The latest generation A220 passenger aircraft has arrived in Thailand as part of a demonstration tour of South East Asia. The aircraft started the tour at the Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace Exhibition (LIMA) in Malaysia, followed by a brief stop in Jakarta before arriving in Bangkok, where it picked up industry guests and media for a demonstration flight to Koh Samui.
The guests experienced the A220’s leading-edge capabilities and high levels of passenger comfort during the flight, which also demonstrated the A220’s ability to operate on short runways. The A220 is the most modern airliner in its size category, carrying between 100 to 160 passengers on flights of up to 3,450 nautical miles (6,400km). This would enable direct services on all domestic routes in Thailand as well as regional services to destinations as far afield as Darwin and Perth in Australia, Dubai and Abu Dhabi, as well as Tokyo and Seoul.
The A220 brings a 25% reduction in fuel consumption and carbon emissions when compared with previous-generation aircraft of a similar size. This brings an immediate contribution to industry goals to reduce the impact of aviation on the environment. The aircraft is powered by the latest generation Pratt & Whitney PW1500G geared turbofan engines.
The A220 is available in two versions, with the -100 variant seating between 100 and 130 passengers and the larger -300 variant seating between 130 and 160 in typical layouts. The A220 has the largest cabin and windows, as well as the widest seats in its class, offering passengers superior comfort for a great flying experience. This aircraft is also an ideal complement to the Airbus A320 Family.
The aircraft taking part in the demonstration tour is leased by Airbus from airBaltic and features a layout of 145 seats in a single-class passenger cabin. Today, the A220-300 is operated in the Asia-Pacific region by Korean Air on both domestic and international services with 10 aircraft. Australia’s Qantas is set to become the second operator in the region when it takes delivery of the first of 20 A220s on order as part of its domestic fleet replacement programme.
To date, Airbus has received 785 orders for the A220 and delivered more than 260 aircraft for this Programme. In Thailand, Airbus has a strong presence in the airline market with over 120 aircraft flying in the country. The A320 Family is operated by Bangkok Airways, Thai AirAsia, and Thai Smile, while Thai AirAsia X operates the A330 Family, and Thai Airways International deploys both the A330 Family and A350, on regional and international services.
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