Airbus firms up orders for 120 A220-300 aircraft

JetBlue Airways has firmed up an order for 60 Airbus A220-300 aircraft – the larger model of the A220 series, the rebranded Bombardier CSeries CS300 – made for the 130-160 seat market.

The start-up U.S. low-cost airline, code-named Moxy, also confirmed a firm order with Airbus to purchase 60 A220-300 aircraft.

Moxy is led by David Neeleman, founder of JetBlue Airways. In addition to JetBlue, Neeleman also founded Azul Brazilian Airlines and is the controlling investor in the revitalization of TAP Air Portugal. Plans for Moxy were unveiled at the Farnborough International Air Show in July 2018.

Both orders, comprising 120 Airbus A220-300s, were completed the final week of December 2018. At list prices, that represents $10.98 billion, using the 2018 average list price of $91.5 million for each A220-300.

Airbus will produce the A220-300 aircraft at a new U.S. assembly facility in Mobile, Alabama. Construction of the plant, to be located adjacent to the existing Airbus A320 assembly facility, will begin later in January 2019.

The A220 uses Pratt & Whitney’s fuel-efficient PW1500G geared turbofan engines. With a range of up to 3,200nm (5,020km), the A220 offers the performance of larger single-aisle aircraft.

The A220 has an order book of more than 500 aircraft to date, in a 100- to 150-seat aircraft market estimated to represent at least 7,000 aircraft during the next 20 years.