Airbus plans stretched A220 entry into service in early 2030s

The current engine for the A220 is Pratt & Whitney's PW1500G from their Geared Turbofan family. Although it hasn't been affected by issues troubling another model in the series, operators have raised concerns about its durability and maintenance duration.

In 2023, Larry Culp, CEO of GE Aerospace, which operates CFM International with Safran Aircraft Engines, told The Air Current they would consider competing with Pratt & Whitney for engines on future A220-500s. Both companies already vie for airline business with engines for the A320neo family.

The concept of stretching the A220 dates back nearly a decade and has been speculated upon since Bombardier's involvement with Quebec Government support. Boeing previously petitioned U.S. authorities to investigate Bombardier over alleged pricing strategies concerning a Delta order in 2017 due to fears of competition with their 737 models.

Boeing’s concerns were partly realized as airBaltic opted for what was then Bombardier's CS300 over other aircraft models due to its favorable operating economics despite similar engine technology. This led Airbus to acquire control over the CSeries program from Bombardier through an agreement involving both Airbus and Quebec government entities.

Airbus' current focus is increasing production rates of existing A220 models. Florent Massou dit Labaquère from Airbus highlighted supply chain challenges affecting part production critical to meeting these targets during an update on June 18th. Christian Scherer, CEO of Airbus Commercial Aircraft, acknowledged existing backlog limitations but expressed confidence in sustaining and potentially increasing production rates soon.

Scherer remarked there are ongoing efforts behind closed doors hinting at further orders within the A220 family while expressing no concern over maintaining production rates at current levels or beyond without specifying immediate decisions.