The Airbus A220 is on course to reach 20,000 flights this month, the first time it has reached the milestone since its conception.
Information collected by flight data analysts Cirium suggests that 22,118 round-trip flights will be made in April 2022 – an increase of approximately 16% from the month prior.
Deliveries and demand behind the increase
The jump in flights from March is likely due to April being the first month of the summer season of flight schedule, which is typically far busier than over winter.
The delivery of 50 A220s – 47 of the larger 300 variants and three of the smaller 100 variants – will have also contributed to the increase. Major airlines that have recently taken delivery of the jets include Air France and Delta.
Delta remains the biggest operator of the jet, with almost three in 10 flights made by the A220 operated by the US carrier.
The aircraft is lighter than previous models of a similar type, which helps lower the fuel burn and thus run more efficiently. A demand for more fuel-efficient aircraft has grown in recent years as airlines push to improve their sustainability credentials.
Monthly flights expected to boom further
The Airbus A220 was launched in 2016 and was initially known as the Bombardier CSeries, having been designed by the Canadian manufacturer. The five-abreast aircraft has gradually become an industry favourite in the 100-150 passenger category.
Provided the European and North American markets continue to recover from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, the aircraft type is forecast to reach almost 30,000 monthly flights. This will amount to approximately 0.9% of all flights globally.
Airbus’ orders for the aircraft look likely to continue to grow too. The European manufacturer received 50 orders from JetBlue Airways and Aviation Capital Group, which followed an agreement to provide 20 to lessor Azorra in January.
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