Airbus is evaluating stretched variants of the A220 regional jet and A350 widebody, though it’s still undisclosed when it could decide whether to launch both aircraft. Rolls-Royce is also anticipating the finalisation of the design for the stretched A350 within a year.
A stretched A220
AirAsia is expected to be one of the first customers of the proposed A220-500. They have already expressed interest in 150 aircraft, along with a firm order for 150 A220-300s.
The new A220 variant is being designed to carry around 15-20% more passengers than the A220-300 while keeping many of the aircraft’s efficiency advantages.
A350 Might Need up to 7 Years of Development
Rolls-Royce’s chief executive, Tufan Erginbilgic, said they would need to build a new engine for the proposed A350-2000 if Airbus chose a design requiring a larger, more powerful turbine and claimed that its development would take 6-7 years.
Erginbilgic added that any new engine would be modelled on Rolls-Royce’s current Trent XWB-84, and the new A350 variant is expected to be in service in the “early 2030s”.
The A350-2000 would plug a gap for global carriers such as Emirates, which is currently operating more than 100 of the discontinued A380, and place it in direct competition with Boeing’s upcoming 777X.
In April 2026, Airbus’ chief executive, Guillaume Faury, said that they aren’t close to launching either stretched aircraft, and Rolls-Royce is still waiting for a finalised design for the A350-2000.
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