Did Airbus just close the CSeries sales campaign Bombardier began with AirAsia during the 2012 Silverstone Grand Prix weekend, before the Farnborough Airshow?
AirAsia A220 order: Today, May 6, 2026, in Mirabel, Quebec, Airbus is turning that long courtship into an A220 breakthrough for AirAsia. The aircraft is Canadian-born, Airbus-backed, and finally aligned with a customer that once studied the CSeries, then walked away.
New A220 order lands at Mirabel
This order gives Airbus Canada a landmark A220 programme win since Airbus became majority partner in the CSeries programme in 2018.
Venue matters. Airbus chose the New A220 Delivery Center at its main A220 site at Mirabel International Airport (YMX), in Mirabel, Quebec, Canada. It described the event as a “historic announcement regarding the A220 Programme” in a May 5, 2026 Airbus media advisory. The setting matters because Mirabel remains the industrial centre of the former CSeries programme and the present Airbus A220.
Meanwhile, Reuters reported on May 5, 2026, that Airbus planned to announce about 150 A220 jets for AirAsia.
Notably, the Airbus A220 customer list for April 2026 showed 959 firm A220 orders from 33 customers. Delta Air Lines led with 145 aircraft. Consequently, AirAsia’s commitment becomes the largest A220 order by a single customer and a defining commercial win for the programme.
AirAsia A220 order revives the CSeries trail
The new Airbus commitment also revives one of the aircraft’s longest unfinished sales stories. On July 8, 2012, Bombardier met AirAsia at Silverstone before the Farnborough Airshow. The pitch centred on a 160-seat version of the CS300, then the larger member of the CSeries family.
“We’ve got Pierre Beaudoin as a guest of mine. He’s brought us a very interesting product for a 160-seat Bombardier and we’re looking at that” — Tony Fernandes, quoted by Reuters.
Additionally, Bombardier Aerospace’s own Flickr post shows Tony Fernandes visiting the Bombardier CSeries aircraft demonstrator at the Farnborough International Airshow. The photo was taken on July 12, 2012, and uploaded on July 13, 2012. FlightGlobal reported on July 12, 2012, that Fernandes had confirmed preliminary talks for up to 100 CS300s in a 160-seat configuration. Aircraft sales campaigns rarely die; they mostly wait in the backlog of ambition.
AirAsia chose fleet simplicity and stayed with Airbus narrowbodies. Then, in March 2013, Leeham News noted that Bombardier had confirmed the high-density CS300 after AirAsia considered the version. Leeham also reported that the configuration required a second overwing exit.
A220 order fits AirAsia’s next network
This fleet decision now makes operational sense because AirAsia’s network problem has changed. The group still needs dense Airbus A320-family lift. However, it also needs smaller jets for thinner city pairs, secondary airports, and frequency growth.
Specifically, AirAsia X Berhad’s company overview says the Group operates more than 150 destinations and 300 routes, supported by 16 hubs across Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Cambodia. It also says the Group operates more than 250 aircraft under the AirAsia brand. That scale creates routes where smaller-gauge aircraft can add frequency without overcommitting A320-family capacity.
“What does the network need? It needs lots of frequency and it needs the ability to go to more destinations” — Tony Fernandes, quoted by Reuters.
Moreover, Airbus describes the A220 as a clean-sheet single-aisle aircraft for the 100- to 160-seat market. The A220-300 lists 160 maximum seats and 3,400 nautical miles of range. That gives AirAsia a smaller-gauge aircraft without dropping below mainline jet capability.
Production pressure follows the A220 fleet order
The sale is a triumph, but production must now carry the story. Airbus reported 501 A220 deliveries, 25 operators, and 458 aircraft in backlog at the end of March 2026 in its April 2026 A220 facts and figures. Add 150 aircraft, and the backlog shifts from healthy to demanding.
For AirAsia, the AirAsia A220 order is a growth tool. For Airbus, it is a rate test.
Mirabel and Mobile, Alabama, already face a difficult ramp. Reuters reported on October 27, 2025, that Airbus had delayed some A220 output and still faced supplier, wing, and engine constraints. The commercial win now depends on Airbus converting backlog into reliable deliveries.
For the detailed production context behind that risk, see our Fliegerfaust analysis of the A220 ramp-up, 160-seat doors, and China–India door supply-chain shift. Winning AirAsia strengthens the case for the programme. Delivering AirAsia will test whether Airbus has finally industrialised it at scale.
A220 fleet order raises the stretch question
The AirAsia commitment will also revive discussion of a stretched A220-500. That debate is legitimate, but it should not steal the headline. Airbus has not launched the variant, and a 150-aircraft A220 order already gives the current family a major endorsement.
Still, Reuters reported on January 29, 2026, that Airbus was preparing pre-sales talks for a larger A220. Such a variant could lower seat costs. However, it could also overlap with the Airbus A320neo (new engine option) family. Any stretch would still need the right balance of range, engine performance, production cost, and A320neo family separation.
For background, see our Fliegerfaust A220-500 update from Dublin. Also revisit our earlier Fliegerfaust post on AirAsia and Royal Air Maroc A220 prospects. The new AirAsia decision now gives that 2025 forecast a sharper conclusion.
Conclusion: AirAsia A220 order is a win with tests ahead
The order closes a commercial loop Bombardier opened but could not complete. Airbus added industrial backing, global sales weight, and political gravity in Quebec. AirAsia, meanwhile, gained the smaller aircraft category it once rejected before its route map demanded it.
Overall, this is a Canadian aerospace win. It is also a reminder that good aircraft sometimes need better owners, stronger balance sheets, and more patient customers. Aerospace patience is impressive, but it is not a business model.
Finally, the AirAsia A220 order deserves credit. Yet the critical test now shifts from selling to producing.
Tell us what you think, leave your comments at the bottom of this page
If the CSeries dream needed 14 years to reach AirAsia, how long should Airbus be given to prove the A220 can deliver at scale?
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Sources
- Airbus / Cision Newswire — Media Advisory – Major Announcement from Airbus Regarding the A220 Programme (May 5, 2026).
- Reuters — AirAsia, Airbus set to announce 150-jet order for A220 on Wednesday, sources say (May 5, 2026).
- Bloomberg — AirAsia Close to Ordering About 150 Airbus Short-Haul Planes (May 4, 2026).
- Airbus — Airbus A220 customer list April 2026 (April 2026).
- Reuters — Bombardier swoops on AirAsia at Silverstone summit (July 8, 2012).
- Bombardier Aerospace / Flickr — AirAsia CEO visits Bombardier CSeries aircraft demonstrator at Farnborough (photo taken July 12, 2012; uploaded July 13, 2012).
- FlightGlobal — Farnborough: AirAsia boss confirms talks for 100 CSeries CS300 (July 12, 2012).
- Leeham News — Bombardier confirms 160-seat CSeries (March 7, 2013).
- AirAsia Newsroom — About Us (accessed May 6, 2026).
- AirAsia X Berhad — Company Overview (accessed May 6, 2026).
- Reuters — AirAsia owner seeks jets for growth but restructuring first priority, CEO says (June 18, 2025).
- Airbus — A220 | Purpose-built for efficiency (accessed May 6, 2026).
- Airbus — Airbus A220 facts and figures April 2026 (April 2026).
- Reuters — Airbus delays some A220 output, narrowing window to reach 2026 target (October 27, 2025).
- Reuters — Airbus to kickstart pre-sales for a larger A220 jet, sources say (January 29, 2026).
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