The aircraft formerly known as CSeries is on solid footing after a year under the control of Airbus according Airbus. The Airbus Canada Limited Partnership was formed on July 1, 2018 giving Airbus majority control of the CSeries program, which it promptly renamed the A220. A year later, the company, which includes Bombardier and Investissement Quebec, has picked up 230 orders and commitments bringing the firm order book to 500, not including the 80 it probably sold at the Paris Air Show.
“This has been a year of growth and accomplishment for the A220,” said Philippe Balducchi, CEO of Airbus Canada Limited Partnership and Country Head, Airbus Canada. “This truly innovative Quebec-born aircraft is making its mark on the aviation industry around the world.” The aircraft are currently built at Bombardier’s former facilities at Mirabel but Airbus has also started building a plant in Mobile, Alabama to build airplanes for the U.S. market. That will eliminate any future challenges against the sale of the plane south of the border made by Boeing or the U.S. government as occurred in early 2018.