Financial aspect[edit]

On 29 October 2015, Bombardier took a CA$3.2 billion writedown on the CSeries.

The Trudeau government indicated that it would reply to Bombardier's request f or $350 million in
assistance af ter it took power in early November.[53] On the same day, the Quebec government
invested CA$1 billion in the company to save the struggling programme.[54] In early November
2015, a Scotiabank report indicated that the company and the program would probably need a
second bailout, and that even then the CSeries would probably not make money .[55] In April 2016,
the company reportedly requested a CA$1 billion aid package f rom the Canadian
Government.[56] The Government then of f ered an aid package without divulging the amount or
conditions imposed; some media reported that Bombardier had rejected the of f er,[57] but an
unnamed source advised Reuters that negotiations were still under way. On 14 April 2016,
Bombardier shares were at a six-month high based on then-unconf irmed rumours that Delta had
ordered the CSeries.[58] In February 2017, Canada announced a package of CA$372.5 million in
interest-f ree loans f or Bombardier, with the CSeries to receive one-third.[59]

Certification[edit]

The CSeries was introduced at Swiss International Air Lines.

The smallest model in the series, the 110- to 125-seat CS100 received initial type
certif ication f rom Transport Canada on 18 December 2015.[60] At the time, the company had 250
f irm orders and letters of intent, plus commitments for another 360; but most of these were f or
the CS300 model, which was expected to be certif ied by the summer of 2016. The f irst CS100
was expected to be in service with Luf thansa's subsidiary Swiss by mid-2016. [61][62]
US Federal Aviation Administration and European Aviation Saf ety Agency certification f or the
CS100 was granted in June 2016.[63] The f irst CSeries, a CS100, was delivered to Swiss Global
Air Lines on 29 June 2016 at Montréal–Mirabel International Airport.[64][65]
The CS300 was awarded its type certif icate by Transport Canada on 11 July 2016.[66] The CS100
and CS300 were awarded a common type rating on 23 November 2016 f rom EASA and
Transport Canada, allowing pilots to qualify on both types interchangeably . [67] The f irst CS300
was delivered to AirBaltic on 28 November 2016.[68][69] It was awarded type validation by the FAA
on 14 December 2016. [70]
In March 2017, Bombardier conducted steep 5.5˚ approach landings tests at London City
Airport (LCY), making it the largest aircraf t to land there.[71] Bombardier announced that the
CS100 received Transport Canada and EASA steep approach certif ication in April 2017.[72] Swiss
completed its f irst revenue f light to London City on 8 August 2017 f rom Zurich, replacing the Avro
RJ.[73]
By December 2018, the EASA approved Category IIIa/IIIb instrument
approaches f or autoland with no decision height but runway visibility minimum
requirements. [74] By January 2019, ETOPS 180 was granted by Transport Canada, allowing direct
routes over water or remote regions.[75]

Production[edit]
Production was set to ramp f rom seven CSeries deliveries in 2016 to 30–35 aircraf t in 2017
af ter Pratt & Whitney PW1000G supply and start issues are resolved. [76] Production could
increase to 90–120 aircraf t per year by 2020.[77] The CSeries delivery goal f or 2017 was revised
to 20–22, due to Pratt & Whitney delivery delays,[78] but only 17 deliveries were completed in the
year.[79]
Af ter months of engine delays, Korean Air received its f irst CS300 on 22 December 2017.[80] Its
second was scheduled to arrive in Seoul on 1 January 2018, with the type's entry into service
planned f or 16 January 2018 and the remaining eight aircraf t to be delivered later in 2018,
among 40 total planned CSeries deliveries. [81]

Deliveries from Airbus in Mobile, Alabama started in 2020.

Delivery rates continued to climb during the late 2010s, reaching a total output of 33 CSeries in
2018 and af ter the Airbus partnership, rising to 48 during 2019.[82] Production was to be ramped
up, under the new programme name A220, reaching ten per month in Mirabel and f our per month
in Alabama by the mid-2020s. [83] The market share was split between 80% A220-300 (f ormer
CS300) and 20% A220-100 (f ormer CS100). [84]
The groundbreaking ceremony f or the $300 million f inal assembly line in Mobile, Alabama was
held on 16 January 2019;[85] on this occasion Airbus confirmed its confidence that there is eno ugh
demand to justif y two assembly sites and that the airliner can be prof itable. [86] On 5 August 2019,
production started at Mobile facility.[87] The f irst A220 f rom the new line is to be delivered to Delta
in the third quarter of 2020. [88] The f acility was not due to be f inished until 2020, but work started
early to ensure that the f irst delivery schedule can be met.[89] The removal of Bombardier's
f inancial constraints in February 2020 gave Airbus greater latitude f or f urther investment in the
programme,[90] which will be needed to ramp up production rates, though this will push back
the break-even point of the programme to the mid-2020s.[91]
On 2 June 2020, the f irst A220 produced in Alabama completed its first f light. By that date,
production of the f irst aircraf t f or JetBlue Airways had also started.[92] The f irst U.S.-assembled
A220 aircraf t, an A220-300, was delivered to Delta on 22 October 2020. [93]

Continuing development[edit]
Af ter beating perf ormance promises by 3%, perf ormance improvement packages shaving
operating costs were studied by Bombardier bef ore Airbus partnership; these could include
putting doors on the exposed main wheels, reducing drag but adding weight and
complexity.[94] Two to three more seats could be added by moving the af t lavatory, without
reducing the seat pitch.[95]
In January 2010, JP Morgan reported that Bombardier was considering a 150-seat version of the
CSeries; Bombardier described the report as speculative.[96] At the Farnborough Airshow in July
2012, Bombardier started discussions with AirAsia about a proposed 160-seat conf iguration for
the CS300. [97] Consequently, by November 2012, this conf iguration was included in the CS300
project, although AirAsia rejected the proposal. [98] In May 2015, The Wall Street Journal reported
that Bombardier was considering marketing a CS500, a f urther stretch of the CS300, to compete
with the 160- to 180-seat versions of the Boeing 737 and A320 airliners, but was
uncommitted. [99] The existing wing would be capable of supporting a stretched version.[100] After
the Airbus partnership in 2018, the stretched variant (renamed A220-500 accordingly) would
allow Airbus to enlarge its A320-f amily replacement to better compete with the proposed Boeing
New Midsize Airplane.[101] In January 2019, Airbus hinted that a larger variant could be
developed, owing to ramped-up production and market demand f or the current production
models.[102] However, in June 2019, Airbus indicated that it would not consider launching an
A220-500 until it has solved its A220 production issues, and definitely not in the f ollowing
year.[103] Speculation about a stretched variant continued in November 2019, with Air France
mentioning an A220-500 during an investor brief ing on its modernisation strategy.[104]
On 21 May 2019, Airbus announced a 2,268 kg (5,000 lb) MTOW increase f rom the second half
of 2020, f rom 60.8 to 63.1 t (134,000 to 139,000 lb) f or the A220-100 and 67.6 to 69.9 t (149,000
to 154,000 lb) f or the A220-300, expanding the range by 450 nmi (830 km): the A220-300 to
3,350 and 3,400 nmi (6,200 and 6,300 km) f or the A220-100.[105] With the Airbus ruleset (90 kg
passengers with bags, 3% enroute reserve, 200 nmi alternate and 30 minutes hold), the 108-seat
A220-100 could reach 3,800 nmi (7,000 km) and the 130-seat A220-300 would achieve a range
of 3,500 nmi (6,500 km) while being limited by its f uel capacity. With a denser economy seating
at a 30-inch pitch down f rom 32, a 116-seat A220-100 would still reach 3,700 nmi (6,900 km) and
a 141-seat A220-300 would exceed 3,350 nmi (6,200 km).[106]
In February 2020, Airbus announced an increase in payload capacity, achieved through a 1.8 t
increase in the maximum zero-f uel weight and maximum landing weight of both the -100 and the
-300, to be introduced as an option f rom 2022.[107] From 2021, David Neeleman's Moxy project
should receive A220-300s with extra f uel tanks f or 4,000 nmi (7,400 km) of range,
allowing transatlantic f lights or long routes like Orlando–Curitiba, Brazil, more range than
the A321LR with 70% lower trip costs than A330s.[108]
In October 2020, Airbus announced an ACJ variant of the A220-100, to be known as the ACJ
TwoTwenty, with a range of 5,650 nmi (10,460 km) and cabin space of 73 m2 (790 sq f t) f or 18
passengers. [109]

Design[edit]

Airbus A220-100 and A220-300 illustration with front, side and top views, wearing the Bombardier livery

The Airbus A220 was originally designed by Bombardier as the CSeries aircraf t. The cross
section of the CSeries was designed to give enhanced seating comf ort f or passengers, with
f eatures like broader seats and armrests f or the middle passenger and larger windows at every
seat to give every passenger the physical and psychological advantages of ample natural
light.[110] The CSeries cabin f eatured large, rotating overhead storage bins, allowing each
passenger to stow a sizeable carry-on bag overhead. Bombardier claimed that compared to the
cabins of current in-service narrowbody aircraf t, the CSeries would provide airlines with the
highest overhead bin volume per passenger and a wider aisle that allows f or f aster boarding and
disembarkation of passengers. [111]
Cockpit

The cockpit features the Rockwell Collins Pro Line Fusion avionics suite, which incorporates
15 in (380 mm) displays along with comprehensive navigation, communications,
surveillance, engine-indicating and crew-alerting system (EICAS), and aircraf t maintenance
systems.[112] Other elements of the avionics and other subsystems include Parker Hannif in's f light
control, f uel and hydraulics systems; Liebherr Aerospace's air management system; and United
Technologies Corporation's air data system, f lap and slat actuation systems.[113]
The f uselage and many components incorporate a high proportion of composite materials. The
overall aircraf t consists of 70% advanced materials, comprising 46% composite materials and
24% aluminium–lithium. Bombardier has claimed that the type can achieve an overall 15% lower
seat-mile cost, 20% lower f uel burn and a CO
2 emissions advantage, a 25% reduction in maintenance costs and f our-f old reduction in the
noise f ootprint compared to existing production aircraf t.[23] The new Pratt & Whitney engine
should yield 12 percent better f uel economy than existing jets while being quieter, with f urther
ef f iciency stemming f rom enhanced aerodynamics and lightweight materials.[114] Together, the
engines and high use of composite materials,[19] like the wide-body Boeing 787
Dreamliner and Airbus A350 XWB contribute to the af orementioned 12–15% better cash
operating costs. Bombardier claimed the engine and the wings would save up to 20% f uel
compared with the Airbus A320neo and the Boeing 737NG with which it competed at the time;
the CS300 was 6 tonnes lighter than the Airbus A319neo and nearly 8 tons lighter than
the Boeing 737 MAX 7, helping it to achieve up to 12% operating costs savings and 15% with the
current models.[115]
The composite wings are manuf actured and assembled at a purpose built f actory at the
Bombardier Aerostructures and Engineering Services (BAES) site in Belf ast, Northern
Ireland.[116] Meanwhile, the af t f uselage and cockpit are built in Bombardier's Saint -Laurent
Manuf acturing Centre in Quebec, with f inal assembly occurring at Mirabel, Montreal,
Quebec.[117] While several major elements of the aircraf t, such as the centre wing box and doors,
are manuf actured internally, while many other components have been contracted out, namely:
Liebherr f or the landing gear and pneumatics; UTC Aerospace f or the electrical system and
lighting; Goodrich for the nacelle; Meggitt f or the wheels and brakes, Michelin f or the
tires; Spirit f or the pylons; Honeywell f or the APU; and PPG supplies the windows.[118] In
2010, Ghaf ari Associates was retained to develop the Montreal manuf acturing site to
accommodate CSeries production. [119]
In March 2009, Bombardier conf irmed major suppliers: Alenia Aeronautica f or the composite
horizontal and vertical stabilisers, Fokker Elmo f or the wiring and interconnection systems
and Goodrich Corporation Actuation Systems: design and production of the f lap and slat
actuation systems. [120] By June 2009, 96% of billable materials had been allocated, with the
company settling on various companies f or remaining components and systems: Shenyang
Aircraf t Corporation f or the centre f uselage; Zodiac Aerospace for the interiors, and United
Technologies Corporation f or the engine nacelles.[113]