New Airbus A220s Delivered After 3 Years

After three years, Airbus A220 deliveries have resumed for Ibom Air after a drought in new-aircraft deliveries from the planemaker cast a cloud over the Nigerian carrier.

The third A220-300 ends a near three-year gap in handovers from Airbus, with the Akwa Ibom State Delegation inspecting the newest aircraft at the Airbus Canada Mirabel facility in mid-August.

Airbus A220 Deliveries Resume

The aircraft inspected for delivery to Nigerian-based Ibom Air is the third A220-300, but it is the second Airbus to deliver directly following an order announced at the 2021 Dubai Airshow.

Two years after the order was placed in 2021, Ibom Air welcomed its first Airbus A220 and became the first airline in Nigeria to operate the type, but subsequent delivery handovers stalled.

Reports say the third A220-300 has the registration 5N-CDC and has already completed several test flights to and from the Mirabel facility in Quebec, Canada. Airbus Canada chief and A220 programme head Guillaume Chevassoin met the Ibom state delegates to enter the final stages of the aircraft’s acceptance phase.

With the A220-300 close to handover, the jet is expected to enter service towards the end of the year if delivery remains on schedule, as the third in the series to be delivered, as the business transitions slowly but surely to the aircraft and becomes a one-type operator.

Why Ibom Air’s A220 Deliveries Have Been Delayed

Ibom Air initially expected a regular introduction of Airbus A220 jets, 10 of the type introduced over time; however, immediately after deliveries commenced, problems arose that prevented handovers.

With new deliveries from Airbus not occurring, and with Ibom Air still needing the jets it had committed to, it sourced a separate A220-300 outside its Airbus order to cover the delays; therefore, while this will become the third A220 delivered to the airline, it is the second under its Airbus order.

The pause in Ibom Air’s A220 deliveries aligned with the difficulties that have challenged the single-aisle programme through the 2020s. Aviation Week reports that the first A220-300 has undergone lengthy checks, and while it is expected to return to service by the end of September, these checks have reportedly been linked to engine concerns.

The Airbus A220 Is Vital to Ibom Air’s Future

The resumption of deliveries for Ibom Air is significant, with its Chief Executive, George Urisei, saying that average load factors are now approaching 90% of the CRJ900s’ capacity, which it relied on during the A220 delays, and that this has become insufficient for its largest markets.

The A220-300, while not a move to an A320neo-class aircraft, still offers a substantial seat-capacity increase over the more traditional, previous-generation CRJ900. Additionally, Ibom Air sees the capacity lift, along with stronger range and flexibility, from the Airbus type, which will support the domestic and regional network.

Airbus is scheduled to deliver the remaining nine aircraft from the A220 order over the coming years; the second aircraft from that order is part of the company’s next phase of growth, as it has comfortably outgrown its current fleet.

Umo Eno, the Akwa Ibom State Governor, said the new Airbus aircraft will reflect the investment in the state-owned airline and the strengthening of its aviation sector. Eno said the Airbus aircraft will build a stronger ecosystem and show the airline’s consistent trajectory.

These Airbus A220s are therefore not just new aircraft additions but an immediate response to the need for more capacity. Ibom Air will now be challenged to translate the strong order book and transition to this next-generation narrowbody fleet over the coming years into improved frequencies, expansion and margins that drive sustained profits.