Green Africa Airways signs MoU for 50 Airbus A220-300 aircraft

Nigerian airline operator Green Africa Airways has entered a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with aircraft manufacturer Airbus for 50 A220-300 aircraft.

This is the largest order for the A220 programme from Africa.

Powered by Pratt & Whitney’s advanced PW1500G geared turbofan engines, the aircraft offers a fuel burn reduction per seat of at least 20% compared with previous-generation aircraft.

Specifically designed for the 100-150 seat market, the A220 aircraft also recorded low emissions and reduced noise footprint.

Until the end of last month, Airbus secured 658 orders for the A220.

Airbus chief commercial officer Christian Scherer said: “We are excited about the Green Africa project, its legitimate ambition and its professionalism, evidenced by their most discerning choice for their operating assets.

“The unique characteristics of the A220 will allow the airline to unlock destinations and route pairs that previously would have been considered non-viable. We look forward to our partnership with Green Africa and to accompany their development with the most efficient aircraft in its class.”

In December last year, Airbus received an order for 60 Airbus A220-300 from airline group Air France–KLM.

Canadian company Bombardier recently agreed to divest its remaining stake in the Airbus Canada, which will allow Airbus and the Québec Government to respectively hold 75% and 25% in Airbus Canada for the A220 programme.

In a separate development, Airbus’ A330-800 has received joint Type Certification from the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).