It’s a big day for Airbus in the USA, as it delivers the first Airbus A220 to Delta Air Lines that has been assembled at its site in Mobile, Alabama.
It marks the first time that an A220 has been completed in the USA. The aircraft – an Airbus A220-300 is being delivered to Delta.
The work to deliver the first A220 from Mobile has been in the works for some time, with the ground breaking of the A220 Final Assembly Line in January 2019, through the official start of A220 production in August 2019, and the inaugural flight of this aircraft in June.
Airbus primarily assembles the A220 family aircraft at its Mirabel in Quebec, Canada, with the teams there at Mobile working to deliver the aircraft. Over 400 US employees have been trained on the assembly of the type.
For the customer – Delta Air Lines – it’s part of the massive order they have, with 95 aircraft on the books. They will also be the first North American airline to operate both variants of the A220 (A220-100 and A220-300).
Airbus (and Bombardier before it) have delivered 123 A220 aircraft to seven operators so far.
As for the aircraft itself – it will be a 2.5 class aircraft, configured with 12 First Class seats (in a 2-2- configuration), 30 extra-legroom economy seats, an 88 normal economy seats (in a 2-3 configuration). Seats will have inbuilt IFE systems and inflight connectivity, along with power outlets.
In Quotes
C. Jeffrey Knittel, Chairman & CEO Airbus Americas said
“The delivery of the first U.S.-built A220-300 is a historic moment that highlights Airbus’ growing industrial footprint in North America and makes us all extremely proud,”
“We look forward to seeing passengers delighted by the experience of travelling onboard this brand new A220-300 proudly built in Mobile, Alabama.”
Philippe Balducchi, A220 programme leader said
“Handing over the first U.S-assembled aircraft to a U.S.-based customer is a real point of pride for the A220 programme,”
“This delivery is the first of many to come and shows the strong collaborative spirit between the A220 Programme teams globally.”
To date, approximately 400 U.S. employees have been trained on A220 production – some in Mirabel, Quebec, Canada, where the A220 program and primary final assembly line are located. A year ago, the first
A step forward for Airbus in the US
Let’s not forget why the A220 is being manufactured in Mobile AL – Boeing had objections to Delta purchasing it and wanted to slap a 220% import tax on it. This was struck down later, only after Airbus brought into the CSeries project and then taking the lead as Bombardier exited commercial aviation.
For Airbus, it’s another line to produce its aircraft at, with both Delta and Jetblue expecting aircraft from it. It will be interesting to see if Airbus can tempt other operators to its 100-130 seater aircraft in the USA
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