Airbus bets small is beautiful as A220 chases post-Covid sales

Airbus is seeking to spur demand for its smallest jetliner by pitching the A220 model as a tool for cutting costs and trimming capacity in the post-coronavirus travel market. The European company, which took control of the former Bombardier jet in 2018, is also promoting its ability to fulfill multiple roles spanning short hops between cities to longer trips on routes with limited demand, Antonio Da Costa, said Airbus’s marketing chief for single-aisle planes. “We can’t say we’re in a seller’s market, but we do see good prospects,” he said. “The A220 is well placed because it offers low operating costs, a flexible platform for long and short missions, and is building on a good market basis.” The plane, which seats as few as 100 passengers, suffered a setback this week when Air Canada canceled 12 of its 45 total orders and deferred 18 planes. At the same time, almost 100% of the current A220 fleet has returned to service, a figure that’s ahead of other models, according to the executive. Many operated even at the height of lockdowns in the spring and summer when global fleets were largely grounded. “In a pandemic airlines go for the most efficient, lowest cost,” Da Costa said. “This was the aircraft of choice, it was flying around most of the time.” Air Baltic Corp., the launch customer for the A220 -- then the C Series -- in 2016, responded to the crisis by saying it would retire all other aircraft and become the first carrier in the world to operate only that model. While the focus is on securing deliveries of the 507 aircraft in the A220 backlog, Da Costa said Airbus is talking with airlines about new orders for the jet, which comes in two versions, one seating up to 120 people and the other as many as 150, with a range of almost 6,400 kilometers.<br/>