AIRBUS' A321XLR jet took off on what was its very first journey this morning (Wednesday, June 15).
The plane - the wings for which are made at the Broughton plant - took off from the Hamburg-Finkenwerder Airport plant at around 9am.
It was then expected to perform a five-hour test flight over Northern Germany.
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In a post on social media, Airbus Chief Executive Officer, Guillaume Faury said: “Fantastic day as our A321XLR takes to the air for the first time – congratulations TeamAirbus!”
“Thanks to our customers and partners who are on board with us making this game-changing aircraft a reality.”
“Many happy landings!”
Andreas Spaeth, an international aviation journalist based in Germany, captured this video of the A321XLR taking flight in Hamburg.
And liftoff! @Airbus #A321XLR airborne at 11.05 CEST #Hamburg #Finkenwerder @HamburgAviation #avgeek pic.twitter.com/jX6HKU89Vm
— Andreas Spaeth (@SpaethFlies) June 15, 2022
Airbus has said that extending the flight distances for A320 Family aircraft “opens even more exciting travel possibilities.”
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