AirBaltic is the largest customer for the A220 project. The airline powers all its operations with the tiny yet versatile Canadian manufactured aircraft. Although it already has a long list of planes on order, the Latvian airline has decided to further enhance it order with Airbus for new A220s.
airBaltic Orders 10 Additional Airbus A220s
Despite the headaches the airline has had in recent months with the A220, specifically with its GTF Pratt & Whitney engines, it has decided to order more of planes of the type.
10 further A220-300s have been added to the standing airBaltic order with Airbus. That brings the grand total of A220s airBaltic is expecting to join its fleet in coming years to 90. That is more than 100% of the current airline fleet, which stands at 50 units.
Some of the new A220s coming to Riga are likely to replace some ageing ones. Especially when reaching the end of the order queue.
A220 and airBaltic, The Perfect Match
It was love at first site for airBaltic and the A220, even before it was an Airbus aircraft. The Latvian airline was the launch customer for the for the larger A220-300 variant, which at the time was still called the Bombardier CS300.
The aircraft became such a hit with the carrier that it decided little later to fly all its flights on it abandoning previously used planes. Since 2020 the airline has in fact transitioned to an all A220 fleet.
The tiny Airbus has enabled airBaltic to turn profits on many of its intra-European flights. Also, open some other exceptionally long ones flying as far as the Middle East with non-stop services.
What this order tells us is that the love story will continue will into the future and into the next decade.
