Airbus announced on Thursday it will invest another $1.08 billion USD in the A220 program after taking over 75 percent of the business earlier this month. The company teamed with the province of Quebec to buy out Bombardier’s previous 31 percent stake. The company says it’s moving steadily toward its goal of producing a total of 14 A220s a month, 10 at the main factory at Mirabel Airport near Montreal and four at a new plant in Mobile, Alabama. The production goals are expected to be reached by 2025, about the time the program is also slated to be profitable.
Sales continue to climb for the A220, which can seat up to 130 people. Last week Green Africa Airways ordered 50 of the aircraft. It had been looking at the Boeing 737 MAX, which has been grounded for almost a year after a couple of fatal crashes. “Together with Airbus, we are incredibly proud to announce the largest order ever for the A220 from the African continent,” said founder of Green Africa Airways, Babawande Afolabi. Those aircraft will almost certainly be built at Mirabel. The Mobile plant is intended to build aircraft for the U.S. market to ensure the U.S. doesn’t take tariff action against sales of the plane.