Previously called the Bombardier CS100, the Airbus A220-100 jetliner is a long-range passenger aircraft that can seat from 100 to 125 passengers depending on the seating configuration.
Bombardier had two major aircraft: the CS100 jetliner, which seated 100 to 125 passengers, and the CS300, which seated 130 to 145 passengers. The first flight of the Airbus took place in September 2013 at the Montreal-Mirabel Airport in Quebec.
Development
In late 2015, Transport Canada provided a type certificate to the Airbus; in June of 2016, the aircraft received type validation by both EASA and the FAA. The very first aircraft was delivered in July of 2016. It got its name from the 50.1% stake of the company Airbus in the Bombardier C Series, which took place in mid-2018.
Orders and Deliveries
In March of 2009, a firm purchase agreement was signed by Deutsche Lufthansa for 30 of Bombardier’s A220-100 aircraft for its subsidiary, known as Swiss International. Swiss converted ten of the aircraft to A220-300 aircraft in mid-2015 and the sixth aircraft was received in March of 2017. In June 2011, a firm order was placed by Braathens Aviation for five of the A220-100s and an unidentified customer in Europe placed a firm order worth $628 million for ten of the A220-100 aircraft at the same time.
In 2012, PrivatAir ordered five A220-100s and included options for an additional five planes. Later that year, CDB Leasing Co., known as CLC, ordered five of the A220-100s and ten of the A220-300s. The purchase order included options for an additional five A220-100s and ten A220-300s.
In mid-2014, Petra Airlines signed a letter of intent (LOI) for two A220-100s and two A220-300s while Zhejiang Loong Airlines signed an LOI for 20 CS100 aircraft. At around the same time, Falko Regional Aircraft signed LOIs for up to 24 A220-100s. In the spring of 2016, Delta Air Lines contracted for 75 A220-100 aircraft with options for an additional 50 aircraft. They received their first aircraft in October of 2018.
In mid-2018, JetBlue ordered 60 A220-300s with deliveries expected to start in the year 2021. Airbus has booked roughly 400 A220 orders as of November of 2018.
Design
The A220-100 aircraft has a sleek, very clean look and is made of high-tech materials such as advanced composites, standard materials, titanium, steel, and aluminum-lithium. With an airframe made of advanced structural materials to achieve weight savings, the plane has a fuselage made out of aluminum. The rear fuselage, nacelle, wings, and empennage are all made out of advanced composite materials.
Flight Deck
The Airbus A220-100 has a Rockwell Collins Pro Line Fusion integrated avionics system and its flight deck accommodates two flight members — a pilot and co-pilot. It consists of large LCD displays and a dual flight management system as well as dual cursor control devices, engine indication and crew alerting system (EICAS), navigation, surveillance, communications, and aircraft maintenance system.
You can add an optional electronic flight back to the flight deck as well as a single or dual head-up display (HUD) and Cat 111b Autoland capability. The plane has line-replaceable modules that are found in two separate cabinets to optimize weight and make maintenance a little easier.
Cabin
Seating includes enough width to make sure that every passenger is comfortable and there are extra-large windows for passenger convenience. The overhead bin size is quite large and the aisle is also wider for passenger comfort. There are various options regarding seating options, ranging from 110 for the single-class seating to 125 for the high-density seating. The options can be changed to suit the airlines’ different requirements.
The Airbus A220-100 is powered by two engines made by Pratt and Whitney, named the PurePower PW1500G. Monitoring the engine is an engine health display system. The engine costs less to operate and even burns less fuel than other engine types. The engine also has a fan-drive gear system and advanced combustion technology to make high performance much easier to attain.
Performance
Flying at a maximum of 40,000 feet, the Airbus A220-100 has a maximum cruise speed of 871 kilometers per hour and a range of 4074 kilometers. The maximum weights for takeoff and landing are 54,931 kilograms and 50,576 kilograms respectively.
