The A321neo is the long, re-engined A321, seating roughly 180 to 244 passengers and flying far enough for transcontinental and some transatlantic routes. American, Delta, United, JetBlue, Alaska (including former Hawaiian aircraft) and Frontier all fly it.
A321neo at a glance
- First flight
- 2016
- Length
- 146 ft (44.5 m)
- Wingspan
- 117 ft 5 in (35.8 m)
- Engines
- 2 × Pratt & Whitney PW1100G or CFM LEAP-1A turbofans
- Seats
- 180–244
- Cruise speed
- ~450 kt (518 mph) / Mach 0.78
- Service ceiling
- 39,800 ft
- Range
- ~3,500 nmi (LR and XLR versions farther)
How to recognize the A321neo
The A321neo is the longest A320-family jet with the biggest engines. Look for a long, thin fuselage hung on a fairly modest wing with large, round engines.
- Length: the fuselage is clearly longer than the wingspan, with a long nose section stretching ahead of the wing.
- Engines: big PW GTF or LEAP-1A nacelles that nearly touch the leading edge of the wing; no chevrons on the exhaust.
- Wingtips: curved sharklets on every aircraft.
- Doors: traditional four doors per side, or the newer "Cabin Flex" layout with overwing exits in place of the doors near the wing. LR and XLR versions add extra fuel tanks and the XLR has a slightly different belly fairing.
- Gear: tall A320-family gear; on takeoff it rotates nose-high because of its length.
- Sound: noticeably quieter than the original A321, with a smoother, lower engine note.
Compare with the 737 MAX 9: the MAX sits lower and has chevrons. Compare with the A321ceo: the neo's engines are visibly larger, and every neo has sharklets.
At airports, the A321neo is easy to confuse with the A321ceo until you look at the size of the engine intakes, which on the neo nearly reach the wing leading edge. From below, the sharklets and long body give it a stretched, elegant silhouette.
Where and when you'll see it
American (callsign AAL) flies a large A321neo fleet, and Delta (DAL), United (UAL), JetBlue (JBU), Alaska (ASA, including jets inherited from Hawaiian) and Frontier (FFT) are also operators. JetBlue uses long-range versions across the Atlantic to London, Paris and other European cities. Air Canada, Volaris and other foreign airlines bring more into US gateways.
Cruise altitude is typically FL340 to FL390. On final, expect 2,000 to 3,000 ft and roughly 140 to 150 kt. On ADS-B the type code is A21N. A long-haul A321neo departing the East Coast at night may show up on an overnight track toward Europe, a red-eye that would have needed a widebody a few years ago.
On domestic routes the A321neo has replaced older 757s and A321ceos on transcontinental flights between New York, Boston, Los Angeles and San Francisco, and it is a common sight over cities in between.
Easily confused with
- Airbus A321: The original A321 has smaller engines and often small wingtip fences instead of sharklets.
- Boeing 737 MAX 9: The 737 MAX 9 sits lower and its engines have sawtooth chevrons.
- Boeing 757-200: The 757-200 has a much larger wing and very tall landing gear.
Quick facts
- The A321neo has become the most-ordered member of the A320neo family.
- The A321XLR version can fly about 4,700 nmi, enough for some routes between the US East Coast and Europe.
- Many airlines treat the A321neo as the replacement for the Boeing 757, which ended production in 2004.
A321neo questions
Can an A321neo fly across the Atlantic?
Yes. The long-range LR and extra-long-range XLR versions fly transatlantic routes, such as JetBlue's flights from New York and Boston to Europe.
What does A21N mean in a flight tracker?
A21N is the ICAO type designator for the Airbus A321neo.
Cities where it's a regular
Spot one live
Open the live sky tool and look for A21N in the type column, or browse the live map on airplanes.live.