JetBlue is doubling down on its fleet renewal, with the airline signing for a further 30 Airbus A220-300 aircraft.
JetBlue Airbus A220 taking off – Image, Airbus.
The airline has confirmed it will exercise its option to add 30 additional Airbus A220-300 aircraft to its order book, bringing the total number of A220s in the airline’s fleet and on order to 100. The move itself pushes the confirmed order book for the A220 family to over 740 aircraft.
It seems that JetBlue likes the A220, with both its economic and operational performance are a key to JetBlue’s long-term cost performance, whilst being able to support the airlines’ network strategy, as well as introducing its all-new onboard experience to more customers.
In 2018, JetBlue announced its initial order of 60 A220s and the option for 60 additional aircraft. JetBlue converted 10 of 60 options to firm orders in 2019.
The 30 A220s that JetBlue will be adding to the fleet will allow the airline to accelerate the retirement of the Embraer E190 fleet.
It’s about the money – as always
Economics in airlines is something important as they continue to search for ways to drive down costs. According to JetBlue, the A220 offers nearly 30 per cent lower direct operating costs per seat compared to the fleet it is replacing, whilst offering additional seating capacity and range. These include starting up operations at focus cities, as well as transcontinental and new routes that may not be feasible with their larger Airbus narrow-body aircraft.
The new aircraft are powered by Pratt & Whitney GTF engines, which provide improvements in fuel efficiency and reduced carbon emissions. With fuel burn being an important cost (both economically and in society), reducing these costs are key for JetBlue as they seek to reduce their footprint on the planet.
Don’t forget the passenger experience
The airline’s A220s are outfitted with 140 Collins Meridian seats. Seating is arranged in a two-by-three configuration offering multiple seating options for all party sizes and includes USB-C, USB-A and AC power at every seat.
For those who need to be entertained or connected, JetBlue’s A220 features Thales AVANT IFE system and ViaSat-2 connectivity, which provides high-speed Fly-Fi internet connectivity.
The interior is fitted out with the larger overhead bins and custom mood lighting too.
In Quotes
Robin Hayes, chief executive officer, JetBlue said
“We’re already seeing benefits from the eight A220s we’ve added to the fleet, and we’re very happy to have more on the way,”
“We’ve seen double-digit increases in customer satisfaction scores, and these fuel-efficient aircraft support our leadership in reducing carbon emissions. With 30 additional A220s on order, we’re in a position to accelerate our fleet modernization plans to deliver stronger cost performance and support our focus city network strategy.”
Christian Scherer, Airbus Chief Commercial Officer and Head of Airbus International added
“It is very rewarding to see a happy customer coming back for more aircraft not even a year after entry into service of its first A220. We salute our friends at JetBlue on this landmark deal,”
. “Over 700 A220 orders to date underscore the strong market appetite for this all-new single aisle aircraft.”
Entry into Service
Expect more A220s ahead – JetBlue A220 outside the hanger at JFK, Image, JetBlue.
JetBlue’s first Airbus A220 arrived in December 2020. The airline has taken delivery eight of type the time already, with them preparing to take delivery of its ninth aircraft this month.
The airline is scheduled to take delivery of a further nine in 2022, followed by another 21 in 2023. Ultimately, these A220s will replace the airline’s E190s, with the last E190 exiting in 2026.
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Interesting – there are only 60 E-190s in the fleet, so they already had full replacement ordered plus another 10, so this block of 30 orders will either replace older A320s (with a loss of seats), or (and?) be used for growth.
We might not get a better idea of their plans until the challenges to the Northeast Alliance with AA move through the regulators and courts – with Spirit and Frontier merging, if the NEA gets cut back or shot down entirely, they’ll probably look for a higher-growth model, including routes too thin for the domestic-configuration A321NEOs on order (and some of them are likely to replace older 321CEOs anyway.)