Modern aviation in the past few years has accelerated its move towards fuel efficient operations. To achieve this goal many airlines are now operating many flights with narrow body, single aisle, high efficiency planes. This means the market for this type of plane is more alive now than ever before. In this lively market segment of planes smaller than the A320, the Airbus A220 is making itself noticed and has been adopted by many carriers around the world. Let’s find out a bit more about it and which airlines are the biggest operators of the Airbus A220.
In this post:
- Top Airbus A220 Operators Worldwide
- Airlines Operating Both A220-100 and A220-300 Variants
- Airbus A220-100 Operators: The Rare Variant Analysis
- Airbus A220-300 Operators: The Popular Choice Analysis
- Airbus A220 Specifications and Performance Features
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Top Airbus A220 Operators Worldwide (2026 Rankings)
With deliveries still ongoing the list of airlines that operate this remarkable aircraft type is destined to grow. However, right now 21 operators fly the Airbus A220. The overall number of aircraft of the type operated by carriers shows Delta leading the way, ahead of a surprising second placed airBaltic from Latvia (we’ll investigate the breakdown of 100 and 300 variant numbers further down in the post).
| CUSTOMER | Country | Total A220 |
|---|---|---|
| DELTA AIR LINES | USA | 90 |
| JETBLUE AIRWAYS | USA | 65 |
| BREEZE AIRWAYS | USA | 61 |
| AIR FRANCE | FRANCE | 58 |
| AIRBALTIC | LATVIA | 56 |
| AIR CANADA | CANADA | 47 |
| ITA AIRWAYS | ITALY | 31 |
| SWISS | SWITZERLAND | 30 |
| NATIONAL JET SYSTEMS | AUSTRALIA | 13 |
| CROATIA AIRLINES | CROATIA | 11 |
| KOREAN AIR | SOUTH KOREA | 10 |
| BULGARIA AIR | BULGARIA | 7 |
| ANIMAWINGS | ROMANIA | 6 |
| TAAG ANGOLA AIRLINES | ANGOLA | 6 |
| IRAQI AIRWAYS | IRAQ | 5 |
| AIR TANZANIA | TANZANIA | 4 |
| CYPRUS AIRWAYS | CYPRUS | 4 |
| SMARTWINGS CZECHIA | CZECH REPUBLIC | 4 |
| AIR AUSTRAL | REUNION | 3 |
| AIR NIUGINI | PAPUA NEW GUINEA | 3 |
| IBOM AIR | NIGERIA | 2 |
airBaltic is a special airline for the Airbus A220 project. The Baltic airline found the A220 to be such a perfect match for its operations that it decided to operate every single flight with it. airBaltic is the sole airline to operate a one aircraft type fleet comprised exclusively of the Airbus A220.
Airlines Operating Both A220-100 and A220-300 Variants
Then there’s another special group of airlines. Those that operate both variants of the Canadian produced Airbus aircraft, the A220-100 and A220-300. The A220-100 has proven to be more of a niche aircraft that fills a very specific space in airlines’ fleets going in direct competition with regional aircraft such as the Embraer E2 series.
Therefore there aren’t a huge number of A220-100 operators, reducing even further the pool of airlines that operate both the larger and smaller variants of the A220. Currently only 4 carriers worldwide operate both aircraft variants. They are:
| Customer | Country | A220-100 | A220-300 |
|---|---|---|---|
| DELTA AIR LINES | UNITED STATES | 45 | 45 |
| ITA AIRWAYS | ITALY | 12 | 19 |
| SWISS | SWITZERLAND | 9 | 21 |
| CROATIA AIRLINES | CROATIA | 2 | 9 |
| BULGARIA AIR | BULGARIA | 2 | 5 |
Airbus A220-100 Operators: The Rare Variant Analysis
| CUSTOMER | Country | A220-100 |
|---|---|---|
| DELTA AIR LINES | USA | 45 |
| ITA AIRWAYS | ITALY | 12 |
| SWISS | SWITZERLAND | 9 |
| CROATIA AIRLINES | CROATIA | 2 |
| BULGARIA AIR | BULGARIA | 2 |
As mentioned above, the A220-100 is a rather niche aircraft. ITA Airways ordered it to replace the former Alitalia Embraer E190s so to operate flights in and out of London City Airport. Delta uses it as an extended range regional aircraft, capable of serving longer routes while retaining the economics of a smaller high efficiency aircraft.
Why the A220-100 is Aviation’s Hidden Gem
Despite 66 units of the A220-100 actively operating for airlines in Europe and the US there are only 4 operators of the type. The aircraft is, therefore, the least bought variant of the two produced. It is, however, a gem of an aircraft.
It is particularly useful to operate flights in and out of small airfields or medium-haul routes on low demand sectors. It really is a Swiss army knife of a plane. It’s issue is it’s size though. An airline has to have some very specific needs to be met in order to go for the A220-100. Many of its characteristics overlap with regional planes with a clearer short haul vocation.
London City Airport A220 Operations
The A220-100 is among the few aircraft certified and capable to serve London City Airport (LCY). You can read more about this airport’s peculiarities and what makes it special in this other post. However, the A220 is not the largest aircraft to operate out of the quirky London airport, you can read about that here.
In the past months ITA Airways has leaped ahead of SWISS reaching double digits of A220-100 in its fleet.
Airbus A220-300 Operators: The Popular Choice Analysis
| CUSTOMER | Country | A220-300 |
|---|---|---|
| JETBLUE AIRWAYS | USA | 65 |
| BREEZE AIRWAYS | USA | 61 |
| AIR FRANCE | FRANCE | 58 |
| AIRBALTIC | LATVIA | 56 |
| AIR CANADA | CANADA | 47 |
| DELTA AIR LINES | USA | 45 |
| SWISS | SWITZERLAND | 21 |
| ITA AIRWAYS | ITALY | 19 |
| NATIONAL JET SYSTEMS | AUSTRALIA | 13 |
| KOREAN AIR | SOUTH KOREA | 10 |
| CROATIA AIRLINES | CROATIA | 9 |
| ANIMAWINGS | ROMANIA | 6 |
| TAAG ANGOLA AIRLINES | ANGOLA | 6 |
| BULGARIA AIR | BULGARIA | 5 |
| IRAQI AIRWAYS | IRAQ | 5 |
| AIR TANZANIA | TANZANIA | 4 |
| CYPRUS AIRWAYS | CYPRUS | 4 |
| SMARTWINGS CZECHIA | CZECH REPUBLIC | 4 |
| AIR AUSTRAL | REUNION | 3 |
| AIR NIUGINI | PAPUA NEW GUINEA | 3 |
| IBOM AIR | NIGERIA | 2 |
Why Airlines Prefer the A220-300 Variant
The Airbus A220-300 variant on the other hand is the most purchased and operated one. Airlines particularly appreciate the jets capability of operating with similar efficiency short hops and longer routes. It’s larger size adds scale to the already impressive performance of the A220, while also filling the gap between regional aircraft and small narrow body planes, such as the A320 or the smaller variants of the Boeing 737.
Airbus A220 History: From Bombardier CS100/CS300 to Airbus Success
Not everyone knows that the Airbus A220 was not originally developed by the European manufacturer. The story of the A220 starts under a different name CS100/CS300. Where the CS100 corresponds to the A220-100 and the CS300 to the A220-300.
The Bombardier to Airbus Transition Story
Canadian manufacturer Bombardier developed and built this remarkable little aircraft. Only later upon encountering difficulties in selling its CS100 and CS300 abroad did Bombardier find itself forced in joining hands with Airbus. This is when the official name of the plane changed from CS100/CS300 to the A220-100 and A220-300.
Eventually Bombardier completely sold its shares in the project and it now a joint venture between the government of Quebec and Airbus.
Airbus A220 Specifications and Performance Features
| Specification | A220-100 | A220-300 |
|---|---|---|
| Length | 35m | 38.7m |
| Fuselage Width | 3.5m | 3.5m |
| Cabin Width | 3.28m | 3.28m |
| Wingspan | 35.1m | 35.1m |
| Cruise Speed | M0.78 | M0.78 |
| Range | 6,390Km | 6,297Km |
| Fuel Capacity | 21,805l | 21,508l |
| Max Take-off Weight | 63.1t | 70.9t |
| Max Landing Weight | 54.2t | 60.6t |
The size and performance characteristics make it an appealing aircraft for several airlines around the world. The aircraft is constructed using in parts of it composite materials. This allowed the developers to integrate wider windows and grant the aircraft greater range.
Although its maximum capacity is often under 150 passengers, with a 2-class configuration, the A220 can fly quite long sectors of over 6,000 km. In many cases this smaller Airbus allows to operate profitable flights to smaller airfield with lower demand.
Passenger Experience: What Makes the A220 Special
As a passenger flying this plane is a very pleasant experience. Although it is a narrow body plane the cabin feels roomy. The fact that you only have 5 seats per row in a 3-2 economy configuration helps. The windows are among the largest in civil aviation, letting a lot of light in and making the cabin interior just more welcoming. Finally the new generation overhead lockers ensure there’s enough space for everyone’s bag, even on a fully loaded flight.