Airbus has started critical certification tests for its A321XLR aircraft at Bolivia’s Aeropuerto Internacional de Alcantarí in the Chuquisaca department. The six-day evaluations aim to validate the jet’s performance at high altitude, with the airport situated at 3,104 meters above sea level.
A team of French pilots and specialized crew from Airbus is collaborating with Bolivia’s state-run Navegación Aérea y Aeropuertos Bolivianos (NAABOL). According to the Ministry of Public Works, Services and Housing, the tests involve technical assessments under demanding conditions, leveraging the southern Bolivian site’s strategic location.
The airport was selected for its technical, operational and safety capabilities suited to complex high-tech operations. NAABOL director Jaime Machicao noted that the trials position the facility as an international benchmark for advanced aeronautical technology.
As part of an international test and demonstration campaign, the A321XLR will operate under protocols mimicking regular commercial service. Engineers will gather data on operation times at high-altitude airfields, fuel consumption in low-pressure atmospheres, and crew procedures in high-demand real-world settings.
Inaugurated in 2016, Alcantarí Airport in the Yamparáez municipality, about 30 kilometers from constitutional capital Sucre, replaced the former Juana Azurduy de Padilla facility.