LANGKAWI: Airbus foresees tremendous potential in its A220 single-aisle modern aircraft in the Asia Pacific as the aviation industry in the region is bouncing back from the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Raymond Manougian, the marketing director for Airbus single-aisle products said the economical aspect and superior cabin of the A220, plus its lower carbon emissions, were key selling points for the aircraft, which commands 60 per cent worldwide market share in the segment.
"A significant number of A220 fleets were actually flying during the pandemic while the other single aisle aircraft were grounded, thanks to the economical aspect of the aircraft, allowing it to be profitable for a lot of the airlines.
"The A220 was able to easily come in and fill in the shoes.
"For example, the Korean Air and Delta fleets utilised 100 per cent of its A220 fleet during the pandemic," he said during a media briefing followed by a demonstration flight at the Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace exhibition 2023 (Lima '23).
After it's special appearance at the biennial show, the A220 - leased by Airbus from airBaltic - will continue on a demonstration tour in the region calling at Jakarta, Indonesia and Bangkok and Koh Samui in Thailand.
Commenting further, Manougian said with its proven record, Airbus foresees the A220's huge potential in the Asia Pacific aviation industry's recovery from the effects of the pandemic.
"During the pandemic recovery period a lot of airlines actually utilised the A220 in place of A320 as their main products and they are still profitable.
"You don't get that from the previous generation of aircraft because the capacity is not necessarily there.
"We definitely see the tremendous potential in the Asia Pacific region market. This is the most economical aircraft and we believe this aircraft with its capabilities is perfect for any airline to operate.
"This aircraft is able to meet with seasonality demands. For example if you experience a dip in market demand because of summer or winter, the airlines can replace the A320 with the A220 without having to lose profitability during the period," he said.
The aircraft which was displayed at Lima '23 was powered with a 10 per cent blend of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) supplied by SAF producer Neste, and organised in cooperation with Petronas, the Aerospace Malaysia Innovation Centre (AMIC), the National Aerospace Industry Corporation Malaysia (NAICO) and the Sarawak Economic Development Corporation (SEDC).
Manougian said as with all Airbus aircraft, the A220 is already able to operate with up to 50 per cent SAF.
"Airbus aims for all its aircraft to be capable of operating with 100 per cent SAF by 2030," he said.
The A220 is available in two versions, with the -100 variant seating between 100 and 130 passengers and the larger -300 variant seating between 130 and 160 in typical layouts.
It has the largest cabin, same seat width as its larger widebody class family, A380 and largest window of any single-aisle aircraft.
Airbus has received 780 bookings for A220 from airliners in Europe, the Middle East and Africa with 262 have been delivered.
The European multinational aerospace corporation's market presence in Asia Pacific stands at 35 per cent from 118 operators.
