AirBaltic will double down on that A220-300 as the backbone of its fleet. The carrier announced a firm order for 30 more aircraft, plus 20 options, at the 2023 Dubai Air Show this week.
Being the global launch customer of the Airbus A220-300, we continue to be a proud ambassador of it. We are grateful to our partners at Airbus for the incredible support, trust, and collaboration over these years.
– Martin Gauss, President and CEO of airBaltic
With the order the carrier has a path to a fleet of 100 A220s by 2030, making it the largest A220 operator in Europe and the largest operator of the A220-300 in the world. AirBaltic was the global launch carrier for the A220-300 in late 2016. Since then the carrier’s fleet has expanded to 44 frames, with six more deliveries remaining on the initial order.
The carrier notes that the A220-300 “has performed beyond the company’s expectations, delivering better overall performance, fuel efficiency, and convenience for both passengers and the staff.”
That passenger experience is expected to be upgraded in the near future with the addition of inflight internet service, powered by the SpaceX Starlink system.
It is worth noting that the past couple years have proved challenging for the carrier as it works out how to properly place the existing fleet on routes. AirBaltic has operated its A220s for other airlines in a wet-lease arrangement while also seeing demand spikes that caused it to bring in wet-lease aircraft from other operators. That’s not the consistent, high-quality passenger experience the carrier wants to provide.
Growing the fleet also comes against the backdrop of extended disruption to Russia and central Asia, regions where airBaltic previously held a sizable market share. AirBaltic has done its best to accommodate those changes, and will continue to adjust, but the market is definitely not as easy to manage as it once was.
While the airBaltic order is significant in its own way, it was also the only order announced by Airbus on the first day of the Dubai Air Show. Against the backdrop of major Boeing orders from Emirates and flydubai, plus smaller orders from Royal Air Maroc, Royal Jordanian, and SunExpress, the tables are clearly tilted in favor of the US manufacturer so far at this year’s event. Airbus is rumored to be on the cusp of a ~350 aircraft deal with Turkish, but it has not yet come through.
More news from the 2023 Dubai Air Show
- Emirates boosts long-haul fleet with mega order
- flydubai spreads its wings with 787 order
- AirBaltic to double A220 fleet
- Safran snags massive contract for Emirates fleet fittings
- Ethiopian targets major growth with Boeing, Airbus orders in Dubai
- Airbus hits 125 aircraft commitment milestone for HBCplus Ka-band connectivity
- Egyptair taps Panasonic Avionics for IFE/C on new A350 fleet
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david innes says
Its finally ytaking off as a program, just like CRJ which took a few yearsa to eatablsih market credibility