[ad_1]
The Airbus A220 (formerly known as Bombardier CSeries) has proved extremely popular with airlines and passengers. Airlines have already ordered 530 of these aircraft and Airbus hopes that the order book will increase significantly over time.
Why the A220 is so popular with airlines and passengers
Whether you are an airline or a passenger, there is a lot to like about the A220.
From the point of view of the airlines:
- The aircraft fills a gap that is not otherwise served, the two variants of the A220 having 100 to 150 seats or not; this makes the plane bigger than the regional jets, but smaller than the A320 and the 737
- The A220 is incredibly fuel efficient: at least 20% less fuel than previous aircraft serving this market
- The aircraft has an incredible range and can travel more than 3000 km non-stop, which makes it versatile.
airBaltic A220-300
From the point of view of passengers, the plane also has a lot to offer:
- The plane has all the comfort you will find on an A350 or a 787, while remaining narrow.
- The A220 is in a 2-3 configuration, so there is only one seat in the middle of each row.
- The A220 has a modern and silent cabin
This is my first-class flight experience of the Delta A220, to give you an idea of what it's like to fly in an airplane.
Delta Cab A220-100
Airbus announces the improvement of the A220 range
Airbus brings great improvements to this aircraft without even relaunching it technically. Airbus announced that the A220 would offer increased scope as of the second half of 2020.
Airbus can essentially increase the maximum takeoff weight (MTOW) of the A220 by 2,268 kg. This goal is achieved by taking advantage of the margins of existing structures and systems and by increasing the existing fuel volume capacity.
With this change:
- The A220-100 will have a maximum range of 3,400 nm
- The A220-300 will have a maximum range of 3,350 nm
For the A220-100 and A220-300, the maximum range of the aircraft is increased to about 450 nm.
As described by the Airbus Sales Manager:
"In the pure Airbus tradition, we are constantly improving our products. This new MTOW will allow operators to reach markets that can no longer be served by other types of single-aisle aircraft. "
What are the roads opened by the increased reach of the A220?
Clearly, Airbus hopes that this increased autonomy will result in more orders for the aircraft. Airbus points out that this expanded range will allow airlines to operate new routes between Western Europe and the Middle East or between South East Asia and Australia.
We have also heard a lot about the possibility of airlines using the A220 for their transatlantic operations. With the previous range of aircraft, operating transatlantic flights was just on the sidelines, whereas now this could be done easily.
For example, let's take the 3,350 nm range on the A220-300 (which is the shorter range of the two planes). With this increased range, all kinds of roads are easily possible from the US east coast to Western Europe (this map shows a distance of 3,350 nm from Boston).
In the Airbus press release, however, it is interesting to note the potential for flights from Southeast Asia to Australia, as well as from Western Europe to the Middle East.
Why do not we mention transatlantic flights? Because it seems that the demand is just not there. Airlines already use aircraft such as the A321 and 737 for transatlantic flights, and these are considered low-capacity aircraft for transatlantic flights. So I suppose the use of even smaller planes has a limited appeal.
Bottom line
Airbus further enhances the scope of the A220, which is quite impressive. To be fair, the plane already offered a very good autonomy.
Although the A220 is a fantastic aircraft and there are many "long and thin" roads, I think that the demand to operate these aircraft on flights over 3,500 km is quite limited.
I would be curious to see how many airlines are taking advantage of the incredible new lineup of the A220.
What do you think – is there a demand for airlines to operate flights over 3,500 km with aircraft from 100 to 150 seats, or are A320 / 737 family aircraft cutlery?
[ad_2]
Source link