Airbus is edging closer to an A220 stretch that could go toe-to-toe with the Boeing 737 MAX 8, and AirAsia is already waving a checkbook. The proposed A220-500 has not been approved yet, but Airbus Canada says the company is preparing for a possible launch, while the carrier has said it would consider ordering 150 aircraft if the program goes ahead.
The pitch is simple: keep the A220’s 2+3 cabin, add roughly five rows, and push capacity to about 185 passengers without turning the jet into a science project. That is exactly what airlines have been asking for – more seats, low technical risk, and a fast path to market. In a narrowbody market obsessed with stretched variants, that is a familiar playbook.
Airbus is preparing an A220-500 stretch
Guillaume Chevasson, who leads Airbus Canada, said the company could make a decision on the longer A220 version this year. The aircraft is still unofficially known as the A220-500, and Airbus is balancing three things at once: cabin size, aircraft weight, and range. That balancing act matters because the wrong compromise can turn a promising stretch into an expensive half-step.
Airbus is also doing the sensible-but-unsexy work first: checking what the program would cost, whether Mirabel needs more production capacity, and whether the airframe would require design changes. That is the part manufacturers usually try not to advertise until the champagne is already chilled.
Why Pratt & Whitney is still in the picture
For now, Airbus is sticking with Pratt & Whitney’s PW1500G family. A switch to another engine is being treated as too expensive and too complicated, especially for a model that is meant to be a straightforward stretch of the current jet. Airbus says it expects to solve the engine reliability issues by the end of 2026, with PW1500G time on wing increasing to five to six years from 2027.
- Base model: A220-300
- Proposed stretch: A220-500
- Estimated capacity: up to 185 passengers
- Cabin layout: 2+3
- Engine family: Pratt & Whitney PW1500G
AirAsia’s interest shows where demand is heading
AirAsia’s appetite is the clearest signal that the market wants a larger A220 without losing the economics that made the type attractive in the first place. That puts pressure on Airbus to move faster, because Boeing’s 737 MAX 8 already sits in this size class, and the longer Airbus waits, the more the opportunity looks like a gap in the lineup rather than a fresh opening.
Airbus is still ramping up the A220 family as it is. The company wants production to reach 13 to 14 aircraft a month by 2028, a level it sees as necessary for stable profitability. If the A220-500 gets the green light, the real question is whether Airbus can launch it without dragging the whole program into another round of costs and delays.