Airbus Downplays New A220

There has been much industry talk surrounding the prospect of a new Airbus A220 variant to evolve the single-aisle program.

In early June, it was reported Airbus was progressing with the development of a new higher-capacity model of the series.

Certification, which was at the time expected to involve a 160-seater model, was to commence by year’s end under those current plans and represent an increase from the largest variant in the A220-300, which is offered to airlines.

Airbus has long recognised that the program has been of use to many airlines around the world, and it has also received strong feedback from customers who have sought the production of a new variant.

However, across recent months, comments from the planemaker’s Chief Executive Officer, Guillame Faury, have hinted at putting the brakes on the new potential variant.

Shared in reporting by Aviation Week, Faury remained non-committal about the prospects of stretching the A220 further. However, industry analysts view this as a program catching a significant amount of traffic as it becomes a reality.

Faury said at the time that the decisions on new endeavours are only made when they are made, and sometimes, despite the potential for success, the hardest part is getting the jet off the ground.

Additionally, he cautioned that not all aircraft studies are released; this has been visible across many aircraft programs across the industry’s long history, with planemakers attempting to innovate but not always hitting the mark and instead choosing to scrap the planned release.

With that being said, even if endeavours are scrapped, the valuable learnings and testing are key for the development of the following possible aircraft, for no study, therefore, can be deemed as entirely pointless, even if it doesn’t make it past the drawing board.

What Is The New Airbus A220?

Often dubbed as the A220-500, this prospective variant is typically seen as a high-capacity model in the A220 series, giving regional operators a slice of the A320neo program.

June reporting suggested that Airbus was studying whether a possible stretch of the A220-300 would require the installation of a new engine, all this internal analysis pivotal to determining if the possible release would work.

This possible aircraft has attracted much interest in recent times, with Breeze Airways expressing its desire in June to purchase the variant if it were to be released by the planemaker.

Much of this carrier’s interest is from the perspective that the A320neo would not be an ideal solution to its requirements, adding this plane would only further complicate the business.

Additionally, the A320neo can be viewed by some as a step too far up from the A220, and if the regional jet formerly known as the CSeries ticks all the boxes, they’d rather proceed with a new plane in this program.

Breeze wouldn’t be alone in expressing interest in this product, with airBaltic often also being outspoken about what a possible Airbus A220-500 could do for its long-term future, as a carrier that relies heavily on the A220 product to power its operations.

Despite this interest, if Airbus were to move ahead with the new endeavour, it would face competition from that of Embraer. At the same time, COMAC would like to say it would provide another alternative. However, the lack of certification has limited, at least for now, the widespread adoption of its jets.

Concerning Airbus’ competition with Boeing, in this segment that is relatively lacklustre with the American planemaker not having progressed with a direct competitor to the A220, instead focusing on the 737 MAX.

Ultimately, Airbus is studying the prospect of this type, but continues to downplay the launch, but certainly not denying the interest across the brand to make this type, hopefully, one day a reality if all studies pan out as intended.