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Swiss International Air Lines is reflecting on the future of its Airbus A220-100s as issues with the fleet’s Pratt & Whitney geared turbofan (GTF) engines continue to crop up.
Swiss was the launch customer and first operator of the PW1524G-powered A220-100. Nine of the 125-seat variant remain in its fleet alongside 21 larger A220-300 aircraft with 145 seats.
The PW1500G engines powering the A220-100/300 have been subject to similar inspection and maintenance challenges as the PW1100G on the A320neo family. Lufthansa subsidiary Swiss has struggled to get hold of spare engines for its A220s.
The smaller capacity A220-100 has higher operational costs per seat than the -300. According to the CAPA – Centre for Aviation fleet database, there are currently two Swiss A220-100s and three A220-300s in storage related to engine maintenance issues.
“The Airbus A220 remains an integral part of our fleet and will continue to be so in the coming years ... The aircraft are modern, efficient and well suited to our network structure,” says Clarissa Cunz, head of aircraft asset management at Swiss, on the sidelines of an Airbus event in Toulouse.
“Naturally, as part of our strategic planning, we regularly review our fleet development—a standard practice in the industry,” she tells Aviation Week.
“Personally, I find both A220 variants to be good aircraft,” Cunz adds. “We had several reasons for choosing them, including our decision to acquire the A220-100.” One factor was the -100’s suitability for operations into London City Airport that has a steep approach for which the -300 is not certified. “While we regularly evaluate different opportunities, we have not made a decision on when to phase out the A220-100,” she says.
Swiss had expressed interest in six former Egypt Air A220-300s. “We have analyzed the six Egypt Air A220-300s as well,” Cunz confirms. “We always assess such opportunities when they arise.” However, Swiss concluded the business case did not make sense and decided to not pursue the opportunity.
The first commercial flight of the A220-100 for Swiss took place on July 15, 2016, when the aircraft was still known as the Bombardier CS100 prior to Airbus buying the program.
Swiss was the launch customer and first operator of the PW1524G-powered A220-100. Nine of the 125-seat variant remain in its fleet alongside 21 larger A220-300 aircraft with 145 seats.
The PW1500G engines powering the A220-100/300 have been subject to similar inspection and maintenance challenges as the PW1100G on the A320neo family. Lufthansa subsidiary Swiss has struggled to get hold of spare engines for its A220s.
The smaller capacity A220-100 has higher operational costs per seat than the -300. According to the CAPA – Centre for Aviation fleet database, there are currently two Swiss A220-100s and three A220-300s in storage related to engine maintenance issues.
“The Airbus A220 remains an integral part of our fleet and will continue to be so in the coming years ... The aircraft are modern, efficient and well suited to our network structure,” says Clarissa Cunz, head of aircraft asset management at Swiss, on the sidelines of an Airbus event in Toulouse.
“Naturally, as part of our strategic planning, we regularly review our fleet development—a standard practice in the industry,” she tells Aviation Week.
“Personally, I find both A220 variants to be good aircraft,” Cunz adds. “We had several reasons for choosing them, including our decision to acquire the A220-100.” One factor was the -100’s suitability for operations into London City Airport that has a steep approach for which the -300 is not certified. “While we regularly evaluate different opportunities, we have not made a decision on when to phase out the A220-100,” she says.
Swiss had expressed interest in six former Egypt Air A220-300s. “We have analyzed the six Egypt Air A220-300s as well,” Cunz confirms. “We always assess such opportunities when they arise.” However, Swiss concluded the business case did not make sense and decided to not pursue the opportunity.
The first commercial flight of the A220-100 for Swiss took place on July 15, 2016, when the aircraft was still known as the Bombardier CS100 prior to Airbus buying the program.
