Airbus A220
Illustrative image; it may differ from the actual aircraft.The Airbus A220 is a family of five-abreast narrow-body airliners by Airbus Canada Limited Partnership (ACLP). It was initially developed by Bombardier Aviation with the program launched on 13 July 2008 and had two years in-service as the Bombardier CSeries. The smaller A220-100 (formerly CS100) first flew on 16 September 2013, received an initial type certificate from Transport Canada on 18 December 2015, and entered service on 15 July 2016 with Swiss International Air Lines. The longer A220-300 (formerly CS300) first flew on 27 February 2015, received an initial type certificate on 11 July 2016, and entered service with airBaltic on 14 December 2016.
Specifications
Figures for the A220-300 variant, the most representative of the family
The type first flew in 2013 (13 years ago) · About 400 units built · Still in production
Figures for the type, not for this particular aircraft: each variant and each configuration changes something. They are shown in both systems used in aviation.
The story of the type
Development
BRJ-X forerunner concept
Bombardier began discussions with Fokker on 5 February 1996 about acquiring that company's assets, including the 100-seat Fokker 100 short-haul aircraft. However, after evaluating the potential purchase, Bombardier announced an end to the talks on 27 February, and two weeks later, on 15 March, Fokker was declared bankrupt. Bombardier then launched the BRJ-X, or "Bombardier Regional Jet eXpansion" on 8 September, a larger regional jet than the CRJ Series or "Canadair Regional Jet" due to enter service in 2003. Instead of 2–2 seating, the BRJ-X was to have a wider fuselage with 2–3 seating for 85 to 110 passengers, and underwing engine pods. It was comparable to the smallest narrow-body jetliners, like the 2–3 DC-9/MD-80/Boeing 717 or the 3–3 Airbus A318 and Boeing 737-500/737-600. At the end of 2000, the project was shelved by Bombardier in favour of stretching the CRJ700 into the CRJ900.
Meanwhile, Embraer launched its four-abreast E-Jet family for 70 to 122 passengers in June 1999, which entered service in 2004. Airbus launched its 107–117 passengers A318 on 21 April 1999, which entered service in July 2003, as Boeing had the 737-600 first delivered in September 1998.
CSeries feasibility study
Bombardier appointed Gary Scott on 8 March 2004 to evaluate the creation of a New Commercial Aircraft Program. A feasibility study for a five-seat abreast CSeries was then launched at the biennial Farnborough Airshow in July to investigate development of an aircraft to replace rival manufacturers' aging models: DC-9/MD-80, Fokker 100, Boeing 737 Classic and BAe-146 with 20% lower operating costs, and 15% lower operating costs than then-in-production models: Embraer E-Jet, Boeing 717, etc. The smaller variant (C110) would carry 110 to 115 passengers and the larger (C130) between 130 and 135 passengers over 3,200 nautical miles. The C110 was planned to weigh 60,420 kg (133,200 lb) at MTOW and have a length of 35.0 m (114.7 ft), while the C130 would be 38.2 m (125.3 ft) long and have a 66,000 kg (146,000 lb) MTOW. The aircraft would have 3-by-2 standard seating and 4-abreast business class, 2.1 m (7 ft) stand-up headroom, fly-by-wire and side stick controls. 20 percent of the airframe weight would be in composite materials for the centre and rear fuselages, tail cone, empennage and wings. The first flight was planned for 2008 and entry into service for 2010.
Bombardier's Board of Directors authorized marketing the CSeries on 15 March 2005, seeking firm commitments prior to program launch.
In May, the CSeries development was evaluated at US$2.1 billion, shared with suppliers and partner governments for one-third each. The Government of Canada would invest US$262.5 million, the Government of Quebec US$87.5 million and the Government of the United Kingdom US$340 million (£180 million), repayable on a royalty basis per aircraft. The UK contribution would be part of an investment partnership for the development of the composite wings and other parts at the Belfast plant, where Bombardier bought Short Brothers in 1989.
Search for engines and one-year development break
Despite government support, Bombardier had difficulty finding the right powerplant for the CSeries in June 2005 after failing to get the two engine consortia International Aero Engines and CFM International to compete for the CSeries contract. The former engine manufacturer had offered a new centreline engine in the 93 to 102 kN (21,000 to 23,000 lb) thrust class, while the latter was not yet ready to offer its next-generation CFM56 engine, as Bombardier required a significant upgrade in the event of an engine derivative for the CSeries program. Both prospective engine suppliers for the CSeries program were uncertain about the aircraft market projections after Bombardier failed to address these concerns, but they left the door open to future discussions of a potential program. Bombardier then returned to Pratt & Whitney (P&W) in search of the right engine for the CSeries, although the company had already rejected a PW6000 derivative offered by P&W a year earlier, maintaining its original plan to launch the all-new aircraft program only with a new centreline engine as well.
Bombardier announced on 31 January 2006 that market conditions could not justify the launch of the program, and that the company would reorient CSeries project efforts, team and resources to regional jet and turboprop aircraft. A small team of employees were kept to develop the CSeries business plan and were further tasked to include other risk-sharing partners in the program.
Bombardier announced on 31 January 2007 that work on the aircraft would continue, with entry into service planned for 2013.
Variants
There are two main variants of the five-abreast A220 family: the 35 m (115 ft) long A220-100 including the ACJ TwoTwenty corporate jet version, and the 3.7 m (12 ft) longer A220-300. Their over 99% commonality allows a common spare part inventory, reducing investment and maintenance costs.
The A220-100 (ICAO code: BCS1) is the shorter variant of the A220 family at 35 m (115 ft) in length that can fly between 100 and 135 passengers over a distance of 3,600 nmi (6,667 km; 4,143 mi). The former CS100 made its maiden flight on 16 September 2013 and was first delivered to the launch operator Swiss Global Air Lines on 29 June 2016. The type entered service on 15 July 2016 with a revenue flight between Zurich and Paris. The A220-100 has a takeoff distance of 1,500 m (4,800 ft) and a landing distance of 1,390 m (4,550 ft) and is also certified for steep approaches by Transport Canada and EASA, making it one of the largest aircraft that can land at London City Airport (LCY) and connect it non-stop to New York City John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK). The model marketing designation is the BD-500-1A10 for aircraft from serial number 50011, including the first aircraft delivered to Swiss (MSN-50010).
The A220-100, the smallest jetliner within the Airbus product line, competes with largest members of the four-abreast Embraer E-Jet E2 family, the E195-E2 and E190-E2, replacing the previous generation E-195, E190, as well as the five/six-abreast Boeing 717, 737-600, Airbus A318 and ageing models: McDonnell Douglas DC-9/MD-87, Fokker 100, BAe-146, and Boeing 737-500. The A220-100 is well ahead of the two E-Jet E2 variants in terms of range and payload, but the latter has a lower base price due to its more conservative design and correspondingly cheaper production costs. The unit price of an A220-100 is estimated at $81 million, while an E-190 E2 and E-195 E2 are priced at $61 million and $69 million, respectively. As of August 2026, there are 75 A220-100s in revenue service with five operators, where Delta is the largest operator with 45 aircraft in its fleet.
The A220-300 (ICAO code: BCS3) is the larger variant with a 38.71 m (127 ft) long fuselage or 3.7 m (12 ft) longer than A220-100 and can carry between 120 and 160 passengers over a distance of 3,600 nmi (6,700 km; 4,100 mi). The former CS300 had its maiden flight on 27 February 2015, and the first delivery to airBaltic, the type launch operator, in November 2016. The type entered service on 14 December with a revenue flight from Riga to Amsterdam in a 145 seat two-class configuration. In several performance improvements, the MTOW and thus the permissible tank content were increased, where Delta received the first improved aircraft on 18 June 2019. Airbus offered a further 1 t (2,200 lb) increase to the MTOW of the A220-300, to 70.9 t (156,000 lb) in March 2021, providing another 200 nmi (370 km; 230 mi) of additional range to 3,550 nmi (6,570 km; 4,090 mi). On long routes the payload will be increased by about 900 kg (2,000 lb). The model marketing designation is the BD-500-1A11 for aircraft from serial number 55003.
The A220-300 complements the A319neo in the Airbus fleet and competes with the Boeing 737 MAX 7 and, to some extent, with the Embraer E195-E2, replacing previous generation airliners, smaller variants of the 737 Next Gen/737 Classic and McDonnell Douglas MD-90/MD-80 series. The A220-300 was designed to be 6 t (13,000 lb) lighter than the A319neo and nearly 8 t (18,000 lb) lighter than the 737 MAX 7, giving it better operating costs of up to 12%. Furthermore, the unit price of an A220-300 is estimated at just $91.5 million, while an A319neo is priced at $101.5 million. These cost advantages and other aspects contribute to the A220-300 outselling the A319neo as well as the 737-7.
Where this type is seen
From our logbook: 126 aircraft of this type documented at 67 airports.
A count of our own aircraft profiles, year by year, from the public United States flight records: it reflects what we have documented, not the airport’s total traffic.
Overview and history adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA) · technical figures from the manufacturer’s published specifications and standard aviation references
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This page was last updated on October 10, 2026
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Vuelopedia. (2026, October 10). Airbus A220. Retrieved October 16, 2026, from https://vuelopedia.org/en/model/a220
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BibTeX
@misc{vuelopedia_en_model_a220,
author = {{Vuelopedia}},
title = {{Airbus A220}},
publisher = {Fundación Poderia},
year = {2026},
date = {2026-10-10},
url = {https://vuelopedia.org/en/model/a220},
howpublished = {\url{https://vuelopedia.org/en/model/a220}},
urldate = {2026-10-16},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-16}
}Wikipedia
{{cite web |url=https://vuelopedia.org/en/model/a220 |title=Airbus A220 |website=Vuelopedia |publisher=Fundación Poderia |date=2026-10-10 |access-date=2026-10-16 |language=en}}