1 week Ago By Luke Bodell
The Airbus A220 is the smallest commercial jet in the Airbus portfolio, making its entry to service almost nine years ago. The program has so far created two models - the A220-100 and the A220-300 - with the latter variant performing much better in the sales department. The single-aisle A220-300 typically seats 120 to 160 passengers and comes with a range of 3,400 NM, making it ideal for short and medium-haul networks.
The world's largest operator of the A220 is Delta Air Lines with 77 aircraft, and the carrier flies both the -100 and the -300. However, it is not the largest A220-300 operator, only coming in at sixth. airBaltic is the number one -300 operator with 50 aircraft, closely followed by JetBlue and Air France.
But with Airbus still fulfilling a backlog of 470 aircraft, many airlines still have dozens of A220s on order with the planemaker, potentially taking their A220 fleets to one hundred aircraft and beyond. Using data from ch-aviation, let's look at the ten airlines with the biggest outstanding A220-300 orders today. 10 Croatia Airlines 11 to be delivered, 2 active Croatia Airlines has a total of 11 A220-300s on order, all of which it will acquire through leasing agreements.
In November 2022, the carrier finalized an order for up to 15 A220s comprised of both the -100 and -300 variants. Under this deal, the airline will lease the planes from three different aircraft lessors, with 13 of the 15 aircraft being the -300 model. Deliveries of all 15 jets are penciled in by the end of 2027 - the airline celebrated its first delivery in July 2024 before another aircraft arrived in December, joining Croatia Airlines' Airbus A319 and A320 fleets that the A220 is due to phase out in the coming years.
9 TAAG Angola Airlines 13 on order, 2 active TAAG Angola Airlines is another relatively new operator of the A220. It welcomed its first delivery in September 2024 before launching revenue flights the following month. TAAG's order dates back to the 2022 Farnborough International Airshow, where it committed to six aircraft, later adding another nine airframes at the 2023 Paris Airshow.
The African carrier currently has two active A220s and will take delivery of another 13 aircraft, dramatically modernizing its fleet. In addition to this, the airline will also be upgrading its long-haul fleet with the arrival of three more Boeing 787 Dreamliners, both the 787-9 and 787-10. Aircraft Type Total Average Age Airbus A220-300 2 0.
5 Years Boeing 737-700 8 18 Years Boeing 737-800 1 22 Years Boeing 777-200 3 18 Years Boeing 777-300ER 5 11.5 Years Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner 1 3 Years De Havilland Canada DHC-8-400 6 4.5 Years The airline's A220-300s can seat up to 137 passengers across two cabin classes, with 12 in business class and 125 in economy.
The jets are also the first planes in TAAG's fleet to feature the carrier's refreshed livery and will primarily be deployed across the airline's domestic and continental network. The A220 is celebrated for its comfortable design, fuel efficiency, and reduced CO2 emissions, making it a favorite among airlines and passengers. 8 Air France 17 to be delivered, 43 already in fleet Air France has a total of 17 outstanding A220 deliveries that will take its total fleet size to 60 aircraft once fulfilled.
The airline took delivery of nine A220s last year and has, as of April 2025, welcomed two airframes so far this year. The French carrier is already the world's third-largest A220-300 operator with a total of 43 in its fleet, behind only JetBlue (45) and airBaltic (50). Air France completed its first A220 revenue flight in October 2021, and the A220 has grown into the airline's largest narrowbody type ahead of its ageing A320-200 fleet.
7 QantasLink 23 on order, 6 in service Welcoming its first delivery in December 2023. Qantas Group has a commitment for 29 A220s, which are slowly phasing out its fleet of Boeing 717s. Australian regional carrier National Jet Systems currently operates the A220-300 under the regional QantasLink brand.
Qantas placed an initial order for 20 airframes in May 2022 before adding another nine to the order the following year. The company has previously said it expects all 29 aircraft to be delivered by the end of 2027. Qantas' A220-300s feature two cabin classes for up to 137 passengers, with 10 in business and 127 in economy.
The new A220 fleet is frequently used on routes such as Canberra to Melbourne and Sydney to Hobart. 6 Air Canada 31 to be delivered, 34 already in fleet Air Canada has the fifth-largest A220-300 fleet in the world with 34 aircraft and it has 31 more on order. The airline placed a commitment for 45 aircraft in 2016, later adding another 15 airframes in 2022 before exercising options on five more jets last year.
The Canadian carrier expects delivery of all aircraft to be completed by 2028. Its A220-300s complement its extensive A320-family fleet, consisting of the A319, A320ceo and A321ceo, as well as the Boeing 737 MAX 8. Air Canada will also be an operator of the A321XLR having placed an order for 26 aircraft, with the first airframe scheduled to arrive by the end of this year.
Aircraft Type Business Economy Total Capacity Airbus A220-300 12 125 137 5 Lufthansa City 40 airframes on order, new operator Lufthansa Group will be stacking A220-300s at its newest airline, Lufthansa City Airlines, which launched operations last summer. The regional carrier will receive a total of 40 A220s in the coming years, with the first deliveries scheduled to begin by the end of 2026. Lufthansa City currently operates with a small fleet of A319 and A320neo aircraft, and will also continue expanding with more A320neo deliveries.
Lufthansa Group was one of the first customers of the A220, which went into service with SWISS in 2016. The Swiss carrier flies both the -100 and -300, while ITA Airways - now part-owned by Lufthansa Group - also operates both variants. 4 airBaltic 40 aircraft on order, 50 active in fleet airBaltic is the world's largest A220-300 operator with 50 aircraft and was also the launch customer for the type, completing its first commercial service in December 2016.
The carrier exclusively flies the A220-300, which has proven a key asset across the airline's network of 70+ destinations. Having exercised options on another 10 aircraft in August 2024, airBaltic will eventually operate a fleet of 90 A220s, with 40 aircraft still to be delivered. airBaltic operates the longest A220 routes in Europe , with its 2,900-mile route from Tallinn to Tenerife and 2,800-mile connection between Riga and Tenerife ranking as its longest.
The narrowbody is becoming an increasingly popular aircraft among European airlines. 3 JetBlue 55 to be delivered, 45 in fleet JetBlue first ordered the A220-300 in 2018 with an initial commitment for 60 aircraft and options for another 60. It has since firmed up 40 of those 60 options - as things stand, JetBlue will become the joint-largest operator of the A220-300 (alongside Delta) with a total of 100 aircraft in its fleet.
JetBlue's growing A220 fleet will phase out its Embraer E190 aircraft, which are rapidly being retired. Over the past three years, JetBlue has removed over 45 E190 jets from its fleet, including more than 20 airframes in 2024. Aircraft Type Even More Space Economy Total Seats Airbus A220-300 30 110 140 JetBlue's A220s are configured with a single cabin class that can accommodate up to 140 passengers, offering what the airline calls "the widest coach seats of any single aisle aircraft.
" Four rows are designated EvenMore rows, and there are also another two rows offering extra legroom seats. 2 Breeze Airways 56 on order, 39 already in fleet Breeze Airways has grown tremendously since launching operations almost four years ago, now flying with a fleet of 39 A220-300s and 13 Embraer E190s. Even before Breeze launched, its eye had always been on flying the A220, with a commitment for 60 aircraft and another 60 options made in 2018.
Based on its current firm orders, Breeze will eventually operate a fleet of 95 A220s. The airline welcomed a total of 15 A220-300s last year and has taken delivery of four airframes so far this year. Breeze's A220s can seat up to 137 across two cabin classes, including the carrier's Breeze Ascent product.
This front cabin features three rows of 2-2 seats, while the main cabin offers a full eight rows of extra legroom seats at the front end. 1 Delta Air Lines 69 to be delivered, 31 active in fleet Delta Air Lines is the world's largest A220 operator when including both the -100 and -300 variants at 77 aircraft. It is also on course to become the biggest A220-300 operator too, with a total commitment for 100 aircraft, of which 69 deliveries remain outstanding.
This would put it on a par with JetBlue, which also plans to operate a 100-strong fleet of A220-300s, and just ahead of airBaltic and Breeze Airways. The A220 is primarily due to replace the airline's aging A319 fleet, which now has an average age of over 23 years old. Below is a table of Delta's current fleet of single-aisle Airbus jets, which complement its sizable fleets of Boeing 717, 737 and 757 narrowbodies.
Aircraft Type Total Airbus A220-100 45 Airbus A220-300 31 Airbus A319-100 57 Airbus A320-200 53 Airbus A321-200 127 Airbus A321neo 73 Delta took delivery of its first A220-300 in October 2020 but recorded just five deliveries in 2024. It has welcomed another three aircraft in 2025, although there are some doubts over future deliveries from the European planemaker due to the tariff situation. Delta's CEO Ed Bastian recently said the airline will defer deliveries from the European planemaker that come with tariffs, although the A220 will likely escape this as it is built in Mobile, Alabama and Mirabel, Canada.
Delta CEO said adding a tariff makes new aircraft too expensive, and the carrier "will not be paying tariffs on any aircraft deliveries" they take..
