Airbus says stretched A220 could sit alongside A320neo

Airbus executives said at a briefing in Toulouse that a stretched A220 could be sold alongside the existing A320neo, though no decision has been taken on a larger variant.

Christoph Zammert, who heads the A320 family programme, pointed to the absence of the A319neo from the manufacturer's current product line-up. The aircraft would still be offered if customers ordered it, he said, but in his view they prefer the A220. Only a few A319neos remain in the backlog, and the company is concentrating on the A320, A321 and A321XLR going forward.

Orders for the A319neo stood at 58 at the end of September, against more than 1,100 for the A220.

Zammert was less certain that a stretched A220, positioned above the current -300 model, would displace the A320neo in the same way. He said Airbus sees room for both, citing long lead times: a customer wanting an A320 today could not take delivery until 2034, which he described as frustrated demand that another platform with similar capabilities could serve. On that basis, the company does not expect an A220 stretch to take sales from the A320.

Lars Wagner, Airbus's commercial aircraft chief, said a market exists for a larger A220 variant. Airline chief executives ask about it when he meets them, he said, and demand for a longer, stretched A220 is clear.

Guillaume Chevasson, who leads the A220 programme and heads Airbus Canada, said the proposed variant, often referred to as the A220-500, remains under close study. Evaluation is continuing.