Air Canada takes delivery of its first Airbus A220

Air Canada has taken delivery of its first A220-300, designed, built and delivered from the Mirabel A220 programme facilities in Canada. The first aircraft out of an order of 45 made its first flight on 13 December and will enter service in January 2020, making Air Canada the first airline to operate the A220-300 in North America, Delta Air Lines being the first airline to operate the A220-100 since November 2018.

The A220 will enable the Montreal-based airline to comfortably fly passengers on various routes in Canada and to the United States, offering a dual-class cabin that comfortably seats 137 passengers; 12 in business class and 125 in economy class.

“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 modernization. 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,” said Michael Rousseau, Deputy Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer at Air Canada.

“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 around the world,” said Philippe Balducchi, CEO, Airbus Canada Limited Partnership and Head of Country, Canada for Airbus.

Being the only aircraft purpose-built for this specific small single-aisle market segment, the A220 will enable Air Canada to open new routes that were previously not feasible. Together, the performance, economics and comfort features of the A220 will allow Air Canada to fly Montreal to Seattle as well as Toronto to San Jose, as of Spring 2020.

Fully in line with Air Canada’s plan to become a sustainable airline, the A220 is the quietest, cleanest and most eco-friendly aircraft in its category. Featuring 50% reduction in noise footprint compared to previous generation aircraft and 50% lower NOx emissions than industry standards, the A220 is a great aircraft for neighbourhood airports. Air Canada currently operates a fleet of 116 Airbus aircraft.

The first Air Canada A220 will be unveiled to the public and media during a ceremony at the airline’s headquarters in Montreal on January 15, 2020.

The A220 is the only aircraft purpose-built for the 100-150 seat market; it delivers unbeatable fuel efficiency and widebody passenger comfort in a single-aisle aircraft. The A220 brings together state-of-the-art aerodynamics, advanced materials and Pratt & Whitney’s latest-generation PW1500G geared turbofan engines to offer at least 20 percent lower fuel burn per seat compared to previous generation aircraft, along with significantly lower emissions and a reduced noise footprint. The A220 offers the performance of larger single-aisle aircraft.

By the end of November 2019, the A220 had accumulated 530 orders. Around 100 A220s are currently in service with 6 operators worldwide.

Mirabel, Quebec, Canada, 20 December, 2019