Air Canada expands Airbus A220 order

Air Canada confirmed an order for 15 more Airbus 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 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. Our customers truly 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,” said Mark Galardo, senior vice president, network planning and revenue management at Air Canada.

“We are honored that Air Canada is coming back for more A220s. This demonstrates the value the aircraft is bringing, and we are proud to provide our customer with a high level of flexibility, great economics, and a real passenger-appeal,” said Christian Scherer, Airbus chief commercial officer and head of international. “With already more than 30 aircraft in service with the airline, the A220 has established itself as an efficient route-opener, as well as mainline workhorse, strengthening the carriers’ continental network while delivering on Air Canada’s ambitious decarbonization targets.”

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 A321 XLRs. 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.

Using Pratt & Whitney’s latest-generation GTF engines, the A220 offers 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.

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 over 800 routes and 325 destinations worldwide.

As of the end of September 2022, more than 25 customers had ordered over 770 A220 aircraft.