How Many A220s Does Airbus Produce Annually?

Airbus is one of the largest commercial aircraft manufacturers in the world. The company has also been a prominent aerospace company, but as of the late 2010s, Airbus surpassed Boeing as the world’s biggest manufacturer of airliners. In 2024, Airbus delivered a total of 766 commercial jets, which means it has a global market share in commercial aircraft deliveries of about 56%. Overall, the company’s market capitalization is just under $190 billion, more than any other aerospace company.

Since Airbus was founded in 1970, the company has introduced a wide variety of airliners. This includes the first Airbus aircraft, the A300, which was introduced in 1972. Airbus followed up the A300 with the A310, the A340, and the A330, all popular widebody airliners. The company has also produced the A320 series, one of the world’s most popular narrowbody aircraft. However, Airbus recently entered a new market, initially in partnership with Bombardier. It partnered with Bombardier to develop the A220 series, designed to be smaller than the Boeing 737 and the Airbus A320. Airbus later took over this program, launching two variants of the A220. Let’s take a closer look at this unique aircraft, as well as how Airbus looks to ramp up production in the coming years.

How Many A220s Did Airbus Produce In 2024?

Bombardier launched the first variant of the CSeries, the CS100, in July 2016 with launch operator Swiss Global Air Lines. The longer variant, the CS300, entered commercial service in December 2016. Since then, Airbus took control of the CSeries program, later rebranding the CS100 as the A220-100 and the CS300 as the A220-300. Airbus acquired a majority stake in the program in July 2018, which later became an Airbus aircraft in June 2019.

Since Airbus took control of the program, the company has ramped up production of the A220. Overall, over 450 total A220s have been delivered to various customers around the world. According to ch-aviation, several airlines have a significant order for new Airbus A220 aircraft, with nearly 500 A220s on order.

Furthermore, Airbus has been increasing the production rate of the A220 each year. In 2022, Airbus delivered a total of 53 A220s throughout the year. In 2023, Airbus increased its annual production to 68 A220s. However, in 2024, Airbus increased this further to 75 total A220s.

How Many A220s Is Airbus Targeting To Produce In 2026?

In recent years, Airbus has publicly committed to ramping up the production rate of the A220 to 14 aircraft per month in 2026. Airbus emphasized that this pace will depend on the industry and supplier performance. This would translate to approximately 168 aircraft per year. This is a significant jump from the 75 aircraft delivered in 2024.

Airbus acknowledges that there are key challenges to achieving this significant jump. The manufacturer previously noted that there are specific supply chain challenges that put pressure on the ramp-up of the A220. In the Airbus Report of the Board of Directors 2024, the company stated,

“The A320 Family programme continues to ramp up towards a rate of 75 aircraft per month in 2027. … Specific supply chain challenges, notably with Spirit AeroSystems, are currently putting pressure on the ramp up of the A350 and the A220. … On the A220, the Company continues to target a monthly production rate of 14 aircraft in 2026.”

Many industry analysts are skeptical that Airbus will be able to achieve this production rate, especially as the jump from eight aircraft per month to 14 aircraft per month is so significant. Even so, Airbus continues to upgrade its existing infrastructure to support this production increase. For example, in recent months, Airbus has added additional final assembly lines for the A220 at its main production facility in Mobile, Alabama.

How Did The Airbus A220 Begin Development?

The Airbus A220, which was initially certified as the Bombardier CSeries, can be traced back to the early 2000s. Bombardier was seeing success with its various regional aircraft offerings, including the Canadair Regional Jet (CRJ). However, in 2004, Bombardier began investigating the development of a new clean sheet aircraft that could rival newly developed regional jets such as the Embraer E-Jet or the Boeing 717. The program was approved by Bombardier executives in 2005.

Even so, the program was met with several delays, including an extensive search for a powerplant system. By 2008, Bombardier officially authorized formal sales proposals of the CSeries, which officially launched the program. However, Bombardier struggled to secure large orders early on, which caused financial difficulties for the aircraft manufacturer. Because of this, Bombardier sought a strategic partner to help keep the CSeries program alive.

The CSeries was launched commercially in 2016, although Bombardier still faced financial headwinds in scaling production. In October 2017, Airbus entered into a partnership with Bombardier, which allowed it to acquire a majority stake in the CSeries program. Airbus entered the program for no financial cost, and the company would instead utilize its experience in the industry to market and further develop the aircraft. In July 2018, the Bombardier CSeries was rebranded as the Airbus A220.

When Did The Airbus A220 Enter Commercial Service?

Bombardier was able to bring the CSeries to commercial service without the backing of Airbus. Prior to Bombardier’s agreement with Airbus, the company continued the development of the aircraft. Initially, the company intended to bring this aircraft into service in the early 2010s. However, it was met with significant delays, mostly around the development of a new propulsion system to power this unique aircraft.

The first Bombardier CSeries aircraft, the CS100, conducted its maiden flight in September 2013. After an extensive flight testing program, the CS100 was certified by Transport Canada in December 2015. Swiss Global Air Lines, the launch customer of the CS100, conducted the first commercial flight with the aircraft in July 2016. SWISS flew the first CS100 from Zurich Airport (ZRH) in Switzerland to Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG) in France.

Bombardier also later certified the longer CS300 in July 2016. The launch customer of this aircraft, airBaltic, conducted the first commercial flight with the CS300 in December 2016. After the Airbus partnership, Airbus opened a new assembly line in Mobile, Alabama, to better serve US customers. Since then, Bombardier and Airbus have produced nearly 500 total A220s.

What Are The Major Design Features And Performance Specifications Of The Airbus A220?

The Airbus A220 was originally designed with a unique fuselage size that can fit passengers in a five-abreast configuration. This fits the aircraft in the 100-to-150-seat market, which is between regional airliners and narrowbody aircraft. The A220-100 can seat a maximum of 135 passengers, although it typically seats around 120 passengers in a two-class configuration. Additionally, the A220-300 can seat a maximum of 160 passengers, while it seats up to 150 passengers in a two-class configuration.

The A220-100 is about 12 feet shorter than the A220-300. Even so, commonality between the two A220 variants is over 99%, helping to improve the ease of manufacturing. The aircraft’s airframe is designed with advanced lightweight materials, including carbon composite materials in the wings and empennage and aluminum-lithium materials in the fuselage.

Inside the cockpit, the A220 features the Rockwell Collins Pro Line Fusion avionics suite. This includes five large displays alongside advanced navigation and communication systems. The A220 also utilizes fly-by-wire flight controls powered by sidestick controllers. Overall, the aircraft is powered by two Pratt & Whitney PW1500G turbofan engines. These powerful engines each provide the aircraft with up to 24,400 pounds of thrust. According to Airbus, the aircraft can achieve the following performance specifications:

Which Airlines Operate The Airbus A220?

Since the Bombardier CSeries was introduced, Bombardier and Airbus have delivered over 450 total aircraft to a range of operators around the world. SWISS was the launch customer of the shorter A220-100, and now operates nine of the aircraft type in its fleet. On the other hand, airBaltic was the launch customer of the A220-300, and now operates 50 of the aircraft type in its fleet.

The shorter A220-100 has seen fewer total aircraft delivered. According to ch-aviation, 71 aircraft are currently in service around the world. Delta Air Lines is the largest operator of the type, flying 45 A220-100s. Additionally, ITA Airways is another prominent operator, flying 12 in its fleet. Over 40 A220-100s are on order, with 20 scheduled to be delivered to LOT Polish Airlines and 10 to Odyssey Airlines.

The longer A220-300 is more prominent in the industry, with approximately 368 total active aircraft in service. According to ch-aviation, JetBlue is the largest operator, flying 54 total A220-300s. Other prominent operators of the variant include Air France, Breeze Airways, Air Canada, and Delta Air Lines. This variant also has nearly 450 total aircraft on order. Delta Air Lines has the largest active order, with over 60 to be delivered, as it expects to replace its fleet of Boeing 717s. Lufthansa City Airlines, LOT Polish Airlines, Air Canada, and Breeze Airways also have significant orders.