The A220, Airbus's 'surprise hit' single-aisle plane, has been in the news recently with major purchase commitments by several airlines and a plan by Breeze Airways to fly the plane on trans-Atlantic routes.
The plane, originally developed in Canada as the Bombardier C-series, comes in two models, has been filling a gap for a plane larger than regional jets but a bit smaller than the 737s and A320s flown by many airlines, and is noted for having among the best fuel economy per seat of any airliner.
Brisk sales and positive feedback from travelers have inevitably led to the question of what's next for the model, and speculation has centered on a stretch model that might follow the -100 model that seats about 130 and the -300 model that seats about 150 with five seats per row.
But there are enough differences to be accounted for in wing design and engine pairings if the plane is to keep the same distance range and fuel economy. In a recent interview, Christian Scherer, CEO of Airbus's Commercial Aviation division, dropped a hint when he used the term A221 rather than A220-500.
Airbus is studying a number of possibilities, including a new wing made of composite materials and a number of engine options that would work with the distance and economy goal, as well as ease sales to airlines that already use those engines on their existing 737 and A320 series planes.
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