Airbus continues to view a stretched A220 as part of the aircraft family's future, but Chief Executive Guillaume Faury says the company has not yet reached the point where it can launch the program.
Speaking to Aviation Week, Faury acknowledged that airlines continue to ask for a larger A220, rejecting suggestions that the market has lost interest in the aircraft.
"We have a lot of customers telling us that they are interested in the stretch," Faury said. "The launch remains a matter of when, but 'when' is not today."
The comments come after AerCap CEO Aengus Kelly questioned whether there is a viable market for an A220-500, while Air France-KLM CEO Ben Smith has argued the aircraft is needed as soon as possible.
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According to Faury, Airbus agrees that both the A220 and A350 families have room to grow, but the company is concentrating on existing programs before committing engineering resources to another aircraft development effort.
One of the biggest questions is not whether to build the A220-500, but what kind of aircraft it should be.
The simplest approach would be to stretch the current A220-300 fuselage while keeping the existing wing and Pratt & Whitney PW1500G engines. That would shorten development time and reduce costs, producing an aircraft suited to airlines that mainly want additional seats on short- and medium-haul routes.
A more ambitious version would require aerodynamic changes, additional fuel capacity and a more powerful version of the Pratt & Whitney geared turbofan engine to preserve the aircraft's range and field performance. That would allow airlines to operate longer routes while carrying up to around 180 passengers, bringing the aircraft closer to the lower end of the Airbus A320neo market.
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That second option, however, would require substantially higher investment, a longer development schedule and greater commercial risk. It could also overlap with the A320neo, creating competition within Airbus' own product line.
Faury suggested Airbus has not yet decided which direction to take.
"I am in the camp of competitiveness," he said when asked whether he favored a simple stretch or a more comprehensive redesign. "We need to have a product that makes sense in the long run... Airlines have different views."
Those different expectations help explain why Airbus has not moved forward with the program. While some operators want a straightforward increase in seating capacity, others see the A220-500 as an opportunity to replace larger narrowbody aircraft on longer routes. Reconciling those competing requirements will likely determine when—and how—the next member of the A220 family reaches the market.
