5 Widebody Long-Haul Routes Airlines Are Quietly Switching To Narrowbody Jets In 2026

The Airbus A321XLR is one of the most impactful new airliners on sale, as it’s a narrowbody airliner designed specifically for long-distance flights. While the Boeing 757-200 was prominently used on some long-haul routes in the past, this was never its original intended role, whereas the A321XLR uses the venerable A321neo platform and adds improvements to give it a range of 4,700 NM (8,700 km).