Delta Airlines (DAL) has modified and extended its A220 order with Airbus, expanding it by 15 aircraft. Interestingly, the biggest A220-100 customer, now opts for a larger – and more popular − aircraft variant, converting some of the previously ordered jets to A220-300.
Both Airbus and Delta announced the news on January 9, 2019, stressing that the order has now reached a whopping 90 aircraft. Most of the aircraft – 50 – are now going to be of the A220-300 version, leaving the A220-100 variant at 40, instead of initial 75. Delta anticipates the first A220-300 arrive in 2020, while all aircraft should reach its fleet by the end of 2023.
The order boost reaffirms Delta’s position as the biggest A220 customer both in the United States and worldwide. Even after switching 35 of the previously ordered aircraft to -300 version, the airline also remains the biggest buyer of the -100 model, accounting for almost half of its total orders.
Of the two A220 versions, the -300 version is a clear darling of market, as the smaller version accounts for less than a fifth (16% to be more precise) of total demand that currently stands at 537.
Looking at Airbus A220 orderbook, one of the clear differences between -100 and -300 models is that the latter version accumulates much bigger orders. AirBaltic, perhaps the best-know client of A220 ever since it was called the C-Series, has ordered 50 aircraft. Air Canada (ADH2) – 45. Lessor Macquarie Financial Holdings and U.S. regional airline Republic Airways – 40 each. And, the most recently, JetBlue (JBLU) and Moxy Airlines placed orders for 60 aircraft (each).
As for A220-100, Airbus has 88 orders of the aircraft. Delta aside, the model has four other main customers: Braathens Regional Airlines, Gulf Air, Odyssey Airlines and Swiss, all of which holds orders for 10 aircraft.