Breeze Airways has unveiled the first of its 80 Airbus A220s. Chris Sloan looks at the role the type will play for the start-up.
The unveiling of Breeze’s first A220s at Airbus’ final assembly line in Mobile, Alabama, on October 26 – three more were due to be delivered before New Year – was particularly significant. The A220 represents not just a new aircraft type for Breeze, which launched in May 2020 with a modest Embraer E-Jet fleet, but the foundation of the low-cost carrier’s innovative, nontraditional business model. It’s fair to argue that if the A220 didn’t exist, Breeze’s strategy of bypassing hubs to bring high levels of service and low fares to under-served markets wouldn’t get very far – particularly where flights exceeded two hours.
