EXCLUSIVE-Airbus to start sales drive for larger A220 jet, sources say

Airbus is poised ‌to start offering airlines and leasing firms a larger version of its A220 regional ⁠jet with a view to launching development later this year, industry sources said. The campaign aims to pencil in ​enough orders to justify going ahead with the roughly ‍180-seat A220-500 version and marks the start of proper negotiations before a potential launch announcement as early as the Farnborough ⁠Airshow ‌in July.

Airbus is poised ‌to start offering airlines and leasing firms a larger version of its A220 regional ⁠jet with a view to launching development later this year, industry sources said.

The campaign aims to pencil in ​enough orders to justify going ahead with the roughly ‍180-seat A220-500 version and marks the start of proper negotiations before a potential launch announcement as early as the Farnborough ⁠Airshow ‌in July. Airbus ⁠officials told financiers on the sidelines of the Airlines Economics conference ‍in Dublin that 2026 would be a "big year" for ​the A220 and more details would be ⁠given soon, the sources told Reuters.

Any decision to go ahead and ⁠develop the so-called "simple stretch" design would be subject to Airbus board approval. An Airbus spokesperson said it ⁠is exploring all options for the A220 and continues to ⁠focus on ‌ramping up production and supporting customers.