Airbus A220-300

ICAO type code: BCS3 · Airbus · small narrowbody airliner

A220-300 at a glance

First flight

2015

Length

127 ft (38.7 m)

Wingspan

115 ft 1 in (35.1 m)

Engines

2 × Pratt & Whitney PW1500G geared turbofans

Seats

120–160

Cruise speed

~450 kt (518 mph) / Mach 0.78

Service ceiling

41,000 ft

Range

~3,400 nmi

How to recognize the A220-300

The A220-300 looks like a slimmed-down A320 with big engines. It is a clean-sheet design, so it does not share the A320's nose, gear or tail.

• Fuselage: long and slender, narrower than an A320 because it seats five across instead of six.
• Engines: large PW1500G geared turbofans with round intakes and no chevrons; they look big compared with the narrow body.
• Nose: a smooth, pointed profile with a sleek line of cockpit windows.
• Wingtips: modest, slightly canted winglets, not the tall curved sharklets of the A320neo.
• Windows: big cabin windows that stand out on close approaches.
• Gear: fairly short main gear, so it sits lower than an A320.
• Length: about 12 ft longer than the A220-100; the extra length makes it look more balanced and less stubby.
• Sound: one of the quietest narrowbodies, with a soft whoosh on approach rather than a roar.

From cruise altitude it is hard to tell from an A319 or A320neo; the live type code (BCS3) is the easy check.

On the ground, the A220-300's long, slim fuselage sits fairly low, and the cockpit windows form one smooth, curved line. On takeoff, the engines are so quiet that people near airports often comment on how little noise it makes.

Where and when you'll see it

Delta (callsign DAL) flies the A220-300 on mid-size routes and transcontinental flights from hubs and focus cities. JetBlue (JBU) uses it to replace its older Embraer jets from Boston, New York and Fort Lauderdale, and Breeze Airways (MXY) flies it between many smaller US cities and leisure destinations. Air Canada (ACA) operates a large fleet that appears near border cities and at US hubs.

Expect cruise at FL350 to FL410. Approaches are flown at about 2,000 to 3,000 ft and 130 to 140 kt. On ADS-B it shows type code BCS3. If you live near Boston, JetBlue and Delta A220s are frequent; Breeze jets show up at airports from Providence to Charleston to Tampa.

Breeze flies a mix of nonstop routes between mid-size cities that otherwise lack service, so its A220s may appear over places where you rarely see new jets.

Easily confused with

• Airbus A220-100: The A220-100 is about 12 ft shorter and looks stubbier.
• Airbus A319: The A319 has a wider body, rounder nose and taller landing gear.
• Airbus A320neo: The A320neo has a wider fuselage and tall curved sharklets.

Quick facts

• The A220's five-abreast cabin gives airlines a wider middle seat than most narrowbodies.
• Breeze Airways built its network around the A220-300, connecting smaller cities that often lack nonstop service.
• The PW1500G engine's gearbox lets the fan spin about three times slower than the low-pressure turbine, cutting noise.

A220-300 questions

Cities where it's a regular

New York City · Boston · Providence · Richmond · Salt Lake City · Hartford

Spot one live

Open the live sky tool and look for BCS3 in the type column, or browse the live map on airplanes.live.