Airbus Selects First A220 North American Repair Station

Credit: Airbus

CHICAGO—Airbus has selected Canada-based M1 Composites Technology as its first North American repair station for parts on Airbus A220 aircraft.

The airframe manufacturer says M1 Composites, located in Laval near Montreal, will provide repair station services for Airbus proprietary parts managed by its Satair subsidiary. Satair assumed control of A220 materials and service support in 2020. M1 Composites’ focus will center on structural and flight surfaces, rudders, elevators and winglets, among others.

M1 Composites’ employs more than 100 people at its Canadian site, where its capabilities include aircraft structural repairs, engineering services, advanced manufacturing capabilities, non-destructive testing and welding functions.

Airbus projects a steady increase in A220 operators in the region in the coming years. “With more than 150 A220s operating in North American-based airline fleets today, and another 240+ expected in the coming years, we are intently focused on servicing locally our customers and aircraft operators…,” says Alexandra Cros, Airbus’ senior vice president of A220 customer services.

The OEM fully acquired the aircraft program from Bombardier in 2020, having previously bought a 50.1% majority stake in the then CSeries program three years earlier.

Aviation Week Intelligence Network's 2024 Commercial Aviation Fleet & MRO Forecast states 196 A220 aircraft are in service in the North America region in 2024. For this year, the same forecast projects MRO spending of approximately $355.9 million for the A220 in North America.

Current regional operators of A220 aircraft include Air Canada, Breeze Airways, Delta Air Lines and JetBlue.

James Pozzi

As Aviation Week's MRO Editor EMEA, James Pozzi covers the latest industry news from the European region and beyond. He also writes in-depth features on the commercial aftermarket for Inside MRO.

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Comments

1 Comment
Why didn't you mention the other North American A220 operator, Breeze Airways, with 90 on order (50% more than Air Canada) and 22 in service?