Why An Airbus A321XLR Captain Crossing The Atlantic Thinks About Diversions Differently Than A Boeing 787 Captain

Simple Flying

When a Boeing 787 Dreamliner and an Airbus A321XLR cross the North Atlantic on the same day, the two aircraft may follow similar tracks and land at the same destination. The operational planning behind each crossing is different. The 787 holds an ETOPS rating of up to 330 minutes, meaning it can fly up to five and a half hours from the nearest diversion airport on a single engine. The A321XLR is certified to ETOPS 180, giving it three hours. That difference affects which routes are available, which diversion airports are in range at any given point, and how the crew calculates where to go if something goes wrong mid-ocean.

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