In May 1989 Airbus announced the stretched A320 or A321, which had more powerful engines of teh same type that were used on the A320. The fuselage was lengthed by eight frames forward of the wing and five frames aft of the wings. The fuselage on the A321 is thereby 44.51m (146ft 0in), whilst A320 has a fuselage of 37.57m (123ft 3in). The aircraft has maximum commonality with the A320 but features an increase in passenger numbers by 20% and has an astonishing 40% increase in cargo holds. Even though customers could specify bogies, the A321 has sofar only been sold with twin-wheel main units, with upgraded tyres and brakes.

The usual engines are the V2530-A5 or CFM56-5B1, each rated at 133.4kN (30,000lb) st, though both engines are available with ratings up to 142.3kN (32,000lb st) for the CFM56-5B3 and 146.8kN (33,000lb st) for the V2533-A5. Airframe changes from the A320 include local reinforcement, broader double slotted flaps and a simplified and refined fuel system. With the A321, Airbus has created an aircraft which carries very nearly the same passenger load as the B757, and has larger underfloor freight holds, yet needs only three quarters as much fuel. The first A321 made it's first flight on March 11, 1993, and the type was the first Airbus model to be assembled in Germany, at DASA's Otto Lilienthal at Hamburg.

Appropriatly the launch customer for the type was Lufthansa, and other early operators for the type included Alitalia and UK charter airline Airworld. FCS software modifications give the heavier A321 almost identical handling characteristics to the A320 enabling type commonality for pilots. Aero Lloyd was the launch customer for the extended range A321-200, which has an extra 2,900 litre fuel tank and V2533 turbofan engines. Aero Lloyd's aircraft have a seating of 212 single-clas and increased maximum take-off weight MTOW of 88,996kg (196,200lb), giving a 742-1,113km (400-600nm) extension in range. The first CFM56-5B3 powered A321-200 IGW was delivered with the same handling characteristics as the A320, allowing a common type rating for pilots.

Airbus Website