First ITA Airbus A321neo: unusual medium-haul configuration
Added on Fri November 17th, 2023
The handover ceremony of the first of nine A321neo to ITA by Airbus took place in Hamburg these days. The model was dedicated to former Olympic swimmer Massimiliano Rosolino and then transferred to Rome Fiumicino.
The new flagship has an unusual appearance for medium-haul aircraft. In fact, its interior is designed with a long-haul configuration even though the maximum flight time is between six and seven hours.
There is a 2+2 business class with direct aisle access for 12 lie-flat seats that can be converted into perfectly horizontal beds; a 12-seat premium economy and a 141-seat economy. Behind the business cabin is the premium economy cabin with the same seats that are now found on wide-body aircraft for long-haul and business class.
But even those sitting in economy class will find an advantage: in fact, the configuration here is 3-3 but the seats are economy comfort seats with a few extra inches to stretch your legs and an equipment rich in all the long-haul options, including in-flight entertainment. In fact, all passengers will have a very generously sized personal screen comparable to the one found on the A330neo that arrived last summer. The rows of seats have also been specially designed staggered to provide greater comfort when travelling.
In total there are 165 seats on an aircraft that could carry more than 200. ITA, together with Scandinavian Airlines, is the second European company to have three classes of service on an A321neo. ITA management’s choice of this configuration was to diversify from the mass of European carriers.
The first flight is scheduled for 1 December on the Rome Fiumicino-London Heathrow route.
ITA’s fleet has now grown to 81 aircraft as follows: 6 A350-900, 5 A330-900, 7 A330-200, 1 A321neo, 13 A320neo, 25 A320-200, 16 A319-100, 7 A220-300, 1 A220-100.
Two more A321neo are expected between the end of 2023 and the beginning of 2024 and a further six will enter the fleet during the course of next year.
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