ITA Airways, A220 arrives at Fiumicino on Saturday. Genoa the first destination
After the flagship, His Majesty the A350, arrived in the ITA Airways fleet this summer, it is now time for the second debut in the [...]
ITA Airways
SkyTeam
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After the flagship, her majesty the A350, arrived in ITA Airways fleet this summer, now. it's time for the second debut in the Italian flag carrier's new fleet. The A220, the smallest of the planes produced by the European giant (although this model was born and is assembled in Canada), Is revolutionizing the world of air transport in short to medium haul and is finally ready to go into service.
Who uses A220
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The list is endless, in Europe they are certainly Airbaltic, which has a fleet of only A220s, and Swiss. But the plane is coming into service for Air France as well And a great many other operators.
This model is also a best seller in the US where it has been chosen by Delta, JetBlue And by many other carriers.
ITA Airways' A220
Details of the configuration of the A220/300 are not known at this time., the largest variant of the plane that is a true best seller at Airbus. According to some rumors, the plane is expected to arrive at Fiumicino on Saturday, Oct. 8, leaving the hangars of Atitech in Naples, where it arrived for outfitting and painting.
We are unlikely to see an outfitting different from the standard, that is, a configuration different from that found on the A220s of Air France, Swiss, and precisely Airbaltic. 148 seats in the iconic 2-3 configuration offering customers' 80% a window or aisle seat.
In the U.S., on the other hand, carriers have configured cabins with IFE monitors, more legroom, and Airbus itself has thought A new business class cabin specifically for this model.
As mentioned, by Saturday, Oct. 8 should arrive at Fiumicino and should consequently begin a short testing period for pilots and crew aboard this never-before-seen model in the livery of an Italian carrier.
ITA Airways has a total of 23 A220s on order, aircraft that will be delivered by 2024. There are currently 3 A220s received by the Italian company. It is likely that with the entry into service of these models, the old and dated A319/320s will be slowly grounded, as well as terminated wetleases that these months have seen ITA flights operated by Air Nostrum and other operators.
We will also see if a special livery was chosen, as was done for Born in 2021 or For the white A350 in the name of environmental sustainability and especially Which blue champion the plane will be named after..
Where ITA Airways' A220 will fly.
The first destination will be the Fiumicino Genova, needless to say. we at TFC will be on board the first flight ready to receive yet another water cannon and analyze all the details of ITA's cabin.
The 100th A220 in Air Baltic livery
Flight AZ1383 Rome Fiumicino - Genoa will take off at 9 a.m. on Sunday, Oct. 16, will depart from the Ligurian airport as Az1384. Arriving in Rome, it won't be long since it will be immediately busy on its first international route and, surely not coincidentally, the first destination will be Geneva, an airport that is home to many of Swiss's A220s.
In the following days, it will be possible to spot the plane in various rotations over Naples, Linate, and other Italian and non-Italian airports. Once the others arrive, it is conceivable that the A220 will be used on Linate/London City, Linate/Brussels, and other routes where ITA today flies smaller aircraft. It also seems almost certain that at least one rotation per day will be fixed on Rome/Genoa.
In conclusion
Here at TFC, we have never hidden that we are in love with the A220., an aircraft that has nothing to do with A320 or B737. More comfortable, with bigger windows, quieter, better air quality. Also, because of the 2-3 configuration, it is much more relaxing. Let's just hope ITA equipped it at least with wi-fi as Air France did.
