Qantas has announced an order for an additional 20 Airbus A321XLR aircraft, including the introduction of lie-flat Business seats on its narrowbody aircraft for the first time.

The  fleet expansion will see 16 of the 20 additional A321XLRs configured with lie-flat Business seats and seat back entertainment screens to serve longer routes, including transcontinental services to and from Perth, and short and medium haul international routes.

The new configuration A321XLRs will begin arriving in calendar year 2028, taking the airline’s total order for the next generation A321XLR to 48 aircraft.

The extended range of up to 8,700 kilometres is more than 3,000 kilometres further than the Boeing 737 it replaces and will enable Qantas to launch direct flights to destinations across South East Asia and the Pacific Islands that are not currently viable.

Qantas’ first two A321XLRs, which are configured for domestic and short haul international flying, are expected to start operating commercial flights in mid-September, making Qantas the first airline in the Asia Pacific to operate the aircraft type. The aircraft will initially operate on Sydney-Melbourne and Sydney-Perth and be progressively rolled out on other routes. By the end of this financial year Qantas will have seven of the aircraft type.

READ: Qantas introduces A321XLR to support domestic and Asian growth plans

Jetstar’s A321XLRs will begin to arrive from calendar year 2027 and will be fitted with a two-class cabin to suit international travel.

Qantas Group CEO Vanessa Hudson said the expansion of the A321XLR fleet represented a significant step in the Group’s fleet renewal program.

“Investing in new aircraft is one of the most significant ways that we can provide our customers with a better flying experience and these billion-dollar investments are possible because of our continued strong financial performance,” Ms Hudson said.

“The lie-flat Business seats, seat back screens and fast and free Wi-Fi will provide a consistent premium experience for our customers who fly domestically with Qantas and connect onto our long haul services” .

The Group’s total firm aircraft order now stands at 214 aircraft, with 32 delivered as at June 30, representing a multi-billion dollar investment in renewing and growing Qantas and Jetstar’s fleet.

The airline took delivery of 17 new aircraft in FY25. This increases to 20 new aircraft arriving this financial year and 29 in FY27, including 36 for Qantas, 10 for Jetstar and 3 for Qantas Freight.