Airbus A220 Hits Half-Million Deliveries: The Unlikely Success Story

The Airbus A220 has reached a milestone with its 500th delivery, marking a significant achievement for the aircraft that was once considered an underdog. The A220 began life as the Bombardier CSeries, a clean-sheet design that was developed by Bombardier despite being their most ambitious project to date. The program nearly killed the company due to ballooning development costs and delays.

Bombardier's solution was to sell a majority stake in the CSeries to Airbus for just one dollar in 2017. This deal allowed Airbus to gain access to a ready-made aircraft, while Bombardier received Airbus's global sales network, supply chain leverage, and protection against Boeing's tariff campaign.

The A220 has won over airlines worldwide with its economics and passenger comfort. It occupies a sweet spot that neither Boeing nor Airbus had properly served before, offering a 100-160 seat market with low fuel burn per seat. The aircraft's cabin is wider than both the 737 and original A320 family, with a 2-3 seating layout that means no middle seat in economy.

Reaching 500 deliveries has not been smooth for Airbus, as the program has battled supply chain disruptions, engine availability issues with Pratt & Whitney, and ramping up production across two assembly lines on two continents. However, the order book is deep, with hundreds of unfilled orders from airlines including JetBlue, Delta, Air France, and Swiss.