In June 2019, Cebu Pacific ordered 31 Airbus planes, including sixteen A330neos, ten A321XLRs, and five additional A320neos. At the time, the A321XLR was a newly introduced aircraft, and Cebu Pacific was among the first airlines to announce an order for this long-range variant. However, there has been little news about these A321XLR orders from Cebu Pacific since then. This silence led me to believe that they might have converted these orders to regular A321neos or A320neos, as they may not have an immediate need for the A321XLR.
During the recent firming of Cebu Pacific’s 152 Airbus aircraft order, I had the chance to ask Cebu Pacific President and Chief Commercial Officer Xander Lao about the A321XLR. His response confirmed my earlier impression—Cebu Pacific might not need the A321XLR at the moment, but they aren’t ruling out future orders. The airline still has 50 purchase rights for more aircraft, which could include the A321XLR.
Mr. Lao explained, “We’re looking at the A321LRs…but that business case is still ongoing. The XLR is an option too, but that’s under study. We have a lot of A321neos that are coming into our fleet, so we are pretty busy over the next couple of months, if not years.” He added that Cebu Pacific’s current focus is on destinations within a four-hour flying radius from the Philippines. These routes can be comfortably served by the regular A321neo, even in a full 236-seat configuration, which Cebu Pacific uses.
Is the A321XLR Needed Immediately?
The A321XLR has a range of 8,700 kilometers, depending on cabin configuration. For instance, the distance from Manila to Sydney is 6,243 kilometers, well within the A321XLR’s range. However, Cebu Pacific operates a dense, single-class cabin, which may affect how far the aircraft can fly. If Cebu Pacific ever considers direct flights from Cebu to Sydney, the A321XLR could be a great fit.
It’s important to note that Cebu Pacific signed the A321XLR Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) before the COVID-19 pandemic, which has since changed airline strategies, including Cebu Pacific’s. However, if Cebu Pacific decides to explore markets beyond their current focus—such as destinations in India, more Australian cities, or even the Maldives—the A321XLR could become a viable option. While the exact timeline remains uncertain, there’s a possibility Cebu Pacific may pursue the A321XLR in the future, potentially by 2035.
For now, Cebu Pacific is focusing on expanding flights from various Philippine hubs outside Metro Manila, such as Clark, Cebu, Davao, and Iloilo. This will provide greater convenience for passengers in the Visayas and Mindanao regions, who will no longer need to transit through Metro Manila for international flights. Hopefully, we’ll see Cebu Pacific eventually order the A321XLR and perhaps launch direct flights to the Maldives—wouldn’t that be amazing?
First love never dies. I fell in love with airplanes and aviation when I was a kid. My dream was to become a pilot, but destiny led me to another path: to be an aviation digital media content creator and a small business owner. My passion for aviation inspires me to bring you quality content through my website and social accounts. Aviation is indeed in my blood and blog!
