This is the first look at the Airbus A220 in Delta Air Lines livery after it emerged from the paint shop in Mirabel in Quebec, Canada.
Delta was the first US carrier to order the jet and its 75 A220-100s threw the program, then known as the Bombardier C Series, a much-needed lifeline.
The C Series was rebranded the A220 in July after European manufacturer Airbus took a majority stake in the Canadian manufacturer.
The A220 is scheduled to begin service with Delta, which is the US launch customer for the plane, early in 2019.
The painting process took nine days, 200 rolls of masking tape and 165 gallons of paint to complete.
“There’s nothing like seeing years of planning come together in the shape of a freshly painted aircraft,” Cato said. “It’s a major milestone for the future of our fleet,” said Delta program manager Larry Cato.
The painting process took nine days, 200 rolls of masking tape and 165 gallons of paint to complete.
Julie Léveillé, an Airbus supervisor in the Mirabel paint shop, said it was a “tremendous feeling of accomplishment” to outfit North America’s first A220.
The aircraft will move on to final assembly in Mirabel before taking off for its first test flight later this fall.
Airbus is fully integrating the A220 into its A320 family and is targeting the US regional market.
READ Airbus formally takes on C Series
The partnership brings two airliners into the Airbus line-up, the CS100 and the bigger CS300, to combine with the European manufacturer’s A319 to compete in the lower end of the single-aisle market.
The C series first flew in 2016 with Swiss International Airlines and the CS100 flies up to 133 passengers in a single-class configuration while the CS300 can handle up to 160.
The aircraft features advanced aerodynamics and is powered by twin Pratt & Whitney PurePower PW1500G geared turbofan engines with 20 percent lower fuel burn per seat than previous generation aircraft, half the noise footprint, and decreased emissions.
The cabin allows for wider seats and more spacious overhead bins in a 2-3 configuration
