Delays happened. Everyone hates delays. The A321XLR was supposed to land in 2024. It didn’t. But now it’s here, and the first Saudia Airbus A321-1000XLR is actually touching down in Jeddah.
The registration is HZ-ASBA, if you’re the type to keep track of those things. It marks the end of the waiting game, albeit a two-year extension longer than promised.
The Math Doesn’t Add Up Like Yours
This isn’t a commuter bus. Not really. Saudia ordered 15 of these jets, aiming for a very specific kind of exclusivity. They aren’t stuffing people in. The total count sits at a mere 144 seats.
Break it down. Just 24 seats in business class. The remaining 120 go to economy. It is arguably the most premium configuration you’ll find on this aircraft type, competing directly with JetBlue’s high-density but still sparse Mint layout of 138 seats.
Where are these going? Europe. The Indian subcontinent. Africa. Think Barcelona. Brussels. Milan. Rome. Dakar. Maldives. The planes hit service in early June 2026.
Why the lag? Aeroroutes already has tickets on sale. Maybe they’re optimistic.
Sitting in Solitude
Forget the old narrow-body crunch. Saudia is installing Thompson VantageSOLO seats. They’re flat. You sleep horizontal. There is direct aisle access, meaning no climbing over strangers at 3 AM.
It’s a big leap from 2018. Back then, flat beds on A320s were the headline. Now it’s table stakes, and Saudia is upgrading the baseline significantly.
You’ve likely seen this seat before. JetBlue calls it Mint. It’s becoming the default for next-generation narrow-body flat beds. Don’t expect miracles in terms of novel design. Expect familiar luxury.
One detail matters though. The mockup shown by Saudia highlights the bulkhead position. JetBlue markets that space as the Mint Studio. It’s larger. It costs extra. Think of it as business class plus, if such a tier exists.
The standard seats—Mint Suites elsewhere—are still great. They just don’t have the extra elbow room.
Is It The Best It Can Be?
The herringbone configuration faces the aisle. That’s what VantageSOLO is. Direct aisle access, sure. But your knees might get elbowed.
Reverse herringbone exists. ITA Airways does it on A321neos. Etihad does it on their XLRs. Facing the window feels better for most humans. So why did Saudia pick this layout? Maybe tradition. Maybe space optimization.
It’s not the sexiest product in aviation. It’s solid. Reliable. Direct.
But does it set the new standard? Yes. For Saudia’s narrow-body fleet, anyway. Which is something, if nothing else, but then again, is flat sleeping really so radical these days?
