airBaltic To Add More Airbus A220s To Fleet

airBaltic is enhancing its commitment to the Airbus A220 for not the first time with new plans being unveiled.

Latvia’s national airline says it will exercise options for 10 Airbus A220-300 aircraft from a previous order.

This order came at the 2023 Dubai Airshow when the airline announced a firm purchase agreement with Airbus for 30 A220 jets and purchase rights for an additional 20, 10 of which are now being activated.

From the beginning of airBaltics’ Airbus A220 operation, it has been committed to growing this part of the fleet, believing it will considerably improve efficiency long into the future.

airBaltic announced some time ago its ambition of reaching 100 Airbus A220s by 2030, and additional purchase options being turned into firm orders for further growth will be necessary to achieve this.

Currently, a firm order for 90 A220-300s means airBaltic is the largest A220 customer in Europe. It already has some 48 units in service and is, therefore, the largest operator in the world at this point of the type.

airBaltic says that the aircraft has been instrumental in reshaping its performance over recent years and has proven its operational capabilities and value during this period.

The A220 has been the airline’s backbone, allowing the company to boost its international flying. The additional options will enable even further fleet expansion in the future.

40 additional A220-300s planned to be delivered from Airbus will commence in 2026, exactly one decade after the airline became the global launch operator for the programme when it was known as the CSeries.

Since 2020, however, the A220 has been the company’s heart and soul. All flights operated by this single-type fleet carry some 16.3 million passengers and complete 183,000 flights.

Looking ahead, airBaltic will continue to be an integral part of the A220s story within the aviation industry and, likewise, the aircraft for the Latvian national carrier.