- LATAM Airlines Group plans to become the first Latin American carrier to introduce lie-flat seats on narrowbody jets, as it anticipates the first deliveries of Airbus A321XLRs to begin in 2027.
But LATAM is not lined up to become the first carrier in the region to deploy the latest-generation, long-range narrowbodies that Airbus has been marketing as a “game changer”. That distinction is held by Chile’s SKY Airline, which has different plans for the A321XLR’s interior.
The Santiago-based carrier holds orders for 10 A321XLRs and is positioning those jets as a cornerstone of its fleet modernisation plan.
“Thanks to its greater range — more than 50% higher than other members of the A320neo family — these aircraft will enable the group to launch new routes and strengthen connectivity between South America and more distant destinations,” the airline says of the A321XLR.
On 16 April, LATAM previewed its plans for a Premium Business Class Suite with Thompson Aero Seating lie-flat seats and privacy doors, “making it the first airline in South America to offer this type of experience on a single-aisle aircraft”.
Such configurations have already rolled out elsewhere in the Americas, with American Airlines introducing its Flagship Suite with lie-flat seats and privacy doors on A321XLRs, as well as its new Boeing 787-9 widebody jets. American was the first carrier in North America to take deliveries of the type.
United Airlines, which has yet to take its first A321XLRs, plans to configure the jets with 150 seats — including 20 Polaris suites, 12 premium economy seats and 118 economy seats — amid a broad push for more premium seating across its fleet.
Earlier this week, Air Canada, which is expecting A321XLR deliveries starting this summer, also revealed plans for lie-flat seating as part of its new Glowing Hearted interior design.
LONG RANGE IN LATIN AMERICA
LATAM’s 170-seat A321XLRs will feature premium business and economy cabins. The business-class seats will be arranged in a one-to-one configuration, while the economy class cabin will feature the standard three-by-three seating configuration.
Paulo Miranda, LATAM’s chief experience and customer officer, says that the configuration will bring “long-haul standards of comfort, connectivity and privacy” to the single-aisle space.
“This allows us to offer more travel options, strengthen our network and deliver a more consistent experience for our passengers,” Miranda says.
SKY Airline plans to become the region’s launch customer for the A321XLR, as it is expecting its first deliveries of the type near the end of this year. Notably, Abra Group, which has emerged as LATAM’s primary competitor in the region, has been seeking to acquire a majority stake in SKY for several years, though that deal has yet to be consummated.
After first signing for 10 A321XLRs in 2019, SKY more recently agreed to lease another three of the type from Singapore’s BOC Aviation. The lessor has disclosed that the aircraft will be delivered, on long-term operating leases, over the course of 2026-27.
SKY plans to deploy single-class cabins on the A321XLR, SKY Airline Peru CEO Jose Raul Vargas told FlightGlobal at ALTA’s annual general meeting in October. Therefore, it would not be the first airline in Latin America to introduce business class on the narrowbody type.
At the time, Vargas emphasised that SKY does not have firm plans for where to fly with the single-aisle jets, which have a range of 4,700nm (8,700km).
“There is nothing concrete,” he said. “But for instance, we want to start flying from Santiago to Miami [with] direct flights. And we are also thinking to use Lima as a hub, connecting passengers from Santiago, Buenos Aires and so on — maybe to New York, maybe LA.
“We have the performance studies; we are capable of doing that,” he added. “Who knows, flying to Europe from Brazil? There are many possibilities.”
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