Aircraft lessor Azorra has taken delivery of their first Airbus A220-300 from the Airbus facility in Mirabel, Canada, which will be leased to Utah-based Breeze Airways. This is the first of 22 A220-300s on order by Azorra.
On Thursday (May 16, 2024), Airbus announced that aircraft lessor Azorra has taken delivery of their first Airbus A220-300 from their Mirabel, Canada facility. Azorra will lease the new aircraft to Utah-based Breeze Airways, which is transitioning to an all Airbus A220-300 fleet. The state-of-the-art A220 Family is the only aircraft purpose-built for the 100-150 seat market and offers a 25 percent reduction in fuel burn and emissions compared to previous generation aircraft. By combining cutting edge aerodynamics, advanced materials and Pratt & Whitney’s latest generation GTF™ engines, the A220 delivers a 50 percent smaller noise footprint compared to previous generation jets, and also produces around 40 percent lower NOX emissions versus the industry standard.
The Airbus A220 Family can fly nonstop up to 3,600 nautical miles (6,700 km), making the aircraft the perfect solution for Breeze Airways’ goal to provide direct service between underserved cities across the U.S. Like all Airbus aircraft, the A220 can already operate on 50 percent SAF, and Airbus aims to make all of their aircraft 100 percent SAF compatible by 2030. As of the end of April 2024, Breeze has already taken direct delivery of 23 A220s from Airbus’ production facility in Mobile, Alabama. Earlier this year, the carrier disclosed an additional order for 10 more A220-300s, bringing their firm orderbook to 90 of the aircraft type. This will make Breeze the third largest A220 operator worldwide.
To date, nearly 330 A220s have been delivered to 20 airlines operating on five continents, which have served over 100 million passengers. Currently, the A220 fleet is flying on over 1,400 routes to more than 440 destinations worldwide. At April 30, 2024, approximately 30 customers have ordered more than 910 A220 aircraft, confirming its leadership role in the small single-aisle market.
Fort Lauderdale, Florida-based Azorra is a relationship driven aircraft lessor that provides leasing, financing, fleet transition and asset management solutions to investors, financiers and airline operators worldwide. Azorra currently owns and manages a fleet of over 275 aircraft, and has relationships with more than 100 airlines in over 70 countries. The company currently has commitments to acquire new Airbus A220s and Embraer E2 jets. Azorra also has offices in Dublin, Ireland and Toulouse, France.
Founded in 2019 by serial airline entrepreneur David Neeleman, Salt Lake City-based Breeze Airways launched flight operations in May 2021. The airline’s mission is ‘Nice people, flying nice people to nice places.’ Breeze operates a fleet of Embraer E190/195 jets and Airbus A220-300s, serving more than 55 cities in 29 states with over 170 nonstop seasonal and year-round routes. The carrier currently has an additional 70 A220-300s on order, and will transition to an all A220 fleet by fall 2024. Focused on providing efficient and affordable flights between secondary airports, Breeze offers seamless booking, no change or cancellation fees, and up to 24-months of reusable flight credit. Additionally, the airline offers customizable flight features, including complimentary family seating.
Source(s): Airbus, Azorra Aviation, Breeze Airways