IAG International Airlines Group ordered fourteen A321-200neo(XLR)s, including eight for Iberia (IB, Madrid Barajas) and six for Aer Lingus (EI, Dublin International), during the ongoing 2019 Paris Air Show at Paris Le Bourget. The order includes 14 options.

The holding said Aer Lingus will use its A321neo(XLR)s to expand to North America, while Iberia will deploy them to unspecified transatlantic markets.

"The airlines will be among the launch customers for the extra long-range narrowbody aircraft with their first deliveries scheduled for 2023," Willie Walsh, IAG chief executive, said. "The A321XLR has the same unit cost as a widebody longhaul aircraft which will enable profitable network expansion. This will strengthen both Dublin and Madrid hubs providing new transatlantic routes and additional flexibility for connecting passengers. These aircraft will also bring further cost efficiencies and environmental benefits."

At the same time, IAG signed a Letter of Intent (LOI) with Boeing for up to 200 B737 MAX, including both B737-8s and B737-10s.

The jets will be delivered between 2023 and 2027 and will be powered by CFM Leap engines. IAG anticipates that the aircraft will be used by a number of its subsidiary airlines including Vueling Airlines, LEVEL, and at British Airways' London Gatwick hub.

"We're very pleased to sign this letter of intent with Boeing and are certain that these aircraft will be a great addition to IAG's shorthaul fleet," Walsh added. "We have every confidence in Boeing and expect that the aircraft will make a successful return to service in the coming months having received approval from the regulators".

Currently, IAG's narrowbody fleet consists exclusively of Airbus aircraft.

British Airways operates one A318-100, forty-two A319-100s, sixty-seven A320-200s, ten A320-200neo, eighteen A321-200s, and five A321-200neos. Iberia operates thirteen A319s, thirty-three A320-200s (including nineteen operated by Iberia Express), four A320neo, and fifteen A321-200s (four operated by Iberia Express). Aer Lingus operates thirty-four A320-200s and three A321-200s. Vueling's fleet includes five A319s, eighty-six A320s, fourteen A320neo, and fifteen A321s, while the LCC's Austrian subsidiary Anisec Luftfahrt operates two A320s and four A321s.