Airbus has pushed back its A220 production target of 14 jets per month to the end of 2026 from its previous goal of hitting the number mid-year.
Johan Pelissier, Head of Commercial Europe at Airbus, told LARA that the target was to get to 14 aircraft by the end of 2026.
Airbus acquired the A220 programme from Bombardier in 2018 and the aircraft is proving a popular choice for airlines looking to bridge the gap between regional jets and traditional narrowbodies such as the A320 family.
However, despite growing sales, the plane is failing to achieve profitability, and expanding production is crucial to cutting production costs as it shares few parts with other Airbus types.
Pelissier was bullish in his assessment of the programme’s ramp-up plans, designed to meet the rapidly growing order backlog. He also detailed an ongoing investment strategy.
“Compared to two years ago, you see a big difference. The delivery centre is new and activity is not at all at the same rate,” he said .
“We are bringing a lot of improvements to the platform itself. We are bringing to all 220 deliveries next year, the Air Space cabin so you get continuity for passengers between all our products [such as] the A320 and A330.”
“We are moving into XL bins, which give 25% more space for luggage,” he said.
Pelissier added that the plan was to modify the A220 platform to produce a version with 160 seats for 2027. He said this would be achieved by changing the seat pitch and it was a modification that was planned when the aircraft was originally designed before Airbus acquired the programme.
However, against the backdrop of the airframer’s aggressive ramp-up strategy, airlines operating the aircraft are grappling with persistent durability issues with the aircraft’s Pratt & Whitney geared turbofan (GTF) engines that have led to the grounding of nearly a quarter of the global fleet.
Industry data indicates that roughly 22% of the global A220 fleet—nearly 100 aircraft out of approximately 451 delivered—are currently out of service awaiting engine work.
The required maintenance and overhaul process for the GTF engines is now taking up to 300 days, a severe delay exacerbated by a global shortage of spare engines and limited repair shop capacity.
Major operators are reporting substantial disruption, with smaller carriers being hit particularly hard.
airBaltic, the largest European operator of the A220, was forced to ground around 14 aircraft, leading to the cancellation of 19 routes and thousands of flights in 2025.
Swiss International Air Lines (SWISS) reports an average of 10-12 aircraft grounded, with A220 flight hours down by approximately 25% since 2019.
Korean Air experienced as much as 40% of its A220 fleet out of service at the peak of the issues in early 2025.
Both Delta Air Lines and JetBlue also face ongoing operational uncertainty and grounded aircraft due to persistent engine problems.
The severity of the crisis has already prompted some carriers to abandon the aircraft entirely.
EgyptAir retired its entire 12-aircraft A220 fleet in 2024, and more recently, French carrier Air Australia has announced plans to phase out its A220s, citing persistent reliability concerns and operational costs.
Johan Pelissier: “We are bringing a lot of improvements to the platform itself”.
