150 Airbus A220s Ordered In Historic Purchase

Airbus, alongside AirAsia, has announced a historic landmark purchase of 150 A220-300s, the largest single firm commitment for the program in its history.

Now, for Airbus as well, it pushes the programme backlog even further out and secures deliveries well into the next decade. This is a deal announced on 6 May 2026 at Mirabel, Canada, and hot on the heels of reporting that executives of the Asian budget carrier were heading to Montreal for the announcement and formal signings.

The $19 billion list-price transaction, albeit at a hefty discount, is a contract that, for Airbus, validates what has been worked on for some time with this regional jet, even if it has yet to break even, and is tied directly to the importance of production rate increases.

For AirAsia, these jets will complement the existing A320neo family already flying, and the strong orderbook reflects a strategic shift, with deliveries commencing in 2028 and continuing into the 2030s to ensure a steady stream of arrivals for the budget carrier.

Airbus Supports A New Strategy For AirAsia

AirAsia is currently planning its future fleet, and the A220 has been viewed as the optimal choice for expanding its network and connecting underserved markets, with the platform deemed viable for shorter-range operations. A solid 3,600nm range is ideal for tier-2 airports across neighbouring Asian countries, with fuel efficiency as an added benefit.

Furthermore, for Airbus and AirAsia, the deal also sees the airline become the launch customer for the new, highly touted 160-seater configuration of the A220-300. This increase in capacity adds a further 10 seats and is made possible by the extra overwing exits on each side.

AirAsia wants to leverage the capabilities of the Airbus A220 to meet its ambitious 155 million-passenger target annually by 2035 and, importantly, to connect cities that need to be connected, where demand is surging, but year-round service may not have been viable under the current fleet mix.

The business has already ditched its commitment to the A330neo as part of a strategy shuffle that’ll now make density over range a priority, especially with ASEAN growth and the use of more flexible single-aisle aircraft, such as the soon-to-be-delivered A321XLR, opening new opportunities in the Middle East to reach markets further away.

This Order Matters For Airbus As Well

Beyond just the use case for AirAisa, a deal of this magnitude for Airbus, and a historic one, is a further lifeline for the regional programme it took on in 2018 from Bombardier when it was known as the CSeries, and injects further scale to this orderbook and accelerates a pathway to profitability.

It is now the largest single order for the A220, and overnight catapults the jet’s backlog and locks in a vital low-cost airline to the production line for effectively years, with scope for the deal to increase over time.

Amid ongoing complications with Pratt & Whitney GTF engines and years’ worth of supply chain hurdles, this order justifies and provides additional support to ramp up production not just to 12 units per month by late-2026, but also to a long-term 14 units, which has often been tied to profitability.

Profitability for Airbus is important, with the A220-500 touted as a possible release as soon as this year, breaking even will pave the wya for this model to thrive within the industry and allow the manufacturer to dominate a sector it already has strong control over but faces emerging competition from Embraer and the E2, alongside COMAC and its offerings.