Airbus Confirms A220 Order

Airbus has announced the securing of a new order for its successful regional A220 family.

The designated customer has been confirmed as Air Niugini, the national carrier of Papua New Guinea, which is now extending their commitment to the program after an initial order.

The latest deal is for just two of the Airbus A220s, specifically the A220-100, and is based on the airline’s previous commitment for six aircraft, placed towards the end of 2023.

Additionally, Air Niugini has commitments to the higher-capacity A220-300 model, thanks to a deal with Azorra, a US-based aircraft lessor. Three units of this type have been sold.

The A220 is expected to play a pivotal role in the domestic and regional fleet of this airline in the future, with strong ties to its deployment, ultimately contributing to the development and support of economic growth.

This is Air Niugini’s second order for the A220. We are committed to working closely with the airline as we support its fleet renewal programme. The A220 is quite simply the most efficient aircraft in its size category, with a wider and spacious cabin and the range to fly non-stop to any destination on the carrier’s network.

Benoît de Saint-Exupéry, EVP Sales of Airbus’ Commercial Aircraft business

Airbus confirmed the latest deal as the first of the series destined for this airline entered final assembly in Mirabel, Canada, a key facility for the manufacturer.

The Rise Of The A220

Airbus claims its A220 is the most modern airliner in its size category, capable of carrying between 100 and 150 passengers on flights of up to 3,450 nautical miles or 6,390 kilometres.

The smaller -100 is capable of serving the 100-135 seat market. In contrast, the larger -300 is designed to serve the 120-150-seat market. Ultimately, the total passenger capacity will depend on the respective airline’s configuration of the type.

Pratt & Whitney plays an integral role in powering the program. However, this has also become a hindrance because of the problems surrounding the GTF engines that are equipped on the series.

Despite having fantastic performance metrics, these metrics have been complex to highlight due to the global engine supply chain crisis, which has resulted in widespread grounding of the program over recent years.

On paper, however, with their latest-generation GTF engines, the plane offers lower fuel burn and better CO2 emissions per seat than older types, which is why it has cemented itself as an industry leader.

Airbus confirms that by the end of April 2025, the program had received over 900 orders from more than 30 customers, with 410 of these orders already delivered.

In the future, the presence of the A220 is expected to continue growing, contributing to the over 1,600 routes operated worldwide with this fleet type and the staggering 470 destinations reached.