Aviation
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Airbus confirms stretched version of A220, supposedly more efficient than A319
Airbus A220 Family
Image: Airbus
Rafael Ramos
10/7/2021
Airbus and Air France are back in discussions about a larger version of the A220. Air France hopes to replace its old A320ceo with an aircraft that has around 180 seats.
When the A220 family design was still by Bombardier (called CSeries), the idea was to produce a slightly larger version, called CS500. This plane could supposedly become the “A220-500”. The plane would have an extension of just a few meters in the fuselage to accommodate more seats without compromising the plane's weight.
“It's not a question of whether, but when an elongated A220 will become the successor to our slim-bodied A320 family,” admitted Airbus CCO Christian Scherer.
This discussion has been around for a few years. The plane would be a replacement for the A319neo or the first-generation A320. If so, the new plane should arrive in about five years.
“We told Airbus a long time ago that we would be very interested in an extended A220 as a replacement for the A320, but discussions are preliminary so far,” said Ben Smith, CEO of the Air France/KLM group.
Air France has 60 firm orders for the Airbus A220-300, the largest in the family today. However, the company has 44 units of the A320ceo, which could be replaced by the supposedly extended version of the A220.
The A220 produces 20% less CO2 and 34% less noise, apart from the operating cost, which is 10% lower. This makes it even more attractive.
Airbus A319
Air France
aeroprints.com, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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Rafael Ramos
Aviation enthusiast from an early age, he had his first contacts with the area developing that good old habit of spending dozens of hours in front of the screens of Micrsoft Flight Simulator and other simulators. With a solid background in various technological areas, including engineering and chemistry, Rafael has rejoined aviation as editor and author of articles and materials on our portal, providing invaluable help to the dynamics and expansion of the website and the aeronautical community, bringing us the news and updates so indispensable for us to remain current in our area of operation.
   
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