Arkia was the launch customer for the A321neo, taking delivery of its initial aircraft during a ceremony at the Airbus Finkenwerder plant in Hamburg on 13 November 2018. The aircraft (4X-AGH) is powered by CFM International Leap-1A engines. This A321neo was the first of two in service. A third aircraft joined the Arkia fleet in 2023. While the A321LR has the capability to operate over a 4,000nm range with 206 passenger, Arkia’s higher payload will give its aircraft a range of about 3,300nm. But this is sufficient to reach target markets from Tel Aviv identified by the Israeli carrier, including Paris, Zanzibar and southern India. Arkia was formerly an operator of Boeing 757s.
The five largest operators of the A321neo are Wizz Air (102), IndiGo (94), American Airlines (80), China Southern Airlines (56), and Turkish Airlines (54).