Qantas’ new jet: The Airbus that’s not really an Airbus
Qantas’ domestic passengers could soon be flying a new aircraft type. As part of its Project Winton program announced in May 2022, Qantas will see a complete overhaul of its domestic fleet. In addition to 20 Airbus A321XLR aircraft, the airline has ordered 20 Airbus A220-300s, a bigger, more comfortable aircraft with greater flexibility than the Boeing 717s it will replace.
How the Bombardier CSeries became the Airbus A220
An Airbus A220 for airBaltic, one of the launch customers for the plane.
The Airbus A220 began life as the CSeries aircraft, manufactured by Canada’s Bombardier Aerospace. Bombardier had recognised a gap in the market for a cost-efficient aircraft in the 100-150 seat category that was not filled by Airbus or Boeing.
After the CSeries made its public debut at the UK’s Farnborough International Airshow in 2008, Airbus saw the aircraft as a threat and shortly after dropped the price of its A320, stymying several deals that were in the pipeline for the CSeries.
Although the airline industry acknowledged the Bombardier as a capable aircraft with cost efficiencies, airlines had concerns over the viability of a relatively small manufacturer. Another problem, aviation fuel prices were relatively low at the time, and the fuel cost saving presented by the CSeries was not a persuasive reason for airlines to change from less fuel-efficient, older model aircraft. As a result, initial orders were sluggish.
Development of the CSeries had been funded largely by the governments of Quebec, Canada and the UK and Bombardier was facing financial headwinds. In 2015, the company sought a partnership with Airbus, which was declined but two years later Airbus came on board with a majority stake in Bombardier. Early in 2020 Airbus increased its stake to a 75 per cent holding. The Bombardier CS100 became the Airbus A220-100, Airbus switched from foe to friend and orders rocketed. The aircraft entered service with launch customer Swiss Global Air Lines in July 2016.
The specs
There are two variants of the twin-engine, single aisle A220. In a typical two-class configuration, the A220-100 has a capacity of 100-120 passengers while the A220-300 seats between 120 and 150. Range is up to 3450 nautical miles (6390 km) for the smaller aircraft, 3400 nautical miles (6297 km) for the A220-300. Configuration in economy class is 2-3, but passenger comfort is enhanced with generous seat pitch and width and larger-than-average windows. Seats aboard Delta’s A220-100s have a seat pitch of 30-32 inches (76-81 cm) and a width of 18.6 inches (47cm).
Power comes from Pratt & Whitney PW1500G geared turbofan engines. Airbus claims a 25 per cent reduction in fuel burn per seat over previous generation aircraft and a 50 per cent reduction in noise footprint and nitrogen oxide emissions.
Launch operators Swiss and airBaltic both confirmed fuel burn and on-time performance were above expectations, along with positive feedback from passengers and aircrew. As reported by airBaltic, fuel consumption was 2600 litres per hour, a saving of 400 litres/hour against a Boeing 737 with a similar passenger capacity.
The airline currently operates an all A220-300 fleet. As of April 2023, 262 A220s had entered service, notching up more than 1.3 million block hours, the time spent between pushback on departure to gate arrival at the conclusion of a flight, with operational reliability at 98.8 per cent.
COVID provided an unexpected boost for the A220. At the height of the pandemic, as around 80 per cent of the world’s commercial aircraft stood idle, the smaller capacity and low operating cost of the A220 helped insulate it from the worst of the groundings. Delta continued to sell tickets aboard its A220-100s while grounding its entire fleet of the larger capacity A320s. Swiss International Air Lines continued to fly almost half its fleet of A220s while 70 per cent of its A320s stood idle.
Which airlines use the A220?
Delta Air Lines has been flying the A220 since October 2020. Other customers include Air France, Korean Air, Iraqi Airways, JetBlue and ITA Airways. Most of these airlines are using the A220 as a short and medium-haul aircraft, but French airline Air Austral, based on the Indian Ocean island of Reunion, utilises the aircraft’s long legs. The airline operates the A220 between France and Mauritius, Reunion, the Seychelles, South Africa and India. The Air Austral flight between Reunion and Chennai in India is the world’s longest A220 route, at 2870 nautical miles (5315 km).
Where does the A220 fit into the Qantas fleet?
Qantas will replace its Boeing 717s with Airbus A220s.
The 20 Airbus A220s will replace Qantas’ fleet of Boeing 717s. There’s sentimental value invested in the aircraft since it was a Boeing 717 named “Blue Mountains” that operated Jetstar’s first flight between Melbourne and Launceston in May 2004.
The B717 has been a workhorse on Qantas’ regional flights, frequently under the QantasLink banner, but the A220 brings significant advantages. As well as more seats and lower operating costs, the A220 offers a greatly expanded range, almost 2500 km greater than the B717’s range of 3815 km. That opens a new array of potential non-stop flight routes for Qantas’ A220s, such as Cairns to Singapore, or Adelaide to Fiji. Delivery of Qantas’ first A220 is expected toward the end of 2023.
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