The announcement that Airbus would be changing the name of Bombardier's C Series aircraft was made back in April, but it has now been confirmed at the Farnborough Air Show in the UK. The C Series 100 and 300 officially become the Airbus A220-100 and A220-300.
A new chapter is opening up for Bombardier's aircraft programme. Last autumn, a partnership was signed between the Canadian group and Airbus. The deal was struck at the end of 2017 to avoid the Trump administration's threat to overtax C-Series aircraft because they are assembled outside the United States. The European aircraft manufacturer now holds 50.01 % in Société en commandite Avions C Series (SCACS), with Bombardier now holding only 34% of the shares and Investissement Québec, representing the Quebec government, 16 %.
By coming under the protective wing of Airbus, Bombardier aircraft can bypass the restrictive measures put in place by the United States, since the assembly of the aircraft is carried out by Airbus. at Airbus plants in Alabama. At the same time, the transformation of the C100 and C300-Series into the A220-100 and -300 has given a prestigious brand name to an aircraft with recognised qualities.
In fact, the A220 has a very low paraffin consumption, 20% lower than aircraft in the same category, with superior on-board comfort than aircraft in the same category, thanks to five seats per row instead of six and more legroom. On Swiss, the economy seat is 45 cm wide (instead of 42 cm elsewhere) and 80 to 81 cm between rows (compared with 78 to 79 cm on other aircraft).
And yet, there has been little rush to buy the aircraft. The countless delays in the programme had a lot to do with it. As a result, since the first aircraft were delivered to Swiss In 2016, only 36 aircraft were delivered to the Swiss carrier - 23 aircraft - as well as to Air Baltic and Korean Air.
The new Airbus A220s should therefore sell better. And customer interest has been growing since the name change. Last April, Bombardier's CEO stated that ". that with the Airbus marketing and sales organisation behind us, we suddenly have access to all the airlines around the world ".
No sooner had the name change taken effect than the American airline Jet Blue confirmed an order for 60 aircraft. It joins companies such as Gulf Air, Delta Air Lines, Egyptair, Privatair and Iraqi Airways, which will receive their first aircraft this year. In 2019, Airbus will also deliver the first A220s to Air Canada.
For Airbus, the deal is also a win-win situation, as it will enable the European aircraft manufacturer to add small-capacity jets to its catalogue, perfect for conquering regional segments. For example, the A220 is an ideal aircraft for serving urban airports such as London's City Airport, or airports with very strict noise constraints such as Geneva or Zurich.
Airbus CEO Tom Enders also told the media that the new A220 range should largely anticipate the needs of airlines for an aircraft of this size. A need that Airbus estimates at several thousand aircraft over the next twenty years. It is therefore certain that business travellers will increasingly benefit from the excellent comfort of these aircraft in the years to come.
