BermudAir, the strange airline that can’t really figure out what it wants to be, apparently intends to acquire Airbus A220s, and also to expand massively. I can’t help but wonder how likely it is that this all plays out as expected.
In this post:
BermudAir will acquire up to 20 Airbus A220-300s by 2030
BermudAir has disclosed that it will acquire 10 Airbus A220-300 aircraft, following an order placed by affiliated company Odyssey in March 2026. The airline even states that it plans to add up to 20 A220s by 2030. For context, the airline currently has a fleet of four used Embraer aircraft, including two E175s and two E190s. So that’s a lot more planes with a lot more capacity.
BermudAir claims that the A220 will feature a three-class configuration with 135 seats (presumably business class, extra legroom economy, and economy).
So, where will these planes fly? According to the airline, A220s will support the company’s continued growth across Bermuda, the Caribbean, Central and North America, and the wider Atlantic region. This includes opening up new nonstop, non-competitive routes, adding capacity on existing services, and serving destinations where runway, terminal, and other infrastructure constraints, can limit the use of larger aircraft.
The backstory regarding the “Odyssey” brand is interesting. The founder of BermudAir initially wanted to start an airline known as Odyssey Airlines, which was supposed to fly in an all-business class configuration between London City (LCY) and North America. That never did end up getting off the ground, though they did intend to fly A220s (well, Bombardier CSeries aircraft, back before that product lineup was rebranded).
BermudAir CEO Adam Scott had the following to say about this order:
“The A220 is the ideal aircraft to support the next phase of BermudAir’s growth. Its exceptional range, operating economics and performance at constrained airports will allow us to connect more communities across Bermuda, the Caribbean, Central and North America with direct, reliable and convenient air service.”
“Just as importantly, the A220 offers an outstanding passenger experience. After almost three years of operations, BermudAir has quickly established itself as the premier airline serving Bermuda and the Caribbean, to and from North America, supported by a differentiated onboard product and 70+ Net Promoter Score. The A220’s spacious, quiet and comfortable cabin is perfectly aligned with the experience our guests have come to expect from us.”
I don’t know what to make of this BermudAir operation
Look, I love to see startup airlines succeed, but the problem is that all too often, their business models don’t make sense. I mean, let’s look at how BermudAir has evolved:
- First BermudAir was going to be an all-business class airline, and then it backtracked at the last minute
- BermudAir was going to be all about Bermuda flying (I mean, with that name, you’d hope so, right?), and then it largely slashed that flying, and now it’s adding random Caribbean and Central America routes, like Baltimore (BWI) to Anguilla (AXA), Raleigh (RDU) to Belize City (BZE), and St. Petersburg (PIE) to Turks & Caicos (PLS)
- BermudAir’s dispute with Bermuda Airport some time back over millions in unpaid airport fees certainly doesn’t build much confidence in the carrier’s sustainability
The vibes are very much that of “desperate airline throwing stuff at wall to see what sticks,” rather than “successful airline with good business plan expanding rationally.” To be clear, I can’t say that with certainty, since the company isn’t publicly traded. But I think most reasonable people would have a hard time disagreeing.
The A220 has amazing operating costs and a great passenger experience. But the plane is also expensive, at least compared to the used Embraer jets that the company currently flies. Can the airline really find enough markets to make this work?
Bottom line
BermudAir has placed an order for the Airbus A220, including a firm order for up to 10, and options for an additional 10. The airline plans to start taking delivery of the planes in late 2027, and may be flying all 20 of them by 2030.
This strikes me as a wild amount of growth for an airline that can’t even decide which markets to serve. I’m curious to see how this all plays out. Going from four used planes that cost very little to acquire, to up to 20 brand new planes (admittedly with great operting costs), is quite the leap…
What do you make of BermudAir’s A220 order?
The name BermudAir bugs me almost as much as the name BeOnd.
"A desperate airline throwing stuff at wall to see what sticks."
Sound like Air Belgium!
I can give you some context on this as someone who flies to Bermuda several times a year on business.
First, fares to Bermuda from the north east and are high; especially for business hours friendly flights. The insurance industry’s focus on Bermuda and the costs of doing business there make this more sustainable than one might think.
Second, Bermudair is deeply embedded into various BDA (Bermuda Development Authority) events that focus on money management...
I can give you some context on this as someone who flies to Bermuda several times a year on business.
First, fares to Bermuda from the north east and are high; especially for business hours friendly flights. The insurance industry’s focus on Bermuda and the costs of doing business there make this more sustainable than one might think.
Second, Bermudair is deeply embedded into various BDA (Bermuda Development Authority) events that focus on money management and finance. In fact, my admittedly unscientific survey showed that a very large % of people attending those conferences flew Bermudair. Flight costs are high, but borne by their firms as cost of doing business (which, again, is very high in Bermuda but worth it thanks to their very advantageous and thoughtful regulatory regimes)
Third, Bermuda style money mgmt regulations is increasingly prevalent in various Caribbean jurisdictions particularly Cayman but also Anguilla. Being fellow UK jurisdictions means that these get a lot of “surplus” insurance and money mgmt businesses from Bermuda giving Bermudair a natural expansion path.
Finally, if you look at Bermudair’s network, they are deeply focused on serving the US insurance market. Bermuda’s regulator - BMA - requires frequent onshore presence for senior insurance executives and Bermuda’s framework means virtually all these people live in the US and travel back and forth - often twice or three times a month. I personally know several people who fly the HPN-BDA route several times a month to meet BMA’s requirements. Others based in Bermuda have family in the US and fly back and forth on company dime to spend time with family.
It also helps that Bermuda is a stunning if incredibly expensive tourist destination. My experience with this airline is that they are actually doing a very good job and I can see them surviving with their strategy to BDA and AXA and I am surprised they haven’t expanded to GCM. BZE - I have no idea.
Happy to give you more context if you are interested
If they have credit to acquire the planes and find decent route opportunities, go for it. "Southwest" and "Alaska" never prevented those carriers from expansion beyond their name-centric regions.
One honest feedback. You should seriously look how the advertisement is been displayed on the page. It significantly reduces user experience and to the point that I lose interest browsing.
An Insider told me:
Bermuda to London City to undercut British Airways
Good luck w that u dont think BA will respond?
"The vibes are very much that of “desperate airline throwing stuff at wall to see what sticks,” rather than “successful airline with good business plan expanding rationally.”"
That also describes Breeze. And they're still around (for now...).
What??? Breeze has been wildly successful at flying smaller routes and has already turned a profit… The airlines whole point is not flying traditional hub and spoke rather smaller point to point routes…
I’m not sure where you’re getting that idea about Breeze from…
Non-cohesive title.
Respect readers and check your grammar!
Best of all.
Unless the title has changed from its original already, the article's title is perfectly logical in a "news heading" context.
Anguilla IATA code is AXA. AUA is Aruba.
@ Johosofat -- Whoops, thank you, fixed!
As with their 'all-business-class' idea..."then it backtracked at the last minute" is probably what you'll be writing about soon-enough on this a220 idea. Seems like BermudAir is just doing the 'attention-economy' strategy of saying wild ideas to get on blogs like this. And, if that hype gets folks to visit the island, on their airline, eh, maybe it's effective. That said, I've only flown AA and DL to/from BDA.