlines, and others.