Breeze Airways, one of the main North American customers of the A220, joins the list of airlines which would like to see Airbus offer a stretched version of the ex-C Series – a project discussed for several years in the ‘industry.
This low-cost American carrier is far from having received all of its ordered aircraft, but that does not stop its president, Tom Doxey, from showing his colors.
“That would interest us,” he said, during an interview with La Presse. As we continue to phase out our Embraer aircraft, there is certainly an opportunity for us to [integrate] a larger version of the aircraft. »
Mr. Doxey was passing through the Airbus Canada facilities located in Mirabel to take delivery of an A220 in Breeze colors obtained from the American lessor company Azorra. Ultimately, the airline will only operate this type of aircraft in its fleet after gradually shedding its Embraer E-190 and E-195.
Alongside the head of Breeze, the landlord’s CEO, Ron Baur, an airline industry veteran who also worked at Continental Airlines and United Airlines, was more cautious when asked about the potential interest of his company.
Breeze is to receive up to 90 of the A220-300, which can seat 120 to 160 passengers. The US low-cost carrier’s business model focuses on secondary airports, where airport fees are lower. This allows it to reduce costs and be more competitive on airfares.
An extended version of Bombardier’s old C Series has been the subject of rumors for several years. By adding seats, a possible A220-500 would become an almost direct competitor to Airbus’ most lucrative aircraft, the A320neo (150-180 seats).
The plane would also compete more directly with the Boeing 737 (138-205 seats for an aircraft configured with business class and economy class), the American aircraft manufacturer’s cash cow.
In an interview with La Presse, Air France President and CEO Benjamin Smith had already expressed the French carrier’s interest in seeing Airbus add a third version of the A220 to this range of aircraft.
The European aircraft manufacturer has been questioned numerous times on this subject. Everything indicates that the project will be studied seriously, but Airbus repeats that it must first ensure that the A220, which is 25% owned by the Quebec state, ceases to be loss-making. According to the multinational, this involves accelerating the production rate in order to be able to produce 14 aircraft each month in Mirabel and Mobile in 2026.
Airbus must therefore double its current pace within two years. Like other models, deliveries of the A220 are struggling to take off due to difficulties in supplying certain parts, notably engines built by Pratt.
That didn’t stop Breeze, which took off three years ago, from reaping its first monthly profits in March and April, Doxey says. We probably could have gotten there more quickly without the unexpected delivery, he suggests.
“Perhaps we could have gotten there sooner, but despite these challenges, we are reaching cruising speed in less than three years,” comments the Breeze leader.
From January to May, Airbus delivered 21 examples of the A220 to customers. This is only two more planes compared to the same period last year. In 2023, the aircraft manufacturer had made 68 deliveries.