Guillaume Faury, CEO of Airbus, said on Thursday during the 2022 results conference that the launch of the stretched A220 “is not a matter of if it’s a matter of when”.
The chief executive, who even referred to the version as the A220-500, reported that the project is not a priority for Airbus in the short term, although the market has a “very strong appetite” for the product.
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As Faury explained, the manufacturer “is looking at different architecture options and commonality” with the -100 and -300 models available and talking to customers. However, Airbus has not yet decided to go ahead with the project.
“We have not yet frozen what the project will look like,” said the Airbus CEO.
Potential to compete with the A320neo family and the 737 MAX
In September last year, the head of Airbus stated that the A220-500 was designed to accommodate between 150 and 170 passengers. Faury, however, did not comment on the intended performance of the aircraft, which may have a similar capacity to the A320neo and the 737 MAX 8, but with a shorter range.
Originally designed by Bombardier and launched under the name CSeries, the program was taken over by Airbus in 2020.
Renamed the A220, the aircraft quickly became a sales success under the direction of the European group, which has so far registered around 800 orders for both versions of the jet.
However, the program continues to record losses for the manufacturer, which is committed to improving the jet’s production efficiency and offering better performance.
