The A220 was formerly Bombardier’s C Series until Airbus bought a majority stake in the project in 2017. It has two variants, the A220-100 and the A220-300.
Airbus says it generates 20 per cent less CO2 emissions than comparable aircraft in its class, and is twice as quiet. It has a capacity of 149 seats and an operating range of 2,300 nautical miles.
Air France said the aircraft would increase its competitiveness by reducing cost per seat by more than 10 per cent compared to the aircraft it will replace.
The order is worth $5.5 billion, Bloomberg reports.
“The acquisition of these brand new A220-300s aligns perfectly with Air France–KLM’s overall fleet modernisation and harmonisation strategy,” said Benjamin Smith, CEO of Air France-KLM.
“This aircraft demonstrates optimum operational and economic efficiency and enables us to further improve our environment footprint thanks to the A220’s low fuel consumption and reduced emissions.
“It is also perfectly adapted to our domestic and European network and will enable Air France to operate more efficiently on its short and medium-haul routes.”
Smith joined as group CEO in 2018 and has been seeking to increase the airlines’ consistency and simplicity, both in their networks and fleets.
Air France and KLM recently announced an order swap that will see six B787 aircraft on order for Air France being delivered to KLM, and seven A350-900s ordered for KLM transferred to Air France.
Air France has also outlined plans to reduce short-haul capacity by 15 per cent (in terms of available seat kilometres) by the end of 2021.
It posted a loss of €189 million on its domestic network last year and has cumulatively lost over €700 million in the sector since 2013, which it blamed on increased competition from high-speed rail routes and low-cost airlines.
