The Airbus A220 has received its 180 minute extended operations (ETOPS) approval from the Canadian civil aviation authority.
This capability allows Airbus A220-100 and A220-300 operators to fly for up to 180 minutes from the nearest diversion airport. Therefore, the certification paves the way for A220 customers to operate longer flights with this aircraft type, even over water, to remote or underserved regions. Non-ETOPS (Extended range Twin-engine Operational Performance Standards) certified aircraft are only allowed to fly up to 60 minutes from the closest diversion airport. ETOPS was created when the Boeing 767 became the first twin-engine jet to regularly cross the ocean. The regulations and certifications were later widened to also include airliners with more than two engines.
According to the European aircraft manufacturer, the Airbus A220 is now able to fly more routes, as several possible connections require an ETOPS certification. For example London – New York, Honolulu – Los Angeles or between Auckland and Papeete. It is also one of few aircraft types, that are certified for steep approach operations, which is a required certification for example at London City Airport.
Earlier this month, Delta Air Lines ordered another 15 Airbus A220s and converted 50 to the larger A220-300 aircraft. Furthermore, the two airlines JetBlue and Moxy signed firm orders for 60 Airbus A220-300 jets each.
Nick Wenzel founded International Flight Network in 2016. He is the Social Media Manager and an Editor for IFN.news.
