Some good news - the world's most coveted aircraft right now is the A220

[dagger]

And specifically, the A220-300, most of which are made in Canada.

Right now, the 150 passenger plane makes a whole lot more sense than the 180-190 seat narrow bodies, and will for a couple of years.

AC to be best of my knowledge will take its deliveries on schedule

Air Baltic is in talks with Airbus to get more A222-300s sooner than the delivery schedule it has which runs through 2025.

https://twitter.com/justinbachman/status/1252591687576227841

Jet Blue says it intends to take its A220-300s on schedule starting later this year.

 

 

[Tango Foxtrot]

Now all they have to do is start making them again

[MD2]

The Canadian made C series of aircraft were always known to be a game changer by those who could perceive potential, just like the Q400, welcome world!

[Falken]

13 hours ago, MD2 said:

The Canadian made C series of aircraft were always known to be a game changer by those who could perceive potential, just like the Q400, welcome world!

Too bad Bombardier screwed it all up having to sell everything and/or give it away!

[Jaydee]

On 4/21/2020 at 6:52 PM, Tango Foxtrot said:

Now all they have to do is start making them again

Beginning of May

[dagger]

On 4/22/2020 at 9:04 AM, Falken said:

Too bad Bombardier screwed it all up having to sell everything and/or give it away!

Too bad for Bombardier shareholders, but the jobs making the planes didn't move, and those are good skilled jobs for the most part. Subcontractors also kept making parts and subsystems. Airbus also has more clout in the marketplace, which is also good for the long-term. And the current crisis enhances the possibility of a stretch variant - the mythical -500.

[Don Hudson]

dagger, I haven't had a detailed look at the aircraft or read all threads covering the A220 so perhaps the question is covered in earlier posts about the C-series and the A220 post-Airbus' takeover. The question regards the additional value of CCQ & reduced training footprints for those carriers that have other Airbus types. Does CCQ apply to the A220 for those crews trained on the A320/A321, (either active or had been 320-trained at one time), or does the aircraft require a new type-rating/training etc.?

 

[anonymous]

A220 type rating covers -100 and -300

There's no way there is some CCQ for the A320 and A220...they are totally different birds, FBW systems are totally different, so I'd say there is no training benefit between those two types

A220 type rating

[Falken]

22 hours ago, dagger said:

Too bad for Bombardier shareholders, but the jobs making the planes didn't move, and those are good skilled jobs for the most part. Subcontractors also kept making parts and subsystems. Airbus also has more clout in the marketplace, which is also good for the long-term. And the current crisis enhances the possibility of a stretch variant - the mythical -500.

I agree- too bad for the shareholders , but not for the ones that screwed it up!

[Super 80]

On 4/22/2020 at 7:04 AM, Falken said:

Too bad Bombardier screwed it all up having to sell everything and/or give it away!

It's better this way.

Airbus has unlimited growth potential in Quebec. Something they don't have anywhere else they're operating.

YMX has all the space in the world and Quebec has an established aerospace workforce which is something Falabama* doesn't have.

* Not pejorative, that's what they call it.

[MD2]

On 4/22/2020 at 9:04 AM, Falken said:

Too bad Bombardier screwed it all up having to sell everything and/or give it away!

Indeed, another Avro Arrow it seems. All that effort, ingenuity, and time to benefit Airbus, not Bombardier, its workers, shareholders, and Canada in general for all its support.

[Don Hudson]

Thanks, anonymous -

[dagger]

22 minutes ago, MD2 said:

Indeed, another Avro Arrow it seems. All that effort, ingenuity, and time to benefit Airbus, not Bombardier, its workers, shareholders, and Canada in general for all its support.

Indeed, but the arrow ended up at the bottom of one of there Great Lakes. This one lives on, giving support to the entire domestic aerospace sector. And that means a lot of jobs, tax revenue, etc.

[MD2]

True, some consolation I suppose, but disappointing that it's not presented to the world by a Canadian company that originally designed this game-changing aircraft.

[Super 80]

I don't get the gloom, Airbus is destined to be the dominant aircraft maker of this century and they're here. Bombardier would have been a distant third no matter how successful they and the C Series were.

When Airbus is balancing resources between France, Germany and Quebec there will always be a compelling case for Quebec.

This is not a setback, this is a transformative economic event for Quebec and Canada.

[rudder]

Bombardier could never have marketed the aircraft the way that Airbus can, and could never scaled up production on the basis that Airbus can. And Bombardier could never have afforded to examine a larger version than the -300. Airbus has that ability if they so choose.

Bombardier demonstrated that innovation resides in Canada. But it was a deeply flawed parent company undertaking a massive capital intensive venture. Too bad the terms of sale could not have been more favourable in sustaining the Canadian identity of the product. At least the success of the platform will provide a significant Canadian employment base. 

[boestar]

Also It is Airbus Canada.  So we still get to be a footnote

 

[Fido]

It does not matter where the aircraft company is from.

I was on an aircraft selection gig down south with Bombardier and ATR competing.

The only Canadian in the room was me.

[Super 80]

6 hours ago, boestar said:

Also It is Airbus Canada.  So we still get to be a footnote

 

Do you think there is a soul in France railing against Airbus and saying they should have stuck with Sud and the Caravelle?

We got a seat at the table and we paid a lot less for ours than the French and Germans did.

[acsidestick]

I had the opportunity to fly in the A220 twice last week.  What an outstanding aircraft.  I was in business class but took the opportunity to go back and sit for a moment in economy.  It’s going to be a very popular A/C for AC.   Easily more comfortable than either the 737 or A320.  I have some observations made from the trips.

Pros

• Very comfortable J class seats.  Large 18 inch displays using the latest Panasonic x3 system.  World class leading High Definition IFE
• Each seat has its own single 110ac plug, 2 USB charging ports, and two headphone inputs so two people can watch the same movie together.
• Each seat has  a little seat bed nook to hold a water bottle/ phone.
• J class reclines, has a deployable calf rest as well as a pull-down foot rest.
• The J Cabin is separated from PY by a hard divider, which allows the last row of J class to fully recline, without feeling guilty reclining into the economy row behind you.
• The forward lav is large and tall, as big or bigger than the 777.  No problem for 6’3 to stand straight up.
• Lots of room in the forward galley to stand straight up, not do the Embrajer/737 hunch over.
• Very cool, sophisticated F/D with all the toys a pilot could want.  Dual heads Up displays, joysticks that move together and thrust levers that move, two very big Boeing vs Airbus complaints.  Trackball  Drag and drop navigating as well as normal FMS navigation.
• The flight deck is large for this size of aircraft, allowing straight up standing by the door, and sufficient space behind each pilot for their overnight roller bags.  I had been worried that an airplane with this kind of mission endurance would get a regional E190-sized Flight Deck.  I was wrong.  Being able to stand up and stretch without opening the door is a huge plus.  
• Very large windows
• Very Large Max type overhead bins, though larger on the right side than the left, which allow roller bags to be placed on their sides allowing probably at least 4 bags per bin.
• All seats in economy are 18.5 inch wide and are larger than normal AC economy, and the middle seat gets an entire extra 1/2 inch of width (19 inches).  Finally a reward for middle seat users.  Easily the biggest economy seats in NA. (Edited as I was able to look up the actually numbers - very roomy seats)

Cons

• For an airplane which is so quiet on the outside, it is surprisingly noisy on the inside.  It seemed to be fan and duct noise, not parasitic drag noise.  This could be definitely fine tuned in production numbers further down the line.  Definitely not 330/777 quiet in the cabin.  Perhaps a Q400 ANR system could be installed.  Though not outrageously loud, it was more than expected from an aircraft this age/size.
• Noisy brakes, but this could be that they are brand new.
• On both flights, smooth air, two different fins, a very subtle, continuous vibration (buffet)is felt.  It doesn’t seem to be engine related as there is no change with thrust settings.  I wondered if there is simply some gear doors which need adjustment, or is it a sonic buffet happening somewhere on the airframe, which could be changed with Vortex generating devices.
• At the L1door opening (and I assume the others as well), there are two door latching hooks sticking a full inch up out of the floor you walk over at the threshold.  Though painted hazard yellow, they are a tripping hazard, and I’m kind of amazed it made it into production.
• For having such a huge lavatory, the sink is surprisingly grey-hound-bus small.  It’s hard to get your hands under the taps, measuring only about 10x8 inches.  It is hard to get your hands out of the sink cupped with water if you wish to wash your face as the tap is in the way.
• Im not a fan of the glare shield mounted radio control panels.  When ATC instructions are given with frequency changes, there may be some hand collisions as right seat reaches for left RCP and left seat reaches for auto pilot functions.  Romances are born this way.

Overall, I think this is going to be THE MOST popular NB aircraft in Air Canada history.  It seems to be a winner from what I got on two four hour flights.

I agree that it is a shame to relinquish identifying the Canadian ingenuity that went into it, but I have no doubt that with Airbus now in charge, they can continue to improve small irritants to this excellent product.  BTW, this is coming from someone who was a sceptic, based on disappointment  of Bombardier aircraft in the past (dash-8 and RJs).  I wasn’t expecting to be this enamoured with it, but am willing to admit Bombardier knocked this out of the park.  Well done.

[anonymous]

small correction....sidesticks are independent...they don't move in tandem.

[acsidestick]

Thanks, misunderstood that part.  Couldn’t get to see it in operation.  I just downloaded the manual to read up on it.

 

[Guest]

Why the new Airbus A220 is popular with airlines during the coronavirus pandemic

15 May 2020Canadian Aviation News

News from the Points Guy UK – link to story

Edward Russell ~ 14 May 2020

There are winners and losers of every crisis in the aviation industry. The coronavirus pandemic has already forced some airlines, like Virgin Australia, into restructuring. It’s also grounded many large aircraft like the Airbus A380, but an emerging winner may be a Canadian jet that recently got a new lease on life and is now proving its worth.

That jet is the Airbus A220, formerly the Bombardier CSeries. The plane benefits from its small size and low operating costs coupled with operating capabilities that rival larger planes like the Airbus A320 and Boeing 737. These are proving assets to airlines looking to slash expenses while maintaining a minimal flight schedule through the COVID-19 crisis.

“When we come out of the other side of this we continue to be excited about the A220s and the benefit that can bring to JetBlue”, JetBlue chief financial officer Steve Priest told analysts and investors on 7 May. “The economics of this aircraft are spectacular”.

The coronavirus crisis has prompted something of a reckoning at airlines. For years fleet planners pushed for larger and more efficient narrow-body models that could fly, for example, transcontinental routes in the U.S. with a full load of passengers. Airbus and Boeing delivered hundreds of their largest narrow-body models, the Airbus A321 and 737-900ER respectively, to airlines across the world.

Then the spread of COVID-19 and fear of the virus halted most air travel in just a few months. Globally, the number of flights was down 81% year-over-year on 5 May, according to flight-data firm Cirium. In a slight positive note, the number of flights was up 19% compared to the week before.

More than half of the global A220 fleet was tracked flying during the week ending 4 May, the data shows. This is a higher percentage than for either the A320 family, 737 family or Embraer E-Jet family.

“Airlines want jets that offer equivalent range and equal or better economics than bigger models, but fewer seats”, Teal Group analyst Richard Aboulafia told TPG. “The A220 is one of the very few products that bring this to the table”.

The A220-300 can fly as far as the A320, about 3,855 miles, but more efficiently and with fewer passengers. The A220 is lighter than the legacy Airbus narrow-body and benefits from the latest generation of engines.

Those advantages play out in the decisions airlines are making during the pandemic.

For example, Delta Air Lines is parking all 62 of its A320s but still flying its 31 A220-100s. The Atlanta-based carrier fits 109 seats on the latter jets compared to 157 seats on the former. In addition, the smallest A220s can fly nearly 100 miles further than the A320s.

Onboard a Swiss A220-300. (Photo by Zach Griff / The Points Guy)

More A220s may also be good for passengers. The aircraft are quieter than most larger jets and, in many cases, offer a better onboard experience than comparably sized planes. In the U.S., Delta has even installed seat-back inflight entertainment where most other carriers — excluding JetBlue — have removed systems from their planes.

Even in Europe, where first class often means a blocked adjacent seat, the A220 is a comfortable option for travellers.

“The 2-3 configuration, large and modern bathrooms, big windows and modern touches combine to make for a pleasant flying experience”, wrote TPG’s Zach Griff after two A220 flights on Swiss last summer.

Zurich-based Swiss operates 29 A220-100s and -300s. Many of the planes remain in the air, with the A220 operating 83% of the airline’s flights in May, according to Cirium schedules.

Related: Why I’m a fan of Delta’s Airbus A220

Demand for new A220s continues apace. Air Canada maintains plans to take its full allotment of the jet this year, with 14 A220-300 deliveries still pending. The move comes as the Montreal-based carrier retires its 14 E190s and 65 more Airbus A319 and Boeing 767 jets due to the crisis.

In the U.S., New York-based JetBlue plans to take its first of 70 A220-300s by year-end, Priest said this week. The airline has accelerated A220 deliveries even as it postponed the arrival of 22 new A321neos to beyond 2022 amid broad efforts to cut expenses. The airline will configure its A220s with between 130 and 140 seats compared to 200 seats on its A321neos.

And in Europe, Latvia-based Air Baltic plans to emerge from the crisis as an all-A220 operator after retiring its last 737-300s and ATR turboprops. The airline operated 22 A220-300s and had orders for 28 more at the end of April, according to Airbus orders and deliveries data.

An Air Baltic A220 departs Amsterdam Schiphol. (Photo by C. Van Grinsven/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

The jury remains out on whether the coronavirus will prove a pivotal moment for the A220. Airbus had just 529 outstanding firm orders for the aircraft — compared to 6,156 for its A320neo family — at the end of April. And the planemaker has not received any new A220 commitments since the crisis began.

Airbus continues to produce four A220s a month even as it has slowed rates for other passenger jets. However, plans to increase production are indefinitely postponed.

“As preferred as it may be to acquire aircraft to match the need of the network, with coronavirus, the airlines are no longer afforded this luxury”, wrote The Air Current managing director of analysis Courtney Miller in a piece on 7 May. Existing commitments for the A220, as well as the E-Jet-E2, are likely to be delivered and utilized. But new orders from cash-starved airlines are unlikely, he said.

With global aviation bumping along the bottom, there’s been a renewed focused on small jets. But are they really the future of flying? @miller22 explains the case against the Airbus A220 and Embraer E2. The case against the Airbus A220 and Embraer E2Coronavirus brings challenges for both Airbus’s A220 and Embraer’s E2 in adoption of the small narrow-body. TAC Analysis makes the case against their adoption.

Jon Ostrower

Take American Airlines, for example. The messaging of its plans to retire or park five aircraft types from its mainline fleet — including its smallest, the 99-seat E190 — focuses on simplifying its fleet, not adding new optimally-sized models like the A220. In fact, the carrier is even spending money to reduce fleet complexity, moving forward with work adding seats to some A321s and 737-800s. The effort, part of American’s “Project Oasis” updates, comes with the expectation of operational savings after the coronavirus subsides.

But fleet simplification, as American and others are undertaking in a big way, does not necessarily mean orders for new types will dry up completely. Boeing CEO David Calhoun made just such a point during the planemaker’s first quarter earnings call on 29 April.

“This is that moment where rationalization efforts get big”, he said. “And believe it or not, in some cases, it even requires that maybe new aeroplanes [be] ordered”.

Featured image courtesy of Airbus.

[boestar]

Articles like just add to the proof that Canada should be on the forefront of aviation Engineering.  If it wasn't for government involvement and poorly run private (or public for that matter) companies we would be at the top of the heap.  

It is really sad to see all of the great work that Canada has done being passed off to others and we do not reap the benefits.

What Canada needs is an aerospace company that can rise to the challenge and keep politics out of it while properly managing the business.  Great things could be done.

  

[Guest]

A220 operators told to protect avionics against rainfall

7 September 2020Canadian Aviation News

From FlightGlobal – link to story

By David Kaminski-Morrow | 7 September 2020

Airbus A220 operators are being instructed to modify drain tubing after an incident in which rainwater dripped into the avionics bay and tripped a circuit breaker during taxi, causing an engine to shut down.

Rain had entered the aircraft through the main cabin entry door while it was open, according to Transport Canada.

This caused drains to overflow and led to dripping on the forward avionics bay below.

“Water ingress into the forward avionics bay could short-circuit the equipment in the area and lead to a loss of air-data sources,” says the regulator.

This might result in a reduction in function and an increase in the crew’s workload, it adds.

Source: Airbus

A220 operators are being ordered to modify the aircraft, within 12 months, by removing forward galley slotted drain covers, fitting solid blanking plates, and blocking drain tubing to prevent water travelling from the forward galley into the avionics bay.

All A220s are fitted with Pratt & Whitney PW1500G geared turbofan engines.

Share this: