Icelandair and Airbus have signed a Memorandum of Understanding for the purchase of 13 Airbus A321XLR aircraft with purchase rights for additional 12 aircraft. The aircraft deliveries will start in 2029. Icelandair, however, plans to start operating Airbus aircraft in 2025 and is currently in advanced stage of negotiations in relation to four leased Airbus A321LR for that purpose. Further additions can be expected in the years thereafter. With the acquisition of the Airbus aircraft, Icelandair will complete the replacement of the Boeing 757.
The agreed purchase price of the 13 aircraft is confidential. The financing of the aircraft is yet to be determined but the Company will explore financing options closer to the delivery dates.
The Boeing 757, 767 and 737 MAX aircraft will continue to be important for Icelandair’s operations in the coming years. Icelandair has had a successful relationship with Boeing for decades and the aircraft have been a key to Icelandair’s success in the past. Until 2025, Icelandair will continue to operate a full Boeing fleet but following the first deliveries from Airbus, the Company will operate a mixed fleet of Airbus and Boeing aircraft.
