Lufthansa may be mulling over plans to purchase additional Airbus A220 aircraft for its group. The European conglomerate is looking to optimize profits on regional European routes in this period of recovery.

Regional overhaul

According to Bloomberg, Lufthansa is looking to simplify the regional fleets across its operations. The global news powerhouse shares that those close to the matter have identified the A220 as a possible solution to this approach. This report follows a recent conference call by Lufthansa CEO Carsten Spohr, where he shared that he has sent proposal requests to regional jet manufacturers. Naturally, Embraer's jets could also be part of the mix in this preliminary stage.

Nonetheless, if Lufthansa did go for the A220, there could be significant savings over existing units. For instance, JetBlue estimated that its A220s would have 29% lower operating costs per seat than the E190s it already held.

It remains to be seen exactly where the A220 will be placed in Lufthansa’s 700+ strong fleet across its subsidiaries. However, aero.de reports that the airline could be using it to replace CityLine's A319s. These older units in Lufthansa's regional department have an age of up to 25 years.

A220 Cabin
The A220 has been praised for its balance between airline economics and passenger comfort. Photo: Airbus

An attractive solution

Altogether, the A220's clean sheet was designed for the 100 to 150 seat market segment. Airbus promotes that the two variants give airlines the flexibility to “right-size their operation” to suit their business model.

Lufthansa already values this aspect. Its subsidiary, SWISS, holds both the A220-100 and A220-300 models.

“With this aircraft, we’re able to operate on longer routes, such as Moscow, Cairo or Hurghada, as well as at operationally challenging airports with short and narrow runways and complex approaches, such as London City and Florence,” Peter Koch, SWISS’ A220 fleet chief shared in an Airbus statement.

“At the same time, the A220 is an all-rounder that can be used for all our other short and medium-haul destinations.”

SWISS A220-100
Zurich has more A220 flights this winter than any other airport. Photo: Getty Images.

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Across the industry

Carriers around the world are increasingly seeing the A220's value. Air France entered its units into service this week. Meanwhile, Air Canada recently reversed its decision to cancel its orders for the type. The type is expanding its presence across different regions, with factors such as a 50% reduced noise footprint and 50% lower NOx emissions than market standards as benefits of the jet.

Overall, 179 A220s have been produced. We can expect this number to continue rising as operators look to modernize their narrowbody fleets with this efficient option this decade.

What are your thoughts about the Airbus A220’s potential with Lufthansa? Do you think an order for the type would be a good move for the company? Let us know what you think of the overall prospects in the comment section.