The first JetBlue Airbus A220-300 aircraft has officially entered scheduled service with the first revenue flight from Boston Logan International Airport (BOS) to Tampa International Airport (TPA).
The aircraft – which was assembled at Airbus’s U.S. production facility in Mobile, Ala. – is scheduled to operate between the Northeast and Florida for the next several weeks.
JetBlue received the aircraft in January 2021, the first of 70 A220s on order.
JetBlue’s second A220 is on track for delivery in the coming days, with the third expected to arrive next month.
The aircraft has 140 seats in 28 rows in a 2-3 seating layout.
The A220 has lower direct operating cost per seat than JetBlue’s existing E190 fleet.. The airline anticipates the A220 fleet, with improved reliability and longer maintenance intervals, will have a maintenance cost per seat that is more than 40 percent lower than E190s.
With a range of up to 3,350 nautical miles and a 40 percent lower fuel burn per seat than JetBlue’s E190 aircraft, the favourable economics open the door to new markets and routes that would have been unprofitable with JetBlue’s existing fleet.
The A220 covers a wide mix of new and existing market possibilities with excellent economics on short, medium and even potentially transcontinental markets. This will allow for better overall aircraft utilization and provide a competitive advantage for JetBlue especially in short markets. New cities, routes and markets will be evaluated in the future as more A220 aircraft join the JetBlue fleet.
About JetBlue Airways
JetBlue is the 6th largest airline in the U.S. It flies to over 90 destinations across the U.S., Caribbean, and Latin America. It has a main base at New York’s KFK airport and bases at Boston, Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood, Long Beach and Orlando.
Routes: JetBlue flies to more than half the states in the USA, 20 countries in the Caribbean & Central America, 4 countries in South America.
Fleet: JetBlue operates a fleet of over 270 narrow body aircraft from Airbus and Embraer:
- 1 Airbus A220
- 130 Airbus A320
- 81 Airbus A321
- 60 Embraer E190
(figures include operating and stored).
Alliance: None
N.B. Image credit: JetBlue
