Never content to let arch-rival Boeing have a moment in the sun, Airbus made headlines today by renaming the Bombardier CSeries jet the Airbus A220.
The new naming convention fits with Airbus’ larger jets, spanning the Airbus A320, A330, A350 and A380. The smaller Bombardier CS100, which seats about 120 passengers in standard configuration, will now be called the Airbus A220-100, while the larger CS300 that can seat 130 to 140 passengers in typical layout will be known as the A220-300.
In a statement announcing the new name, Airbus said that A220 is “fully optimized for the 100 to 150 seat market and perfectly complement Airbus’ existing … A320neo family.”
Airbus and Bombardier announced a partnership last October that will see U.S.-bound CSeries jets assembled at Airbus' recently opened factory in Alabama. The deal gave Airbus a majority stake in the CSeries.
Boeing, meanwhile, announced its own major deal last week, saying it had agreed to take over the commercial airliner division of Brazil’s Embraer.
Now we wait to see what names Boeing chooses for Embraer’s E-Jet line.
