Not only does airBaltic (BT, Riga) not plan to defer or cancel its outstanding A220-300 orders, it is even hoping to accelerate their deliveries, Chief Executive Martin Gauss told Bloomberg.
"I always said that come the next crisis we wouldn't be left with an aircraft that was too big. Would you rather have 145 seats like the A220 or 186 on a larger narrow-body? The answer is obvious," he said.
The Latvian airline operates twenty-two A220-300s and has a further 28 on firm order from Airbus, deliveries of which will run through 2025. This year alone, it is expecting another four to arrive although Gauss confirmed that the shut-down of Airbus Canada's site at Montréal Mirabel is likely to cause some delays.
airBaltic will emerge from the COVID-19 crisis as an A220-only operator having already confirmed it will retire its remaining B737-300s and Dash 8-400s ahead of its restart, tentatively scheduled for May 15. Gauss has previously suggested that airBaltic will use the A220s to expand its network beyond the Baltic states, likely in Scandinavia.
Meanwhile, in a separate interview, the President and Chief Executive of JetBlue Airways (B6, New York JFK), Robin Hayes, told CNBC that his airline also "can't wait" to start taking deliveries of its A220-300s, which is due to commence later this year. jetBlue has seventy A220-300s on firm order from Airbus Canada, which it plans to use to replace sixty E190ARs.