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DALLAS - Airbus is close to securing a new order for their latest adopted family of aircraft, as Croatia Airlines (OU) signals its interest in adding six Airbus A220 aircraft to their existing order for the A320neo family. If the deal is done, the aircraft would be delivered in 2026 and configured in a 127-passenger two-class configuration.
In a press release, OU's management department stated that "when making the decision, special attention was paid to trends in the highly competitive aviation market, fuel prices and CO2 emissions, the goals of the European Union's green policies, and the demands of our passengers."
This change in plans by OU comes as a surprise, as the Balkan airline was in talks with Embraer to agree on a new order for a considerable number of E2 family aircraft, which were meant to replace its aging fleet of Q-400 and A320 aircraft.
The CEO of Embraer, Arjan Meijer, was certain that their offer was "hard to refuse," as their aircraft "would generate a significantly higher operating profit in Croatia Airlines’ network due to its significantly smaller cost base."
A New Battle Won by Airbus
Once again, the Airbus A220 wins in a commercial battle for an order, this time beating surprisingly Embraer's offer, which has been leading regional aviation for more than 30 years on its own, but that is nowadays seeing more challenges presented by its competitors like Airbus.
The European manufacturer is earning tremendous success with the purchase of the CSeries program from Bombardier, which needed to be rescued by a big company after suffering serious economic problems due to delays and legal issues with airlines such as Delta Air Lines.
However, this does not mean that the Airbus A220 isn't a good aircraft. Nonetheless, the new "baby bus" is proving to be a very profitable aircraft thanks to its fuel efficiency, innovation, and versatility, having secured more than 760 orders since its launch in 2008.
Featured Photograph: Fabrizio Spicuglia/Airways
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