A220 operators in Africa

About the A220

The A220 remains a great aircraft and opens up endless possibilities. The A220-100 is the smallest varient with a maximum seating capacity of 135 seats and a range of 6 390km. The larger A220-300 has a maximum seating capacity of 160 passengers and a range of 6 297km.

Air Tanzania

The first A220 to be delivered to an African airline happened in December 2018, and Air Tanzania had the privilege of taking delivery of the first jet. The first order was placed in December 2016 when the jet was still known as the Bormbardier CS300. Two jets were ordered, with the first being delivered in December 2018 and the second the following year. The airline later increased the fleet to four A220-300s when they took delivery of two more A220-300s in October 2021.

EgyptAir

EgyptAir was the second airline in Africa to operate the A220. They placed an order for twelve of the A220-300 jets in December 2017 when the aircraft was still known as the Bombardier CS300. The first aircraft was delivered in September 2019, whilst the last was delivered in August 2022. They currently have the largest A220 fleet in Africa.

Ibom Air

The third airline to operate the A220 was Nigerian based Ibom Air. The aircraft they took delivery of and operated were actually on lease from EgyptAir. Ibom Air took delivery of two A220s on lease from EgyptAir in June 2021 and operated the jets for a period of a year before returning them. In 2021, Ibom Air went on to place an order for ten A220s at the Dubai Air show. The order was split between the larger A220-300 and the smaller A220-100 variant with three and seven for each variant, respectively. There is flexibility to increase or decrease either type. The first A220-300 is due in the third quarter of 2023.

Air Senegal

Air Senegal was the fourth airline to operate the A220 in Africa. They first signed a Memorandum of Understanding in November 2019 for eight A220-300s. At the 2021 Dubai Airshow, they signed a lease agreement with Macquarie AirFinance for five A220-300s with an option to add three more. The airline was to receive one jet by the end of 2021, two in 2022, one in 2023, and the last one in 2024. To date, they have only received one A220-300.

TAAG Angola

Although TAAG Angola is yet to operate the type, they announced an order for six A220-300s in July 2022, which will beleased from Air Lease Corporation. An incremental order for four A220-300s was later made at the Paris Air show in 2023. These four aircraft will be leased from Aviation Capital Group. Deliveries are scheduled to start in 2023, with the last aircraft being delivered in 2025.

Conclusion

Assuming all airlines take delivery of the jets on order and no incremental orders are made, EgyptAir will be the largest A220 operator with 12 jets, followed by Ibom Airlines with 10 jets. Air Senegal would come in third place with 8 jets followed by TAAG with 6 jets and finally Air Tanzania with 4 jets.

The A220s have been problematic for different reasons, but a common issue has been P&W engine problems. It has led to Air Tanzania jets being grounded. Other airlines worldwide have also had to ground their A220s.