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Made in Canada: Air Canada Takes Delivery of First Airbus A220-300

Joe Breitfeller

On Friday, Airbus announced that Air Canada has taken delivery of their first of 45 Airbus A220-300s on order. The aircraft was delivered from Airbus’ Mirabel, Canada A220 program facilities.


Air Canada's First Airbus A220-300 - Courtesy Airbus

Air Canada will become the first North American operator of the Airbus A220-300 after taking delivery of their first of 45 aircraft on order last Friday. According to the Airbus announcement, the new aircraft will de deployed domestically in Canada as well as on transborder flights to the US. Air Canada's new A220-300 is arranged in a dual-class configuration for 137 passengers with 12 Business Class and 124 Economy Class seats. Commenting on Friday’s delivery, Air Canada’s Deputy Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, Michael Rousseau said,


“This is a highly anticipated moment for Air Canada as we welcome this game changing aircraft into our fleet, the next step in our fleet modernisation. It will not only allow us to transport our customers in comfort, but also further our environmental commitment with its improved efficiency. The A220 will enable Air Canada to strengthen our position on transborder and transcontinental markets and will be key to our continued growth. Our customers will benefit from the A220’s innovative design features, including a choice of two spacious and comfortable cabins, larger overhead bins, bigger windows and a quieter experience in flight.”


The Airbus A220 is the only small purpose built single-aisle aircraft for the 100-150 seat market and will allow Air Canada to introduce new routes that weren’t previously economically feasible. In the spring of 2020, the carrier will deploy the aircraft on the Montreal to Seattle and Toronto to San Jose routes. Also commenting on the A220's delivery, Airbus Canada’s CEO, Phillippe Balducchi added,


“This delivery is a historical moment and makes all of us at Airbus Canada extremely proud. In just a few weeks, Canadians will be able to fly on board this Canadian-designed and assembled aircraft for the first time in Air Canada’s distinctive and emblematic Maple Leaf livery that symbolizes Canada all over the world."

The A220 lines up with Air Canada’s sustainability goals with its quiet, clean and eco-friendly attributes. Compared to previous generation aircraft, the A220-300 promises a 50% reduction in noise footprint and NOx emissions that are half of the industry standard. Air Canada currently operates a fleet of 116 Airbus aircraft and their new fleet addition will be officially introduced at the company’s Montreal Headquarters on January 15, 2020.


The Airbus A220 Family is powered by Pratt & Whitney’s latest generation PW1500G geared turbofan engines which, along with the aircraft’s aerodynamic design, deliver a 20% reduction in fuel burn per seat vs. previous generation aircraft. There are currently around 100 A220s in service with six operators and as of the end of November, Airbus had 530 A220 orders on their books.



Source: Air Canada

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