• 

  JetBlue

  IATA/ICAO Code:

  B6/JBA

  Hub(s):

  Boston Logan International Airport, Los Angeles International Airport, New York JFK Airport, Orlando International Airport

  Year Founded:

  2000

  CEO:

  Robin Hayes

  Country:

  United States

Airbus is celebrating the 220th delivery of its smallest aircraft, the A220. The recipient of the plane is the type's largest customer, JetBlue, which has been using the single-aisle aircraft to launch many new routes lately. The European manufacturer has more than 700 orders for the type in the backlog and hopes to expand its reach in newer markets, particularly China.

220th delivery

On July 13th, Airbus marked the 220th delivery of the A220 aircraft to JetBlue Airways. The aircraft was introduced six years ago and has had many takers for the type, JetBlue being the biggest.

The airline has 100 A220s on order and currently has 11 in its fleet. It added 30 Airbus A220-300s to its order book in February, exercising options included in a previous order, bringing the total number to 100.

The A220s are expected to gradually replace JetBlue's Embraer E190s, and the airline is scheduled to receive several more by the end of 2022. By 2023, it hopes to receive 23 more of the type, replacing the entire fleet of E190s, with the last slated to leave JetBlue by 2026.

Popular with the airlines

The narrowbody jet is proving to be quite popular with several carriers in North America and Europe. Other than JetBlue, airlines such as Breeze Airways, Air Canada, and Delta Air Lines are all operators of the type, making use of its range and efficiency.

The A220 offers the flexibility of flight ranging from 30 minutes to 7 hours, with 25% less fuel burn & CO2 emissions and 50% less noise footprint compared to previous generation aircraft.

Air France took delivery of its 10th Airbus A220-300 earlier this month and expects around 15 deliveries each year as it moves to replace its aging A320-family fleet. The A220-300 is gradually taking over operations from Air France's aging Airbus A318 and A319 aircraft and has a packed summer schedule to destinations including Berlin, Rome, Athens, Helsinki, Vienna, and Stockholm, among others.

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Air Canada, too, took delivery of an A220 in June, bringing the total number of the type to 30 in its fleet. The airline first ordered the aircraft type back in February 2016 when it was still known as the Bombardier CSeries, and with the latest delivery, its order for the aircraft is now two-thirds complete.

Growing demand

The A220 has flown 60 million passengers on more than 700 routes in the last six years and has 760 orders in the backlog. Its order book has more than doubled since 2018, and Airbus is expanding its industrial footprint to support the increasing demand for the plane.

In addition to the headquartered final assembly line (FAL) in Mirabel, Canada, Airbus extended its A220 assembly capacity to the US-based A320 FAL located in Mobile, Alabama, in January 2019. More recently, Mirabel welcomed an additional pre-assembly line, becoming the first Airbus pre-FAL situated outside of Europe.

Following the massive aircraft deal with Chinese airlines, Airbus recently also held an event to promote the A220 for short-haul flights in an attempt to expand its footprint further in the world's second-largest aviation market.

Have you flown the A220? What do you think about the aircraft? Do let us know in the comment section below.