PARIS–Australia’s Qantas Group has finalized an incremental order for nine Airbus A220-300s ahead of taking its first deliveries of the aircraft before the end of the year.
The airline selected the A220 as part of its fleet renewal program unveiled in May 2022 and announced its intention to order the additional nine A220s in February. The oneworld alliance member now has 29 aircraft of the small narrowbody on order.
“The A220 will be the perfect platform for a domestic network that includes everything from short hops to flights of five hours and beyond,” Airbus CCO Christian Scherer said at the Paris Air Show June 20.
Qantas’ narrowbody order in May 2022 comprised 20 Airbus A321XLRs alongside the 20 A220-300s, with purchase rights for another 94 narrowbodies from the A320 and A220 families. While the first A220s are expected to be delivered in late 2023, the larger A321XLRs will join its fleet a year later.
These deliveries will begin the replacement of the Boeing 717s and 737s used in the carrier’s domestic fleet.
