Air Canada orders additional A220s, brings total to 60 aircraft

At the end of October, Air Canada (Ottawa, Canada) confirmed an order for 15 more Airbus (Toulouse, France) A220-300, bringing the Canadian flag carrier’s total firm order from an initial 45 to 60 aircraft. The airline started its A220 service in January 2020 and currently operates more than 30 A220s on transcontinental routes in Canada, as well as to the U.S. and to Latin America. The A220 uses resin-infused composite wings.

“The A220 has become an important component in the modernization of Air Canada’s fleet and a key part of our narrowbody fleet, thanks to its performance and passenger comfort,” Mark Galardo, senior vice president, network planning and revenue management at Air Canada, says. “Our customers enjoy the benefits of the A220, from its quieter cabin, larger overhead bins and comfortable seating. The A220 is the perfect aircraft for our North American network thanks to its economics, and its fuel efficiency also supports Air Canada’s commitment to reduce emissions on the way to its goal of net-zero emissions from all global operations by 2050.”

Air Canada operates a fleet of more than 125 Airbus aircraft, including 78 A320 Family aircraft, 16 A330 Family aircraft and 31 A220-300 aircraft. Air Canada also has a direct order for 10 A321XLRs. The airline took delivery of its first Airbus A220-300 in December 2019, and was the first airline to operate this model in North America.

Born from a clean-sheet design, the A220 is the only aircraft purpose-built for the 100-150 seat market, Airbus claims, bringing together innovative design features, state-of-the-art aerodynamics and Pratt & Whitney’s (Hartford, Conn., U.S.) latest-generation GTF engines.

Said to offer 25% lower fuel burn and CO₂ emissions per seat compared to previous generation aircraft, in addition to around 50% lower NOx emissions than industry standards, the A220 is a highly eco-efficient aircraft in its category. It also features 20% more overhead stowage space per passenger, wide seats and large windows in its class for additional comfort.

To date, more than 220 A220s have been delivered to 16 airlines operating on four continents and connecting more than 70 million people across the globe. The fleet is currently flying on more than 800 routes and 325 destinations worldwide.

As of the end of September 2022, more than 25 customers had ordered more than 770 A220 aircraft — confirming, Airbus notes, its strong position in the single-aisle market.