Airbus A220-300 Image: Airbus
Commercial
Aviation
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family competition
Could the Airbus A220 replace the A320?
By: Rafael Ramos
On: 3/21/2023
Airbus A220 Family
Image: Airbus
Currently, Airbus has the A220 in its portfolio, a very good plane that can be compared to the already established A320. The A220 is offered in versions: A220-100, with 100 to 130 seats, and A220-300, with 130 to 160 passengers. Both use Pratt & Whitney PW1500G turbofan engines, which offer an approximate range of 6400 km.
However, Airbus has been talking about the possibility of an A220-500 project, which would be a lengthened version of the A220, which would accommodate between 180 to 200 passengers. Unlike the A220-100 and -300, this one would offer an additional seat allowance without compromising range too much.
Airbus customers themselves have already expressed interest in this possible version as a replacement for the A320.
"It's not a question of if, but when a stretched A220 becomes the successor to our narrow-body A320 family, those plans have been in place since Bombardier started initial designs for the CSeries," said Airbus CCO Christian Scherer .
ADVANTAGES OF THE A220
A joint venture between Airbus and the government of Quebec (Airbus Canada Limited) has already stated that the A220 has a significantly lower operating cost than the A320 (around 10%). Furthermore, the A220 is more efficient by using less fuel, consequently having 20% ??lower carbon emissions and having a 34% smaller noise footprint.
The most famous narrowbodies on the market, the Airbus A320 and the Boeing 737, are old projects. One dates from the 1980s, while the other from the 1960s, respectively. The biggest advantage of the A220 is the completely new design, which dates back to the past decade. This means that the plane has the latest technologies, as well as a newer production, with superior materials.
Apparently, Airbus will launch the A220 as a successor to the A320. However, the company still has to overcome the biggest difficulty: the pace of production of the A220, which is five aircraft per month, compared to 60 per month for the A320. The manufacturer is struggling to reduce supplier costs by around 20% and increase the pace to 14 A220s per month by 2025.
Airbus A220-100
Image: Airbus
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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