Breeze Airways Orders Ten Airbus A220-300s in Switch to All-A220 Fleet by End of 2024

Breeze Airways ordered ten additional Airbus A220-300 aircraft on February 21, adding to existing orders for 59 other A220-300s. The American low-cost carrier, which currently has 21 A220-300s in service, will have 90 A220-300s in its fleet once these planes are delivered. 

The Order

Breeze Airways ordered the A220-300s as part of plans for its entire fleet to consist of aircraft from the Airbus A220 family by the end of 2024. The carrier ordered its first A220 in December 2021 and currently uses its A220s on various domestic routes. Although Airbus has A220-100 and A220-300 variants, Breeze Airways currently uses the latter exclusively due to its higher range and passenger capacity.

Benoît de Saint-Exupéry, Airbus' Executive Vice President of Sales for Commercial Aircraft, said about the order: 

"Thanks to its world class performance capabilities, the A220 is the perfect aircraft to help Breeze achieve its goal to provide nonstop service between underserved routes across the United States. The aircraft offers efficient operations and an outstanding passenger experience, all while operating with the world's lowest small single-aisle carbon footprint and a lower noise footprint in the communities where it flies. This additional order from Breeze is a strong endorsement for the value and opportunities offered by this latest generation aircraft."

Breeze Airways is switching to the A220-300 entirely due to its environmental benefits. Compared to previous-generation aircraft, the A220 family offers 25% lower fuel burn and carbon dioxide emissions per seat and 50% less noise pollution. Furthermore, the A220 can operate with up to 50% sustainable aviation fuel and has 40% lower emissions from nitrogen oxides than industry standards. Although Breeze Airways has not specified a target for net zero carbon emissions by a specific year, the airline has outlined plans to introduce environmentally friendly aircraft in the coming years.

Breeze Airways' Fleet and Network

The A220-300 can accommodate between 120 and 160 passengers, with a maximum range of 3,600 nautical miles (6,667 kilometers). Breeze Airways' A220-300s have 126 or 137 seats across three cabin classes, depending on the configuration. The airline will eventually reconfigure its 126-seat A220-300s to accommodate 137 passengers. 

When the reconfiguration process is complete, all of Breeze's A220-300s will have 12 seats in Nicest, 45 in Nicer, and 80 in Nice. Nicest, Nicer, and Nice are equivalent to first, business, and economy classes, respectively. The carrier also has ten Embraer 190s and six Embraer 195s in its fleet, which will be phased out by the end of 2024. 

Breeze Airways launched in May 2021 to connect secondary cities that previously did not have direct flights between each other. Passengers often must connect through a larger airport when traveling between such cities. Breeze has an advantage here since larger carriers do not offer these routes, meaning less competition. Examples of Breeze's routes include flights from Orlando (MCO) and Tampa (TPA) to Springfield, Illinois (SPI).

Breeze Airways highlights its focus on underserved routes by having its operating bases primarily in smaller cities. The airline has the following destinations as operating bases:

• Charleston, South Carolina (CHS)
• Hartford, Connecticut (BDL)
• New Orleans (MSY)
• Norfolk, Virginia (ORF)
• Orlando (MCO)
• Providence, Rhode Island (PVD)
• Provo, Utah (PVU)
• Tampa (TPA)