Airbus Launches the A220 Airspace Cabin with Air Canada

The A220 is set to become a part of the Airspace cabin family, with its inaugural flight scheduled with launch customer Air Canada. The new A220 cabin will feature the complete Airspace suite, including the new Airspace XL bins, with deliveries commencing in early 2026.

The A220 cabin delivers a top-tier Airspace experience, blending innovative features with the broadest seats, aisle, and the most spacious cabin and windows in its category. Onboard, the new bins provide a 20% increase in volume, are 10% lighter, and facilitate quicker turnarounds for the crew due to their ease of handling. Additionally, the cabin includes new Airspace lighting features, such as an optional third LED light strip beneath the new bins, enhancing the cabin's ambience.

Airbus introduced the new Airspace cabin in 2023. The A220 line-fit is anticipated for later in 2025, with retrofitting options becoming available to A220 customers in subsequent years. The redesigned Airspace XL bins will boost bag capacity by 15%, accommodating up to 19 additional passenger bags on the A220-300, and will support longer and heavier items due to their four-frame design. Alongside the Airspace XL bins, Airbus has also developed an enhanced Passenger Service Unit (PSU) that aligns with the Airspace design.

John Moody, Managing Director, Onboard Product, at Air Canada, said: “The A220 has already become a favourite among our customers, and we’re thrilled to be the launch customer for the next cabin evolution of this Canadian-designed and assembled aircraft. At Air Canada, we’re always looking for opportunities to evolve our products and make travel more comfortable and convenient. The introduction of larger overhead bins on future A220s means more space for your belongings, quicker boarding, and an even better experience on board.”

Ingo Wuggetzer, Vice President Cabin Marketing, at Airbus, said: “We are extremely happy to launch the A220 Airspace cabin with Air Canada and very proud the Canadian flag carrier is introducing our latest innovation to support its fleet renewal programme. Through the introduction of the A220 Airspace cabin, we now enable a fully consistent passenger experience on all our platforms providing widebody comfort on single aisle aircraft.”

Additional advantages of the A220 Airspace cabin encompass: greater reliability and fewer maintenance tasks due to streamlined movable mechanisms; improved passenger comfort by simplifying the boarding process and offering a more relaxed beginning to the journey. The crew's experience will be greatly enhanced by the new fixed bins, which eliminate the need to lift heavy pivoting bins when organizing luggage. These simpler and lighter bins will also contribute to a faster turnaround time and reduce the cabin structure's weight by approximately 300 lbs, thereby directly enhancing the airline's operational efficiency and revenue generation.

With its most recent reorder, Air Canada has confirmed a total of 65 firm orders for the A220-300 aircraft. The country's flag carrier anticipates receiving its first A220-300 equipped with the new XL bins by early 2026. These XL bins are set to become the standard later that year.

The Crystal Cabin Award, recognized globally as the premier accolade for aircraft interior innovation, has recently named the Airbus A220 Airspace cabin as a finalist in the passenger comfort category. This category focuses on enhancing the passenger experience to ensure relaxation and enjoyment. The winners will be revealed on April 8, 2025, at the Crystal Cabin Award Gala.