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By Karl Sinclair and Scott Hamilton
July 8, 2026, © Leeham News: Airbus says it hasn’t made the decision yet whether to proceed with a stretch of the A220, but all signs point to doing so.
A220-500 concept. Credit: Leeham News.
The plane is unofficially called the A200-500 by many, including LNA, based on its original design designation, the CS 500. This is the designation by Bombardier, the designer of the C Series, that became the A220 when Airbus acqured the program in 2018.
Airbus calls the prospective airplane the A220 Stretch. Guillaume Chevasson, president of Airbus Canada, told a media briefing last month at the production plant in Mirabel, Canada, that the company is still studying the Stretch and considering the “trades” of detailed features.
But he said the Stretch will be straightforward and “simple”: two fuselage plugs, one aft and one forward of the wing. This brings capacity to 185 in high-density (HD) configuration. LNA calculates that it will have a range of about 2,900nm in two classes and 2,000nm in the HD version.
The A220-500 Stretch in yellow is overlaid by the existing A220-300. Credit: Leeham News.
LNA believes the program launch will come in the fourth quarter. Entry into Service is likely to be in about 2032, LNA understands.
While Chevasson remains circumspect about the launch, the market demand appears sufficient to proceed.
