In late December 2025, Saudia revealed the cabins and initial network of its upcoming Airbus A321XLRs. Unsurprisingly, the aircraft will be very premium. They’ll have just 144 seats, which is, of course, driven by where they will fly. In comparison, other existing XLR operators have far more seats. The closest, for now, is American Airlines, whose subfleet has 155 seats.

Saudia has 15 XLRs on order, with the first delivery soon. As airlines increasingly welcome the variant, they’ll become more standard and less intriguing. The Middle Eastern operator’s examples stand out for their low capacity. They do not stand out for the route lengths. That’s partly because of the extreme summer temperatures in Saudi Arabia, which will limit aircraft performance and range.

It’ll Have 24 Fully Flat Business Seats

Some 24 seats will be business (1-1), along with 120 seats in economy (3-3). It is not a coincidence that its Boeing 787-9s and 787-10s also have 24 business seats. If routes that currently see those widebodies are downgauged, as some will be, the same number of premium seats will be available.

Its business cabin will have fully flat seats, with each seat featuring direct aisle access. It will use the Thompson VantageSOLO product, which is what JetBlue uses for its Mint business class, including on its 138-seat A321LRs. While Saudia’s offering will thus be very similar, its touches and finishes will be different. The specifics are currently unknown.

With 144 seats, it will have a more premium configuration than any other current XLR operator. That said, ‘only’ 17% of seats will be business, which is not an overly high proportion in itself, although it is for narrowbody equipment.

Saudia is used to aircraft with low capacities. Some of its A320ceos, for example, have just 110 seats. Its XLRs will provide a significantly more modern premium product than on its A320s.

It Is Due To Enter Service On June 2

Examining entry into service details is fraught with difficulty, largely as plans often change. Nonetheless, Saudia’s latest schedule submission to Cirium Diio indicates that the XLR will enter service on June 2 from Jeddah to Vienna. It is due to fly domestically between Jeddah and Riyadh on July 1, albeit only weekly to twice-weekly.

Notable routes known so far include Jeddah to Barcelona (three weekly), Geneva (four weekly), Madrid (four weekly), Malé (three weekly), Mauritius (three weekly), and Vienna (four weekly), along with Riyadh to Geneva (three weekly) and Moscow Sheremetyevo (four weekly). The frequencies on some of these routes vary.

In these eight examples, the 144-seat XLR will replace other equipment, particularly the 787-9 or 787-10 but sometimes the A330 Regional and A320ceo. Focusing on the widebody replacements, XLR will help with lower demand at certain times of the year at the same frequencies, benefiting loads, fares, and yields. When required, more flights could be added, increasing higher market share. The much higher-capacity widebodies may be deployed when demand is suitably high.

The XLR Could Enable Multiple New Routes

The variant’s initial network focuses on existing routes in Saudia’s network, where the XLR will replace other equipment. But it’s much more exciting to think of possible new additions.

Senior airline network planner and industry commentator Behramjee Ghadially would not be surprised to see the XLR used to start flights from Jeddah to Accra, Abuja, Brussels, Cape Town (winter only), Copenhagen, Dakar, Dublin, or Lagos. It’d provide a lower-risk option than using twin-aisle aircraft. As usual, passengers could connect elsewhere. For example, those flying from Dublin could connect to India, the wider Saudi Arabia and the Middle East, Cairo, etc.

A major impediment, of course, will be aircraft performance during the peak summer, with exceptional heat. « The XLR cannot live up to its full potential flying from Jeddah [or other Saudi cities], due to the weather conditions during the summer. If departing after 9 am, it’ll probably only manage up to eight hours nonstop. »

This chimes with what Air Canada recently said. It is why that carrier has substantially cut XLR-operated flights from Montreal to Palma de Mallorca. For the same reason, Air Arabia’s upcoming A321LR afternoon flights from Sharjah to London Gatwick may also have a payload restriction, undermining route performance.