The Airbus A220 is a plane that’s loved by passengers, but perhaps not quite as loved by airlines, for a variety of reasons. While the plane currently comes in two variants, there have long been rumors of the European aircraft manufacturing giant considering a bigger version of the plane.
There are some updates, and it seems highly likely that this will become a reality in the not-too-distant future.
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Airbus starts sales drive for larger A220 variant
Reuters is reporting that Airbus is moving closer to formally launching a stretched version of the A220, expected to be known as the A220-500. For context, the two variants of the plane are currently known as the A220-100 and A220-300, and they can seat around 110 to 160 passengers, depending on the configuration.
The idea is that the A220-500 would be able to seat up to 180 passengers, give or take. Airbus is reportedly moving forward with a campaign to line up enough pre-orders for the plane to justify moving ahead with its development. A formal announcement could come as soon as the Farnborough Airshow in July 2026.
The A220-500 is intended to be a “simple stretch” of the existing model. That means it would be a relatively simple redesign, essentially stretching the fuselage without making too many other changes. As a result, the A220-500 would have less range than the other versions of the plane, given that the engines have to “carry” more weight. Think of it more as a plane that would operate relatively short flights (we’re talking up to four hours or so), and not flights of a North America transcon length (which the smaller variants are capable of).
In the past, executives at carriers like Air Canada, Air France, and Delta, have all expressed possible interest in a stretched version of the A220, assuming the specifications are right.
It seems that for a long time, Airbus has pushed off this project, due to issues with production, engine durability, etc. However, Airbus’ new CEO, Lars Wagner, seems keen to move forward with this concept. Ultimately that’s dependent on Airbus securing commitments from enough potential customers to make this worthwhile.
What makes the Airbus A220 stretch concept unusual
On the surface, creating a simple stretch of the A220 seems logical enough. However, what makes this unique is that this would be a narrow body Airbus jet with around 180 seats… which Airbus already has! It’s known as the A320 family, and you have the new generation A319neos, A320neos, and A321neos (the A321neos are by far the most popular, followed by the A320neos, while the A319neos have very little demand).
So on the surface, it seems odd for Airbus to essentially create a plane that cannibalizes an existing product. Why would an airline customer choose the A220-500 vs. the A320neo? After all, the A320neo would certainly have a lot more range, and also more cargo capacity.
The selling point of the A220-500 is that it would likely have lower operating costs, and it also might cost a little bit less to purchase. Furthermore, passengers love the A220, thanks to the 2-3 layout.
Keep in mind that the A220 wasn’t initially designed by Airbus, but instead, it launched as the Bombardier CSeries, and the program was then bought by Airbus. While the A220 is an incredible aircraft from a passenger experience standpoint, it has proven challenging for some airlines, partly due to engine issues.
I think ultimately the decision to stretch the A220 makes sense, because you have to view it in the context of an overall product lineup. Yes, the A220-500 might somewhat cannibalize demand for the A320neo, but it might also increase demand for the smaller versions of the A220, as it would be a much more versatile product line. Airlines love fleet commonality, and this would certainly help.
The idea is that if you stretch the plane, you’d get a good number of extra seats, and operating costs would only be very marginally higher. For an airline like Air France that doesn’t need the range of the A220-300, this plane is a no-brainer, as I see it.
Bottom line
While nothing has been formally announced yet, it sounds like Airbus is moving closer to launching a stretched version of the A220, known as the A220-500. The idea is that the plane would seat up to 180 people (give or take), so think of it as having an extra four or so rows of seats.
While on the surface that seems like it might cannibalize A320neo demand, I think there’s merit to this concept, when you consider the overall product lineup. For airlines that don’t need the full range of the A220-300, this seems like an excellent plane, and I have to imagine Airbus will ultimately move forward with this.
What do you make of the concept of the Airbus A220-500?
Has Airbus actually sold any A319 neos?
The A321NEO has sold more copies than the entire MAX lineup. That is where their bread and butter is in narrowbodies. The A319NEO is dead and Airbus is not afraid for the A320NEO to only have the advantage of almost 8 hour range.
An A220-500 hits right at the heart of the MAX family, the MAX8, and would have economics that would blow the MAX 8 out of the water.
The engine issues are because...
The A321NEO has sold more copies than the entire MAX lineup. That is where their bread and butter is in narrowbodies. The A319NEO is dead and Airbus is not afraid for the A320NEO to only have the advantage of almost 8 hour range.
An A220-500 hits right at the heart of the MAX family, the MAX8, and would have economics that would blow the MAX 8 out of the water.
The engine issues are because of Pratt and Whitney's bumbled rollout of the Geared Turbofan which has grounded far more A321NEOs than A220s.
Some airlines have opted to use Pratt's production capacity for the larger engines on the 321NEO because of its greater revenue generating capacity.
The A220-300 has per seat economics as good as the A321NEO so airlines most certainly do LOVE the A220.
It is very likely that AC, AF and DL will jump on the A220-500 and that will be the next phase of DL's fleet modernization.
A stretch of the A220-500 has been rumored for years - as soon as Airbus took over the C Series - which was forced into Airbus' hands because of the smoking hot deal that Bombardier gave DL for the C Series.
When UA receives its 499th MAX, DL will be receiving far more modern and economical aircraft.
Could this end the 737 MAX 7 in its cradle, I wonder?
Is the future largely single aisle?
Maybe it's time to slowly phase out the A320 family and use the A220 family as a baseline?
YESSS!! This is the way. Ditch those 717s and CRJs. E2s and a220s all the way. For the future.
A220-300 can actually have a similar seating capacity as A320 when the seats are configured 3-3 abreast and the exits get bigger. The seat width will be 16.5 with 17" aisle, so it'll be really tight, but I'm pretty sure Southeast Asian LCCs will love it. 3-3 abreast A220 seat is still a concept but feasible in space-wise.
Airbus offers high-density options on A330(3-3-3 abreast) and A350(3-4-3 abreast), so it would make sense for...
A220-300 can actually have a similar seating capacity as A320 when the seats are configured 3-3 abreast and the exits get bigger. The seat width will be 16.5 with 17" aisle, so it'll be really tight, but I'm pretty sure Southeast Asian LCCs will love it. 3-3 abreast A220 seat is still a concept but feasible in space-wise.
Airbus offers high-density options on A330(3-3-3 abreast) and A350(3-4-3 abreast), so it would make sense for them to do the same on A220. Evan narrower BAe-146 had 3-3 abreast seats.
Oof. No. 2-3 is the way. 3-3 on this aircraft is cruel. Cebu's a330 with that all-economy, 3-3-3 is hell.
Yeah, I dread 3-3 on A220, too, but there is a demand for that. Cramp as many seats as possible to lower the fare and make profit - That's what LCCs want.
And imagine 3-3 on A220-500.. It'll have as many seats as A321. I can imagine Southeast Asian LCCs instantly ditching their A320 fleet and switch to A220-300/500.
I believe the A220-500 is a good move for Airbus. The A220 family is a very efficient, passenger-friendly aircraft that appears to also be a moneymaker for airlines.
If Airbus moves forward with this version, they can eliminate the A319NEO and perhaps also the A320NEO, to focus entirely on the A321NEO which is by far the best seller.
All of this, however, is dependent on solving the engine issues.
I suppose the ICAO code for this theoretical aircraft would have to continue in line with the legacy Bombardier C-Series naming scheme and be BCS5, given that "A225" is already taken by the Antonov An-225 Mriya (RIP)
Heroiam slava!
There are couple more points behind Airbus intending to produce the A220-500. They can keep the same profit margin at a lower cost to the airlines to sell an A220-500 in stead of an A320neo. Airbus will be happy to increase production of A321Neo in place of A320Neo as they have higher margin on the A321Neo/XLR and they can't seem tp produce them fast enough for airlines.
Need to bring back wide body North American flights longer than 3 1/2 hours. This narrowbody stuff is a joke.
Wrong. Premium narrowbody is excellent. Lie-flat on a321neo/XLR is magical (see SQ, can be done on 737, too). Also, 2-3 seating in-back on a220 is ideal for couples.
NO ITS NOT!!!
The A220 has wider seats than any other narrowbody in coach and most other widebodies.
IM NOT TALKING ABOUT COACH!! I DONT FLY COACH!!! MOST PEOPLE THAT PREFER WIDEBODYS KNOW THAT FIRST AND BUSINESS CLASS IS WAY BETTER THAN ON NARROW BODYS!!!