Airbus has revealed performance improvements to its latest single-aisle aircraft – the A220 Family. Starting from the second half of 2020, the aircraft’s maximum take-off weight (MTOW) is being increased by 5,000lb (2,268kg) to 2.3 tonnes. This will improve the aircraft’s range capabilities to 3,350nm (6,204km) for the A220-300 and 3,400nm (6,297km) for the A220-100, around 450nm (833km) more than is currently available.
This has been achieved by enhancing existing structural and systems margins as well as current fuel volume capacity. The increased range will allow customer airlines to tap into new routes that were not possible before, such as connecting key cities in Western Europe with the Middle East or from Southeast Asia to Australia.
Rob Dewar, head of engineering and customer support for the A220, commented: “Since its entry into service close to three years ago, the A220 has already proven that it is meeting or beating its initial performance targets, bringing more flexibility and revenue potential to customers. Today, Airbus is reinforcing its confidence in the A220 platform and further enhancing its capabilities to meet upcoming market requirements.”
Airbus says that, with an order book of more than 530 aircraft to date, the A220 has all the credentials to win the lion’s share of the 100 to 150-seat market, estimated to represent 7,000 aircraft over the next 20 years.