Latvian airline airBaltic has confirmed a further order for 10 A220-300s, the wings of which are made in Belfast.
airBaltic is the biggest customer for the Airbus aircraft in Europe, and the world’s biggest operator of the larger-form A220-300.
In total, the Latvian flag carrier has now ordered 90 A220, including 50 A220-300s.
It was its first customer in 2016, when the aircraft was launched by Canadian manufacturer Bombardier as the C-Series.
However, the C-Series was later sold by Bombardier to Airbus, and relaunched as the A220.
Martin Gauss, president and CEO of airBaltic, said: “For the first time in the company’s history, airBaltic plans to operate a fleet of close to 100 A220-300 aircraft, and these exercised options are the next step in the right direction.
“Over the years, this aircraft type has proven its operational capabilities and value – it has been the backbone of our operations and has played an integral role in the international success story of airBaltic.
“By exercising these options, we are strengthening our unwavering support and trust in the A220 programme and are looking forward to our fleet expansion over the upcoming years.”
Benoît de Saint-Exupéry, executive vice president sales of Airbus’s commercial aircraft business, said: “We are honoured and thankful that airBaltic is placing its fourth follow-up order.
“This latest agreement from Latvia’s flag carrier is a strong endorsement of the superior value and operational opportunities offered by this latest generation aircraft.”
The A220 is described as the most modern airliner in its class, carrying between 120 to 150 passengers on flights of up to 3,600 nautical miles.
The east Belfast plant where A220 wings and fuselage are manufactured is owned by US company Spirit AeroSystems, which is being taken over by Boeing.
In a side deal, Airbus is to acquire the A220 programmes in Belfast.
Bombardier is expected to re-acquire the remainder of the Spirit AeroSystems operation, with the company due to visit Northern Ireland this month. Around 40% of the operation is engaged in Airbus work.
On Tuesday, Airbus declined to comment on the progress of the deal though in a statement to the Financial Times last month, it said: “While Airbus is focusing its acquisition on the most critical work packages that directly concern Airbus programmes, at this stage, no operational decisions have been made as to how we would manage these work packages.
“It is our intention to work with the UK Government and Northern Ireland Executive to stabilise and improve Spirit’s operations to develop aerospace skills and the supply chain and ensure we can support the long-term ramp-up of Airbus programmes.”
A spokeswoman for Spirit AeroSystems in Belfast said: “We are evaluating options for our other Belfast operations.
“Meanwhile, we continue to operate business as usual across our sites and remain focused on providing the best quality products to all our customers.”