Iqaluit Airport (YFB), in Canada's northernmost territory of Nunavut, welcomed another Airbus A321XLR for its cold weather testing. Airplane manufacturer airbus frequently sends new aircraft to the airport for cold weather testing in arctic conditions, including the Airbus A380.F-WWAB headed for Iqaluit on March 14th for four days of rigorous testing. This week's average temperatures have been near -24 degrees celsius ( -12 degrees Fahrenheit), with additional wind chill taking this to below -46 degrees celsius (-50 degrees Fahrenheit).

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Toulouse to Iqaluit

The A321XLR, F-WWAB, departed from Toulouse–Blagnac Airport (TLS) on March 14th as AIB101 at 10:45 for the seven-hour, 11-minute flight, touching down at Iqaluit Airport at 12:56.

After four days of rigorous testing, AIB102 returned to France on March 18th, being wheels up from Iqaluit at 13:06, flying for five hours and 49 minutes before touching down at Toulouse–Blagnac Airport at 23:55.

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Cold weather testing

For cold weather testing, aircraft, such as the A321XLR, are put through their paces, testing most areas of the aircraft in a frosty cold-weather environment. Tests usually include the aircraft's engines, auxiliary power units (APUs), electrical systems, landing gear, and more.

According to Skies Magazine, Iqaluit Airport, located in the territory of Nunavut, is one of only two well-established approved sites for testing aircraft in extreme cold-weather conditions in Canada. The other site in Canada is located in the Northwest Territories at Yellowknife Airport (YZF).

Aircraft testing will usually occur in a range of weather conditions, such as high altitude and hot weather. The A321XLR must complete testing in other environments and needs to gain regulatory certification.

An example of hot weather testing locations was when Airbus sent its Airbus A350-1000, to Al Ain International Airport (AAN), 15 kilometers (9.2 miles) from Abu Dhabi, in the United Arab Emirates.

Multiple test flights to take place

With Airbus continuing its A321XLR program and putting a range of its aircraft through its paces, a recent flight in December saw F-WXLR flying over the Bay of Biscay, forming the letters XLR in the sky.

Simple Flying recently reported the airlines that have ordered the A321XLR, which in February was already sitting at 20 customers, with the top ten so far being:

• American Airlines
• United Airlines
• IndiGo
• Qantas
• AirAsia X
• IndiGo Partners (Wizz Air, Jetsmart, and Frontier)
• Air Arabia
• VietJet
• JetBlue
• SKY Airline

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  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