Air Similan takes delivery of its first Airbus A321neoLR and unveils its first A321neo
Paris, August 23, 2026 – Air Similan is continuing the modernization of its single-aisle fleet with two major milestones in its Airbus A321neo program: the airline welcomed its first Airbus A321neoLR at Paris-Charles de Gaulle yesterday, while its first Airbus A321neo has simultaneously rolled out of the factory in Hamburg-Finkenwerder.
These two aircraft are part of an order currently comprising five Airbus A321neo family aircraft, combining A321neo and A321neoLR variants. Their arrival marks the progressive renewal of Air Similan’s short- and medium-haul fleet while opening up new opportunities for the future development of its network.
The first A321neoLR arrives at Paris-Charles de Gaulle
Air Similan’s first Airbus A321neoLR, registered F-MFJA and named “Fontainebleau”, has officially been delivered to the airline and arrived at its Paris-Charles de Gaulle base on Saturday, August 22, 2026.
The aircraft will enter commercial service on September 1, 2026. Initially, it will be deployed on several short- and medium-haul destinations, allowing flight crews and operational teams to progressively familiarize themselves with the new aircraft type.
This initial phase of operations will precede its deployment on longer missions. Later in 2026, the A321neoLR will begin serving several destinations requiring its extended range capabilities. The first routes will be announced by Air Similan at a later date.
With a range of up to approximately 7,400 kilometers, the A321neoLR will enable the airline to operate both European and extended medium-haul services, as well as selected long-haul routes suited to the capacity of a single-aisle aircraft.
A three-class cabin designed for longer journeys
Air Similan’s Airbus A321neoLR features a comfort-focused configuration with 163 seats across three classes.
Business Class features 16 Thompson Aero Vantage seats, arranged in alternating 2-2 and 1-1 configurations. The seats convert into fully flat beds measuring nearly 1.90 meters in length and feature a 17-inch individual 4K display, wireless charging, and USB-A and USB-C ports.
Premium Economy features 12 Collins Aerospace MiQ seats in a 2-2 configuration, offering wider seating, increased personal space, greater recline, and a leg rest.
The Economy cabin completes the configuration with Recaro CL3710 seats arranged in a 3-3 layout, featuring individual 13.3-inch 4K displays as well as USB-A and USB-C ports.
The entire cabin also benefits from Air Similan’s new inflight entertainment system, including Bluetooth connectivity for individual screens and high-speed Wi-Fi access.
The first Airbus A321neo rolls out of the factory
Alongside the delivery of its first A321neoLR, Air Similan has reached another milestone with the factory rollout of its first Airbus A321neo, assembled on the Airbus production lines in Hamburg-Finkenwerder.
Registered F-MFOA and named “Cannes”, the aircraft will soon perform its customer acceptance flight, one of the final major milestones before delivery to the airline. It is expected to join Air Similan’s Paris-Charles de Gaulle base during September. Its entry into commercial service is scheduled for the third quarter of 2026.
Unlike the A321neoLR, whose cabin is designed in particular to support longer-range operations, the A321neo will feature a higher-density two-class configuration, primarily intended for high-demand markets across Air Similan’s French and European network.
The aircraft will feature 201 seats, comprising 24 Business Class seats and 177 Economy Class seats. European Business Class will retain the flexibility of the traditional European business-class concept, while the aircraft’s higher-density configuration will enable Air Similan to significantly increase capacity on its busiest routes.
This configuration will make the A321neo particularly well suited to strategic, high-demand destinations in France and across Europe, offering greater capacity than the single-aisle aircraft currently operated by the airline.
Two complementary variants for the Air Similan network
With the A321neo and A321neoLR, Air Similan has selected two complementary variants from the same aircraft family.
The A321neo will provide additional capacity on the airline’s busiest short- and medium-haul routes while retaining the operational flexibility of a single-aisle aircraft. The A321neoLR, meanwhile, will offer greater range and a cabin more specifically designed for longer journeys, enabling the airline to explore new markets with a capacity positioned between its conventional single-aisle aircraft and its long-haul fleet.
Air Similan currently has five Airbus A321neo family aircraft on order, split between the A321neo and A321neoLR variants. Their progressive introduction will enable the airline to more precisely match capacity, range and onboard product to the characteristics of each route.
A new generation of comfort and connectivity
The arrival of the A321neo family also supports the broader rollout of the new cabin standards recently introduced by Air Similan.
All of the airline’s Airbus A321neo and A321neoLR aircraft will be equipped with high-speed Wi-Fi connectivity, allowing passengers to stay connected, work or access online content throughout their journey.
The new aircraft will also feature latest-generation cabin equipment and an enhanced digital experience, building on the standards developed for the Airbus A350-900 aircraft recently introduced into the fleet.
Air Similan therefore aims to provide a consistent experience across its different aircraft families, with enhanced levels of comfort, entertainment and connectivity on both European services and longer-range flights.
More efficient, higher-performing aircraft
Beyond the enhanced passenger experience and the new opportunities for network development, the introduction of the A321neo also represents an important part of Air Similan’s fleet renewal strategy.
Powered by CFM LEAP engines and incorporating the latest aerodynamic developments of the A320neo family, the new aircraft offer improved fuel efficiency compared with previous generations of single-aisle aircraft.
Lower fuel consumption helps reduce the emissions associated with each flight, while the new-generation engines also contribute to a significant reduction in the aircraft’s noise footprint.
A new milestone in fleet modernization
The delivery of the first A321neoLR and the factory rollout of the first A321neo illustrate the accelerating pace of Air Similan’s fleet renewal in 2026.
Following the introduction of the Airbus A350-900 on the airline’s long-haul network earlier this year, the arrival of the A321neo family now extends this transformation to Air Similan’s single-aisle fleet.
With these new aircraft, Air Similan reaffirms its ambition to operate a more modern, more efficient and more flexible fleet, while continuously enhancing the comfort, entertainment and connectivity offered to its passengers.