Aviation Week reported that Airbus is “working on improving the A220’s autothrottle design, after several reports of crew errors that could have led to a tail strike or more serious incidents.” The aircraft’s autopilot “will be modified, too.” In the meantime, procedures “are temporarily added in the takeoff phase.”
Full Story (Aviation Week)
Tag: A220
Crossover Narrowbody Jets Offer Modern Workplace
Aviation Week reports crossover narrowbody jets, “such as the Embraer E-Jet E2 and Airbus A220 families, have some of the most modern cabins among the available aircraft types. The interiors for both families were clean sheet designs and much in their development was discussed in airline focus groups to achieve the final product.” The idea behind upgrading the cabins to add new amenities isn’t strictly financial; it is also an investment in the productivity of carriers’ staff who work in the aircraft. The ergonomics and layout of compartments like the galley make the staff members’ jobs easier and ensure that their attention remains focused on improving the air travel experience for the consumer.
Full Story (Aviation Week)
Air France Takes Delivery of its First Airbus A220
Aviation International News reports that “Air France took delivery of its first A220-300 from an order for 60 of the type from Airbus’s final assembly line in Mirabel, Quebec, and officially unveiled the 148-passenger narrowbody to the public during a Wednesday ceremony at Paris Charles De Gaulle Airport.” AIN reports that “since introducing the Airbus A350 on its long-haul network in September 2019, Air France has continued its fleet renewal and, by 2025, it plans to have added the 60 A220-300s on order to replace its Airbus A318s and A319s as well as several Airbus A320s.” The A220 order “includes an additional mix of 30 options and 30 purchase rights.”
Full Story (Aviation International News)
Breeze Airways Purchases 20 Additional Airbus A220s
Reuters reports that Breeze Airways announced it will purchase 20 more Airbus A220-330 jets “on top of Breeze’s existing order of 60.” Breeze CEO David Neeleman “said in a Reuters interview the airline had options to buy 60 additional A220s and was exercising 20 of those.” Neeleman added, “This just shows growth is on the way.”
Full Story (Reuters)
Airbus Increases Range, Maximum Take-Off Weight of A220-300
FlightGlobal reports that Airbus will “offer a further range increase on the A220-300 towards the middle of this year, with a 1t hike in the twinjet’s maximum take-off weight.” The update “will take the MTOW of the -300, the larger of the A220 variants, to 70.9t from the current 69.9t and will provide some 200nm additional range.” The company “has been gradually refining the A220 since taking over the programme, formerly known as the CSeries, from Bombardier in July 2018.” The “-300 is the more popular of the two A220 models, accounting for 539 of the 629 firm orders by the end of February 2021.” Airbus “is focusing on increasing the competitiveness of the A220, in order to shift the programme into profitability. Production rates are being raised to five aircraft per month by the end of the first quarter.”
Full Story (FlightGlobal)
African Airlines Order New Airliners
Aviation Week reports that three African carriers “announced orders for new aircraft at Dubai Airshow on Tuesday, demonstrating confidence in the region’s potential for air-traffic growth.” Air Tanzania “announced an order for one Boeing 787-7, one 767-300F and two 737 MAXs”; Ibom Air ordered 10 A220s; and AfriJet ordered three ATR 72-600s.
Full Story (Aviation Week)