- Airbus expects its Belfast built 160-seat A220-300 to be certified in 2028
- The current seating limit stands at 149 passengers
- Airbus is adding a second overwing exit on each side
- AirAsia is set to launch the new variant with 150 aircraft ordered
- 30pc to 40pc of European sales campaigns show interest in the 160-seat option
Airbus expects that its Belfast built A220-300 featuring 160 seats will be certified in 2028 according to Airbus Europe Region president and commercial head Johan Pelissier. More than a third of all potential customers are interested in the higher-density option.
The current seating limit for the A220-300 stands at 149 passengers under European Union Aviation Safety Agency regulations. To raise this cap to 160 Airbus is adding a second overwing exit on each side of the fuselage to meet mandatory emergency evacuation requirements. AirAsia is set to launch the new variant following a firm order placed in May for 150 A220-300 aircraft.
Pelissier noted that 30pc to 40pc of ongoing sales campaigns in Europe are showing strong interest in the 160-seat option. The 2028 certification target aligns with Airbus’s wider goals to scale up manufacturing at its A220 facility in Mirabel, Canada and Belfast.
While key components like the wings are manufactured in Belfast, the Airbus A220-300 sign-off is at two Final Assembly Line (FAL) locations: Mirabel, Quebec, Canada where The main production facility and program headquarters (where the aircraft was originally developed as the Bombardier CSeries), and Mobile, Alabama, United States: The second assembly facility, which primarily builds aircraft for U.S. customer
