Australia’s Qantas has finalized a deal with Airbus for nine additional A220-300 aircraft.
With the new order, the de facto Australian flag carrier will have a backlog of 29 aircraft of this type. Currently, Qantas does not operate any A220s in its fleet, and the airline anticipates receiving the first delivery of the single-aisle jets by 2023.
“We are pleased to announce this incremental order from Qantas. Best in class, the A220 will be the perfect platform for a domestic network that includes everything from short hops to flights of five hours and beyond,” said Christian Scherer, Chief Commercial Officer (CCO) at the manufacturer and Head of Airbus International.
The aircraft is currently exclusively powered by the Pratt & Whitney PW1500G engines, also known as the Geared Turbofan (GTF).
According to Qantas Investor Day presentation from May 2023, the A220 will enable increased network frequency compared to the airline’s Boeing 737 NextGeneration (NG) aircraft. Both the A321XLR and A220 will deliver an “improved mix of range and gauge for markets”. In addition, compared to the airline’s current Boeing 717s, the A220 will add 18% more seats, 7% more premium mix, 100% more range, and an additional utilization of 3.6 hours daily.
Qantas anticipates that Airbus will deliver all 29 A220s by the end of FY2027, which ends in June 2027.
Airbus announced the initial order for nine A220s from Qantas in February 2023. However, as of May 31, 2023, its Orders & Deliveries data did not show the Australian airline ordering the type. The only order for the A220 in 2023 so far was from Delta Air Lines, when the US-based carrier ordered 12 aircraft in January 2023.