A new day, and a new delivery, with the first Airbus A220-100 being delivered to Delta Air Lines.
Image, Airbus.
The Delta Airbus A220-100 (nee Bombardier C Series CS100), was handed over in a ceremony at Mirabel, Quebec, marking the first delivery of the type to a North American carrier.
At the handover, Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian stated
Image Airbus.
“It is with great pride that we take delivery of our first, state-of-the-art A220-100,”
“We have big plans for our A220 fleet and are confident that Delta customers and Delta people alike will be delighted with the in-flight experience provided by this thoroughly modern and efficient aircraft. We value our longstanding partnerships with Airbus and Bombardier and are grateful for the great design and manufacturing work done by the team here in Mirabel.”
Guillaume Faury, President of Airbus’ commercial aircraft business, also stated,
“We at Airbus are dedicated to providing our customers the right products for a marketplace that needs modern, efficient and passenger-friendly aircraft – and the remarkable A220 certainly delivers. When a great airline like Delta puts a new aircraft into service as a platform for their outstanding passenger service, the entire industry takes note. The A220 team is gratified by the confidence that the Delta family has placed in this excellent, Canadian-born aircraft.”
Entry into service is due in 2019, with the first routes already on sale by Delta. The airline will be the largest A220-100 customer – with orders for 75 aircraft.
It’s been an interesting journey for the A220-100 – or the Bombardier C Series. The sale to Delta of the type angered Boeing enough to launch a trade dispute with Bombardier, resulting in the sale of 51% of the C Series Programme to Airbus, and the formation of the C Series Aircraft Limited Partnership – made of up Airbus, Invest Quebec and Bombardier. With the trade case thrown out and Airbus taking the lead, a new production line in Mobile AL will be built for the A220 family
But the talking game for the A220 family is fast coming to the end. The game will be how many of these planes Airbus and the C Series Partnership can sell.
And maybe the entry into service of the type with Delta may cause some airlines to think again with the type and evaluate it’s in service performance.
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