Summary

• The Airbus A319LR, a long-haul variant of the A319, was designed for premium-heavy configurations.
• The A319 is the second-smallest member of the Airbus A320 family and was created to cater to lower-demand routes.
• While the A319LR had a range of 4,500NM, it did not gain widespread popularity.

Airbus' A319 is well-known for its short to medium-haul capabilities on routes that do not demand the larger A320. However, Airbus also briefly offered a long-haul variant of the aircraft, made for premium-heavy configurations. Named the A319LR, this plane flew some exciting routes, starting with Qatar Airways, but has since died off in popularity.

A brief history of the Airbus A319

The Airbus A319 is the second-smallest member of the European manufacturer's A320 family. The A320-200 itself entered commercial service in the late 1980s, with an extended version, the A321, following in 1994. This gave the family a high-capacity option, but what about on routes where demand was lower? For such purposes, Airbus launched the A319, intended mainly for current operators of the A320 family.

Just under four meters shorter than the A320, the A319-100 had a correspondingly lower capacity, making it easier for airlines to fill. A typical one-class configuration would seat 134 passengers, with a maximum of 156. Meanwhile, the A320 can seat 140 to 170 usually, with a maximum of 180.

After taking its first flight in August 1995, the A319's launch customer was Swissair. It entered commercial service with Switzerland's former national airline the following year and hasn't looked back.

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The A319 has proven successful globally, allowing airlines to serve lower-demand or high-frequency destinations. American Airlines operates a whopping 133 A319-100s, United has over 100, and easyJet operates 58 of the type. However, the type has been falling out of favor, with the A319neo struggling to garner sales. In total, the type has garnered nearly 1,500 sales in its 27-year run.

The A319LR - launched by Qatar Airways

While the A319 proved reasonably successful, some airlines wanted to push it further. Airbus then created the A319LR, 'long range', a suffix you might be familiar with from the popular A321LR and A321XLR. With a range of 4,500NM (8,334km), the aircraft could make some impressive journeys, and Qatar Airways was the first to take on the plane.

The flag carrier took delivery of two A319LRs, A7-CJA and A7-CJB, in February 2003 and December 2004, initially configured in a standard 110-seat layout, eight in business class and 102 in economy. Nicknamed Al Hilal (now popularized by the Saudi football team) and Al Jasra, these planes were later reconfigured to a business class-only arrangement in 2014, with 40 seats, per Planespotters.net. The aircraft also spent some time in the Qatar Airways private jet fleet.

In all lie-flat configurations, these planes were deployed between the prized Doha-London Heathrow routes (QR14/15) between May 2014 and November 2015. However, Qatar later upgraded the route to use a Boeing 787, adding more seats on an expensive slot but slightly removing premium capacity. Only the A350-1000 has more business class seats than the A319LR, which has subsequently replaced it on the Heathrow route.

In 2017, the plane returned to its 110-seat layout and exited the fleet in June 2020 and February 2021 during the height of the COVID pandemic, ending the A319's relatively short tenure in Qatar's fleet.

More to come

Qatar Airways wasn't the only one to take up Airbus' offer; PrivatAir took delivery of its first of two A319LR. Airbus announced that these two jets would service Düsseldorf-Newark and Chicago flights on behalf of Lufthansa, configured with a 100% premium density of 48 business class seats. These planes have serviced the not-so-popular Pune-Frankfurt route, which eventually switched to a standard A319, earning the title of the "worst flight in the world."

Eurofly, an Italian operator, ordered one A319LR and later added another jet, delivered in April 2006 and May 2007, respectively. These jets were also configured in the 48-seat business class layout, flying routes like Rome to New York. The airline later merged with Meridiana, which then became Air Italy.

Perhaps the most interesting A319LR is VH-VHD. It first flew for Aero Services Executive in 2003 before being leased to Air France in 2004. However, since 2007, it has flown for Australian carrier Skytraders, operating for none other than Antarctic Air Services! Last March, we reported on one of its missions, in which it was sent to rescue someone needing medical assistance. An unlikely story for an unlikely aircraft whose range allows it to appear globally.

The A319LR, which itself was not too popular, is an interesting narrowbody that serves premium markets in suitable configurations.

Have you ever flown on an Airbus A319LR? Let us know your thoughts and experiences in the comments!

Source: Planespotters.net

• 

  Airbus

  Stock Code:

  AIR

  Date Founded:

  1970-12-18

  CEO:

  Guillaume Faury

  Headquarters Location:

  Toulouse, France

  Key Product Lines:

  Airbus A220, Airbus A320, Airbus A330, Airbus A340, Airbus A350, Airbus A380

  Business Type:

  Planemaker