Gregory Polek has spent his entire career in aviation journalism with AIN, starting as a proofreader and assistant to then-managing editor Mary Mahoney in 1995 after serving an internship with&nbsp;New Jersey Monthly&nbsp;magazine and completing his B.A. degree in English/Writing at New Jersey’s William Paterson College. By 1997 Polek accepted a position as an associate editor, covering the regional airline beat for&nbsp;Aviation International News&nbsp;in place of retiring industry veteran Don Anderson. The assignment took Polek across North America and Europe to profile regional airlines varying in size and mission from the likes of floatplane operators Kenmore Air and Chalk’s Ocean Airways to regional jet operators such as SkyWest and American Eagle. Today, in his dual role as Air Transport Editor and International Airshow Editor, Polek writes, edits, and manages AIN’s commercial aviation content while overseeing each of the company’s daily international air show publications in Paris, Farnborough, Singapore, and Dubai. Most recently Polek has assumed oversight of daily coverage of the Helicopter Association International’s annual Heli-Expo convention.

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Gregory Polek

The initial version of the Airbus A321XLR powered by CFM International's Leap 1A engines has received type certification from the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), preparing the way for the entry into service of the narrowbody airliner at the end of the summer. The European regulator's executive director,&nbsp;Florian Guillermet, handed over the type certificate to A321XLR chief engineer Isabelle Bloy on Friday.
Airbus said it expects to gain certification of the alternative version of the A321XLR powered by&nbsp;Pratt &amp; Whitney's Geared Turbofan later this year.
"Here comes the A321XLR, a differentiated product that brings new value to the market, expanding the possibilities for our airline customers and passengers, said Airbus commercial aircraft division CEO Christian Scherer. “With its long range, the A321XLR enables a host of new direct routes, offering natural growth opportunities to our customers and the traveling public. With the certification, we have reached a key milestone. The next step is to prepare the aircraft for its first commercial missions with customers worldwide. We look forward to working with XLR customers to support the integration of the aircraft in their fleets.”
According to Airbus, the A321XLR introduces the flexibility to add capacity, open new routes, or even continue operating existing aircraft during periods of variable demand, according to Airbus. While burning 30% less fuel per seat than its competitors’ previous generation aircraft, the long-range Airbus narrowbody operates at a trip cost of about half that of modern widebodies, it added.
The first A321XLR completed its first flight in June 2022 and has since taken part in a test program involving three aircraft. Airbus has collected orders for more than 500 XLRs.

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Leap-powered Airbus A321XLR Airliner Wins EASA Type Certification

Powered by the CFM Leap-1A engines, the narrowbody airliner is ready for service entry 

The Airbus A321XLR narrowbody airliner, powered by CFM Leap-1A turbofans, has received type certification from the European Union Aviation Safety Agency.

Leap-powered Airbus A321XLR Wins EASA Type Certification

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