Airbus A321XLR jetliner stages maiden flight

Airbus on Wednesday launched the maiden flight of its newest and largest narrowbody airliner, the A321XLR, as the European planemaker seeks to capitalize on lucrative demand for long-range single-aisle jets.

The twin-engined passenger jet took off at 11:05 a.m. local time (0905 GMT) from a factory in Hamburg, Germany, ahead of more than a year of trials before the latest addition to its best-selling A320 medium-haul family enters service in 2024.