How A 137-Seat Narrowbody Became The Backbone Of Airbus' Long-Thin Leisure Network

Airbus released its 2026-2045 Global Market Forecast in London in July, and the document makes an argument about aircraft size that runs counter to most of the industry's direction. While manufacturers and airlines have spent two decades pushing toward larger narrowbodies, with more than 70% of the A320 family backlog now sitting on the A321neo and XLR, Airbus devoted a section of its forecast to the smallest aircraft it builds. The A220 has already created more than 400 new routes across North America, Europe, and Africa, meaning city pairs that had no scheduled service until an operator introduced the type.