Launch of the Airbus A321XLR

From CNN Travel

It’s slim, it’s sleek, it has a third fuel tank, and it’s ready to open up unexplored long-haul routes.

It’s the new Airbus A321XLR — the XLR is for “Xtra Long Range” — and it just made its inaugural flight with Spain’s Iberia airline on Thursday, with a hop from Madrid to Boston.

Iberia’s 182-seat plane is the world’s longest-range single-aisle commercial aircraft, with a range of up to 4,700 nautical miles (a little over 5,400 miles).

For comparison, New York to Istanbul is about 5,000 miles. Airbus also says it burns 30% less fuel per seat than previous-generation aircraft.

What this kind of range on a single-aisle plane means is that it can open up routes and frequencies that weren’t possible with a bigger, less economical craft — such as the new routes from Dublin, Ireland, to Nashville and Indianapolis that Irish carrier Aer Lingus plans to launch with the plane next year. Aviation writer Miquel Ros, who was invited by Iberia to preview the plane on the ground, told CNN he found the cabin “a decent compromise between the known space limitations and the need for efficiency.

“The business class seats are slightly narrower than the ones on the airline’s twin-aisle aircraft, but they still offer a clearly differentiated premium experience as well as the ability to sleep flat.

“Economy class offers a pitch similar to that found on larger aircraft types as well as the same inflight entertainment system.” He adds that two “state-of-the-art” food galleys should offer solace to those concerned about the smaller cabin.

The A321XLR’s ability to open up lesser-visited destinations to more tourists could help take the load off some of the world’s overcrowded travel hubs, many of which are feeling the strain.