Air Canada's First Airbus A220-300 Enters Commercial Service

Air Canada has taken delivery of its first Airbus A220-300.

Built in Mirabel, Quebec, this Bombardier-designed aircraft has 137 seats: 12 in a 2x2 configuration in Business Class and 125 in a 3x2 layout in Economy Class.

Customers will have more personal space thanks to the widest economy seats in the fleet at 19 inches, and the largest overhead stowage bins for an aircraft of this size.

Additional features include larger windows and full-colour LED ambient and customizable mood lighting that contribute to reducing fatigue while travelling. The high ceilings, light cabin, extra shoulder room and storage make this a very enjoyable aircraft to fly in.

Every seat on the A220 features a Panasonic in-flight entertainment system with content available in 15 languages and featuring more than 1,000 hours of entertainment, including content from Bell Media's premium entertainment service, Crave, and Montreal-based multi-platform audio service, Stingray. The system also offers dynamic closed captioning for the deaf and is accessible to the visually impaired. The A220 will also have satellite-based, high speed Wi-Fi access.

"This is an historic moment for Air Canada as we welcome the Airbus A220 into our fleet. We are the first airline in Canada to operate this next-generation aircraft, which was designed by Bombardier in Mirabel, Quebec. Our customers will enjoy a level of comfort unrivalled on a single-aisle aircraft and the A220's operating efficiencies promise meaningful environmental and cost benefits. The arrival of the first of our order of 45 A220s, with a list price value of US$3.8 billion at the time it was made, underscores our contribution to Canada's aerospace industry and its economy," said Calin Rovinescu, Air Canada's President and Chief Executive Officer. "I am especially pleased today given Air Canada's role in completing the 2016 order for the C Series, as it was then called, at a time when the future of this aircraft program was in doubt. We are very proud to have paved the way for orders from other major carriers."

Air Canada's first A220-300, which has a range of 3,200 nautical miles, will today (16/1/2020) fly its maiden commercial service between Montreal and Calgary. As more A220s enter the fleet, the aircraft will be initially deployed from Montreal and Toronto on existing Canadian and transborder routes such as to Ottawa, Winnipeg, Calgary, Edmonton and New York – La Guardia.

The first two new A220 routes for Air Canada begin 4 May 2020 with the launch of Montreal-Seattle and Toronto-San Jose, California service, the only non-stop service between these city pairs.

"The A220 will allow Air Canada to further strengthen our position on transborder and transcontinental markets and be instrumental in our continued growth. The A220 will allow us to further expand our North American network, offering customers new routes and more robust year-round schedules. When connecting through our hubs across Canada onward to international destinations, customers travelling on an A220 will benefit from a virtually seamless cabin experience offering a comparable level of service and comforts as on a widebody aircraft," said Mark Galardo, Vice President of Network Planning at Air Canada.

The A220 will also further Air Canada's environmental commitment, with engines projected to yield a 20 per cent reduction in fuel consumption per seat.

"Airbus is very proud to be celebrating with our longstanding customer Air Canada, as they add their first A220 to their fleet. Airbus has been in Canada for over 35 years, and today we are becoming even more Canadian as passengers from Canada are about to discover a brand new flying experience on board this state-of-the art Canadian-designed and built aircraft. Congratulations to everyone at Air Canada and to the Airbus Canada team in Mirabel for this fantastic achievement. We look forward to continuing to develop our partnership with Air Canada for the years to come," said Philippe Balducchi, CEO, Airbus Canada Limited Partnership and Head of Country Canada for Airbus.

See latest Travel News, Interviews, Podcasts and other news regarding: Airbus, Air Canada, A220, A220-300.