Airbus aims smallest A220 business jet at US after Russia loss

AIRBUS is targeting the US with its smallest A220 business jet in a bid to make up for Russian sales lost after the invasion of Ukraine.

The European planemaker will put extra resources into promoting the A220 when the corporate version, or ACJ, enters service in the first half of next year, betting that the aircraft is better placed to gain a foothold in the world’s largest market for business jets than its bigger models.

“In the past, without the ACJ220, our products were not so well-fitting to the needs of the US market,” Benoit Defforge, who heads Airbus Corporate Jets, said in an interview on Monday (Oct 17). “Now with the 220 we start to sell there, we are investing a lot of energy in preparation for the entry into service.”

Airbus launched a corporate A220 during the coronavirus crisis. While initial sales were slow they’ve begun to pick up, with four this year, including two ordered by US lessor Azorra in January as part of a larger deal for the standard airliner. In the long run, the US could more than compensate for the loss of Russia, which had accounted for as much as 15 per cent of ACJ demand before the imposition of sanctions, Defforge said.

Demand from China is improving as the country reopens after the pandemic, with sales both there and in the Middle East. Service entry for the ACJ220 is “on track” despite supply chain issues, he said. BLOOMBERG