Airbus has launched critical certification tests for its A321XLR aircraft at Bolivia’s Aeropuerto Internacional de Alcantarí, located at 3,104 meters above sea level in Chuquisaca department. The six-day evaluations validate the aircraft’s performance in high-altitude conditions.
A French delegation of pilots and specialized crew collaborates with state-owned Navegación Aérea y Aeropuertos Bolivianos (NAABOL). The Ministry of Public Works, Services and Housing noted that the tests leverage the airport’s strategic southern Bolivian location for demanding technical assessments. NAABOL Director Jaime Machicao emphasized the facility’s technical, operational, and safety capabilities, positioning it as an international benchmark for advanced aeronautical technology.
As part of an international test and demonstration campaign, the A321XLR simulates real commercial operations to gather data on high-altitude airport operation times, fuel consumption under low-pressure atmospheres, and crew procedures in high-demand environments. The airport, in Yamparáez municipality 30 kilometers from Sucre, opened in 2016 to replace the Juana Azurduy de Padilla facility.