LONDON – French flag carrier Air France receives the 10th Airbus A220 and sets aside €1 billion each year for next-generation airliners.
Air France has continued to improve after the pandemic as a leaner and cleaner airline. The airline hopes by the end of 2030, that newer and fuel-efficient aircraft will comprise 70% of the entire fleet composition compared to 7%, where it currently stands. The airline will allocate 1 billion Euros per year to its investment in newer aircraft.
10th A220!
On the 5th of July, Air France has taken delivery of the new A220 aircraft. This aircraft will complement the airline’s regional operations. The 10th A220 will bear the registration of F-HZUJ, where it flew directly from Mirabel in Quebec Canada. The aircraft has the name “Auvers-sur-Oise”. The naming of the aircraft after a French city has been a firm tradition since 2019 after the delivery of its first-ever A350 aircraft.
Straight to work
The first assignment of F-HZUJ was to Venice’s Marco-Polo International Airport as flight Air France AF1126.
The airline as of today will begin taking delivery of the A220 until the end of 2025 for 60 A220-300s aircraft. This will gradually replace the A318s the A319s and the older A320 currently in service with the airline.
The A220 will slowly become the backbone of Air France short and medium-haul flights. This is the fastest ever integration of any new aircraft in the history of the airline, largely propelled by the spike in fuel prices.
The A220 machine is one of the most efficient machines out there with improved fuel consumption and excellent environmental performance. This means that the aircraft itself, as a small single-aisle, fuel-efficient aircraft could fly within France, and Europe efficiently and competitively as it provides a lower operating cost base compared to other aircraft. This gives the airline an economic advantage, price-wise.
Where will the A220 fly?
According to the airline’s schedule for the upcoming summer, the airline will position its Airbus A220-300 flights to:
Berlin, Hamburg and Munich (Germany), Milan-Linate, Milan-Malpensa, Bologna, Rome, Naples and Venice (Italy), Barcelona, Valencia and Madrid (Spain), Lisbon (Portugal), Copenhagen (Denmark), Athens (Greece), Helsinki (Finland), Vienna (Austria), Warsaw (Poland) and Stockholm (Sweden) on departure from the Air France hub at Paris-Charles de Gaulle.
How fuel-efficient is the new aircraft?
Very efficient one would say. This aircraft is 10% cheaper in terms of cost per seat when compared to its most similar aircraft, the A318 and the A319. This means more profit margin for the airline after all, and that the investment will gradually pay off in the longer term.
In terms of energy, the A220 consumes 20% less fuel than its predecessors resulting in a 20$ reduction in carbon dioxide emissions and 34% in noise footprints.
This aircraft will certainly play an important role in the airline’s commitment to reducing carbon emissions as well as supporting France’s cause in achieving better sustainability.
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