Iberia confirms Airbus A321XLR plans during the upcoming winter season

Iberia has officially unveiled its winter 2025/2026 season schedule, including the planned destinations that it will serve with its long-haul single-aisle jet, the Airbus A321XLR.

The Spanish airline, which has four A321XLR aircraft in its fleet, including one that has been parked at Madrid Barajas Airport (MAD) for more than a month after a bird strike, confirmed that its A321XLRs would fly from the Spanish capital to several airports in the US and Brazil, as well as the Caribbean.

In the mainland US, Iberia has scheduled its A321XLRs to operate flights to Boston Logan International Airport (BOS), New York John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK), and Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD), as well as Puerto Rico’s San Juan Luis Munoz Marin International Airport (SJU).

The Spanish airline said that it plans to have up to double-daily A321XLR flights to BOS, which Cirium’s Diio Mi showed to be the case in March 2026, while departures to IAD, which has been a seasonal service, will continue during the winter with three weekly flights.

From MAD to JFK, Iberia will offer two daily takeoffs, one of which will be flown with the A321XLR. Up to double-daily flights will also depart from the Spanish capital to SJU, at least in February and March 2026, with some of those itineraries being operated by the long-range single-aisle.

Out of the up to 11 weekly departures from MAD to Santo Domingo Las Américas International Airport (SDQ), at least one or two are scheduled on the A321XLR in November 2025 and February and March 2026, per Cirium’s Diio Mi.

In addition, Iberia reiterated that starting December 13, 2025, its A321XLRs will begin flying between MAD and Recife/Guararapes–Gilberto Freyre International Airport (REC), and from January 19, 2026, will depart for Fortaleza International Airport (FOR).

Both airports are located in Brazil, with the carrier having announced the two destinations in March 2025, confirming that its configuration has allowed its A321XLRs to have a range of up to 7,500 kilometers (4,049 nautical miles).

Airbus advertised the A321XLR’s range as 8,700 km (4,700 nmi).

María Jesús López Solás, the Chief Commercial, Network Development, and Alliances Officer of Iberia, said that the launch of flights to REC and FOR reflected the fact that Latin America is part of Iberia’s DNA.

“In the US, we’re launching a new route to Orlando in October and increasing frequencies to New York, Boston, and Washington, consolidating our position as the leading airline for traffic between Spain and North America.”

Currently, Iberia’s three active A321XLRs fly from MAD to BOS and IAD, while its fourth A321XLR, registered as EC-OOJ, has been parked at MAD following a bird strike on August 3, 2025. Flightradar24 records showed that the single-aisle jet has had no scheduled flights since the incident that forced the aircraft to return to MAD.

Aviation Flights Group, which tracks aircraft during their assembly process, indicated that another Iberia A321XLR, manufacturer serial number (MSN) 12505, was spotted at Toulouse Blagnac Airport (TLS) on July 22, 2025.

While the aircraft was without its engines, it had its full livery applied to the fuselage and wings. However, knowing the fact that Airbus has struggled with its engine supply chain, with the airline’s current A321XLRs being powered by CFM International LEAP-1A engines, Iberia could face a longer waiting time for the A321XLR that could be currently designated as a ‘glider.’

Unless, of course, Airbus has already mounted the engines on the aircraft.

International Airlines Group (IAG), the parent company of Iberia, ordered an initial 14 A321XLRs in June 2019, splitting the deliveries between Iberia (eight) and Aer Lingus (six). The Irish airline, which had to surrender its launch customer delivery slot to Iberia due to a labor dispute with its pilots, already has three A321XLRs, in addition to its eight A321LRs.