Neeleman’s Breeze Airways has unveiled its first Airbus A220 livery while also ordering twenty incremental A220-300s on top of the already existing 60 firm orders. The aircraft’s fresh paint job at the Airbus’ Mobile final assembly line in Alabama depicts Breeze’s new livery, which is scheduled to deliver roughly one Airbus A220 per month, over the next six and half years, through early 2028. The US start-up airline has firm-ordered twenty more A220-330s, increasing its total order to 80 such types. The first of this aircraft type is slated to be delivered in October 2021. The carrier hopes to induct the Airbus variant into revenue service in the second quarter of 2022.
The first Airbus A220 for Breeze Airways has line number 55128. Until the airline begins flight with the Airbus fleet, it will continue to deploy its fleet of Embraer E190 aircraft.
With the motto be to be ‘World’s Nicest Airline,’ Founder & CEO David Neeleman is working on operating long haul flights to Europe and Latin America along with fleet expansion. The Airbus order was placed with a European aviation giant in late March 2021, and now the start-up’s aircraft delivery isn’t far away.
Breeze Airways will be the second-largest customer for the Airbus family, with the twenty additional firm-ordered A220s behind the major US airline Delta Air Lines. Currently, Delta Air Lines has 95 A220s on firm order (45-100s and 50-300s), of which 50 have been delivered so far. JetBlue Airways has an order for 70-300s. Unless another carrier orders more A220s, Breeze will be the largest A220-300 operator in the world.
Breeze Airways has lobbied Airbus to serve the long-haul route services (that exceeds two hours of flying time) to Latin America or Europe with an extended-range A220 type having an additional fuel tank. The confirmation of purchasing these incremental Airbus A220 aircraft comes after the inaugural $100 million capital of total $200-million Series B funding round.
Breeze Airways’ fleet of aircraft
Airbus A220 will be the newest aircraft in the fleet as all Embraer jets are second-hand, having an average fleet age of 12.7 years. The start-up currently operates the Embraer fleet; ten E190s and three E195s. Over the next coming few years, it will add 33 more Embraer models from the Brazilian company. The airline avails ‘Nice’ regular seating as well as ‘Nicer’ seats with extra legroom for the customers according to the fares. The 13single-class Embraer aircraft serves short-haul routes with an average flight length of fewer than two hours.
Why Airbus A220?
The Airbus A220 is an excellent aircraft to support Breeze’s objective to provide underserved routes from the US with low fares and high flexibility. A220 aircraft has a superior efficiency equipped with state-of-art aerodynamics and advanced materials that utilize the latest technologies. It is powered by Pratt and Whitney’s PW 1500G geared turbofan engines. A220 variant is eco-friendly and reduces the noise footprint by 50%, contributing to a quiet environment. It will offset the carbon emission by 50% less than industry standards. Specifically designed for the 120-160 seat market, A220 will also offer the ‘Nicest ‘ premium cabin option in 2 by two seating configuration for the passengers. With the A220 fleet, Breeze will expand its current 16-city route networks though the initial routes for the fleet type aren’t demonstrated yet.
Inside Airbus A220, the cabin has best-in-class economics, has quiet and comfortable seats with ample overhead storage. Its innovative and wide cabin and overall efficiency will be the unique value proposition for Breeze’s customers while also enabling the airline to deliver on its promise.
Airbus has delivered more than 170 A220s worldwide to ten different operators.
About Breeze Airways
The US-based Breeze Airways is a pandemic start-up airline headquartered in Cottonwood Heights. It operated its maiden flight on May 27, 2021, after it got its air operator’s certificate on May 14, 2021. It aims to cater to those small US markets that aren’t served by major US carriers, with point-to-point connectivity from secondary airports.
Breeze Airways is an ultra-low-cost carrier offering point-to-point flights from the smaller, secondary airports to underserved communities and routes. The new airline has shaken up the US aviation industry by starting the airline in the worst period of aviation history and gradually expanding its fleet to cater to transcontinental and domestic markets.
The combination of Airbus and Embraer fleet will benefit the airline from a two-pronged utilization strategy, serving long and short routes, respectively.
