Air Canada is buying for five more A220-300 aircraft following a recent firm order with Airbus. Following an initial order for 45 of the mid-range jets in 2016, and an order for 15 more in 2022, Air Canada is due to have a total of 65 A220-300s.
Airbus did not declare the value of the new order, but based on the reported value of the A220-300 it could be worth more than $450 million.
“This is Air Canada's third order for the A220 in a few years,” stated Benoît de Saint-Exupéry, EVP Sales, Commercial Aircraft for Airbus. “We are committed to working closely with the flag carrier as we support its fleet-renewal program.”
He added: “The A220 is the most efficient aircraft in its size category, offering superior comfort with a spacious cabin and the range to fly numerous destinations on the carrier’s network.”
The A220 series is a smaller, twin-engine narrow-body aircraft than Airbus’s top-selling A320neo series, and available in two variants: the A220-100, for 100-120 passengers and a range of 6,700 km/4,200 miles; and the A220-300, for 120-150 passengers and a range of 6,300 km/3,900 miles.
The aircraft family originated as the Bombardier C-Series, but Airbus purchased a majority stake in that program in October 2017, rebranding it as the A220. Airbus subsequently acquired a larger stake, and now controls 80% of the enterprise together with Investissement Québec, a province-backed holding company.
A220 aircraft are assembled at Airbus installations in Meribel, Quebec, and Mobile, Ala. According to Airbus, the C-Series/A220 has drawn close to 900 orders from 32 customers, and almost 380 of the aircraft have been delivered to 23 carriers since the commercial roll-out in 2016.
