Air Niugini orders more A220s
May 28, 2025
On 28 May 2025 Airbus announced that it had received an order for two more Airbus A220-100s for Air Niugini, the national flag carrier of Papua New Guinea.
Air Niugini previously signed an initial order for six aircraft in 2023, and has lease agreements for three A220-300s signed with US-based lessor Azorra. The new order was disclosed just as the first A220 for Air Niugini entered final assembly at the Airbus facilities in Mirabel in Canada.
Gary Seddon, the Chief Executive Officer of Air Niugini said that: “The A220 is set to form the backbone of our domestic and regional fleet and will support economic development in Papua New Guinea. As we continue to forecast strong growth we have made the decision to increase our orders for this fuel efficient type, bringing a whole new level of efficiency and comfort for our operations.”
Benoît de Saint-Exupéry, EVP Sales of Airbus’ Commercial Aircraft business said: “This is Air Niugini’s second order for the A220. We are committed to working closely with the airline as we support its fleet renewal programme. The A220 is quite simply the most efficient aircraft in its size category, with a wider and spacious cabin and the range to fly non-stop to any destination on the carrier’s network.”
The A220 is powered by Pratt & Whitney’s latest-generation GTF engines and offers a 25% reduction in fuel consumption and carbon emissions per seat compared to previous generation aircraft. The A220 is claimed to combine the longest range and lowest fuel consumption in its size category, carrying between 100 to 160 passengers on flights of up to 3,600 nautical miles (6,700 km). The A220-100 serves the 100-135 seat market, while the larger A220-300 is perfectly tailored for the 120-160 seat market, depending on cabin configuration.
As with all Airbus aircraft, the A220 is already able to operate with up to 50% Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF). Airbus aims for all its aircraft to be capable of operating with up to 100% SAF by 2030.
By the end of April 2025, Airbus had received more than 900 orders for the A220, from more than 30 customers. Some 410 of these have been delivered, and they type is already in service with 24 operators worldwide, flying on more than 1,600 routes and serving more than 470 destinations worldwide.
