Airliner World Magazine

Welcome to your January 2025 issue of Airliner World, incorporating Airports of the World. This month, we focus on the introduction of the game-changing Airbus A321XLR with Spanish flag carrier Iberia. The new variant, a culmination of five years’ work by the European manufacturer, has been billed as an aircraft destined to reshape long-haul international flying. Chris Sloan headed to the airline’s Madrid/Barajas hub to jet off on the inaugural long-haul service from the Spanish capital to Boston.

Staying in Europe, Lee Cross headed to Dublin to speak to Ian Lough, head of commercial at Emerald Airlines, which took over the Aer Lingus Regional franchise three years ago and has bold ambitions for the future.

Across the pond, Matteo Legnani travelled to California to speak to Mikael Pelet, CFO and COO of Aero, a new airline offering scheduled semi-private jet flights with Embraer ERJ135s. Meanwhile, Airliner World editor Thomas Haynes headed to Flagstaff/Pulliam Airport, a charming small regional facility that is the gateway to the Grand Canyon, to find out more about its unique operation.

Elsewhere, Chris Frame looks at the state of the aviation industry in Australia following the closure of Bonza Airlines and the collapse of Rex and how the duopoly of Qantas/Virgin Australia appears unbreakable. Siddharth Ganesh investigates how Etihad Airways is ambitiously evolving for the future under the leadership of CEO Antonoaldo Neves. And as we hurtle into 2025, the Airliner World team also brings you a low-down of ‘What to watch in 2025’ from airports, airlines and aircraft.

Last but by no mean least, Rob Veitch brings the first of our new ‘How it works’ mini-series, with a fascinating exploration of the secret of slots.