Airlines Air France – KLM orders up to 60 A220-300

The deal was signed by Air France – KLM CEO Benjamin Smith and Airbus Chief Executive Officer Guillaume Faury. This latest commitment reflects the ambitions of the group to modernize its short- to medium-haul fleet.

All A220s are intended to be operated by Air France, stated Airbus. Currently, the French flag-carrier uses a fleet of 18 Airbus A318s, 33 Airbus A319s, 43 Airbus A320s and 20 Airbus A321s for its European network.

“The acquisition of these brand new A220-300s aligns perfectly with Air France–KLM’s overall fleet modernisation and harmonisation strategy,” said Benjamin Smith. “This aircraft demonstrates optimum operational and economic efficiency and enables us to further improve our environment footprint thanks to the A220’s low fuel consumption and reduced emissions. It is also perfectly adapted to our domestic and European network and will enable Air France to operate more efficiently on its short and medium-haul routes.”

Guillaume Faury added: “It is an honour for Airbus that Air France, a long-standing valued customer, has endorsed our latest family member, the A220, for its fleet renewal plans [...] We are committed to supporting Air France with our A220 by bringing the latest technologies, efficiency levels, and environment benefits. We are delighted to embark on this partnership, and we are looking forward to seeing the A220 flying in the Air France colours.”

The Airbus A220 Family, which has been acquired by Airbus last year, is one of the most modern aircraft in the 100-150 seat market. It incorporates state-of-the-art aerodynamical advantages with latest-generation engines. The Pratt & Whitney PW1500G will power the A220-300s for Air France. They offer at least a 20% lower fuel burn per seat when compared with previous generation aircraft.

To date, the former CSeries and A220 programme has an order book of 551 aircraft as of end of June 2019. Airbus seeks that the aircraft represents 7,000 aircraft over the next 20 years. The manufacturer hopes to gain the lion´s share in the 100-150 seat aircraft market.

Air France is the flag-carrier of France and currently operates with a fleet of 222 aircraft, including Airbus A318s, A319s, A320s, A321s, A330s, A340s, A380s, Boeing 787 Dreamliner and B777s. Shortly, the airline will take over its first A350 aircraft, which initially was planned for low-cost subsidiary airline Joon. Air France was founded in 1933 and is member of the Oneworld alliance.