The Airbus A220 family of aircraft has a special
place in the Airbus lineup. Indeed, the type was 'adopted' as it was actually an acquisition of
Bombardier's CSeries program. Boeing saw the type as enough of a threat to its 737 program
that a trade dispute was filed with the US government. With this interesting history, let's
compare the two variants closest to one another: The Airbus A220-300 and the Boeing 737 MAX 7 -
and examine their similarities and differences. But before comparing the aircraft
types in a more technical sense, it's worth re-visiting the history of the A220
and how it was almost killed-off by Boeing. Shortly after Bombardier landed a major deal
with Delta Air Lines for a firm 75 CS100s (now Airbus A220-100s) in 2016, Boeing filed a
complaint with the US International Trade Commission alleging that the jets were being
sold below production cost. In this 2017 case, Boeing also asserted that Bombardier's
subsidized sales of its CSeries in the US was at the detriment of its 737 program,
which would soon see the 737 MAX enter service. Five months after Boeing's petition, the US
Department of Commerce issued a preliminary ruling to impose a 219.63% tariff on every Bombardier
CSeries airliner brought into the country. This would have effectively
tripled the cost of each aircraft, while more than likely being a
dealbreaker for Delta Air Lines. As reported by Bloomberg, Delta issued
a statement saying that there was no risk to Boeing's market- as it wasn't actively
producing aircraft in a similar size category. "We are confident the USITC will conclude that
no US manufacturer is at risk because neither Boeing nor any other US manufacturer makes any
100-110 seat aircraft that competes with the CS100...Boeing has no American-made product
to offer because it canceled production of its only aircraft in this size range
— the 717 — more than 10 years ago." This was certainly an interesting
situation and premise put forward by Boeing at the time, based
on Delta's order of the CS100. That’s because this aircraft was much
smaller than the Boeing 737 MAX 7. Of course, since then, Delta has also
purchased the A220-300 - an aircraft that does come a little closer to
Boeing's smallest 737 MAX variant. So, it's this messy history between the two types
that forms the backdrop for our comparison between the aircraft. Has the A220 truly become
a competitor to the 737? Let's find out. Ultimately, any comparison between two
aircraft comes down to size and the number of passengers that can be transported. That is,
of course, unless it's a comparison for the sake of stark contrast - such as our 2020 article on
SimpleFlying.com comparing the A220 to the A380. But, when it comes to the A220-300 and Boeing
737 MAX 7, the cabin sizes are much more similar. The cabin length of the A220-300 is 27 and a
half meters (90 feet) while the maximum cabin width is 3.28 meters (10 feet 9 inches).
Meanwhile, the cabin length of the MAX 7 is 26.11 meters (79 feet 2 inches), while the
width is 3.53 meters (11 feet 7inches). Already, you can see that the dimensions of
these aircraft are quite different. The A220 is longer and narrower, while
the MAX 7 is shorter and wider. It's this difference that determines the
cabin layout for each aircraft, with the A220 being five-abreast in a 2-3 layout,
and the MAX 7 being six-abreast in a 3-3 layout. So, if we do the math, the MAX
7 has slightly more floorspace than the A220 - 92 square meters compared
to roughly 90 square meters. Of course, it needs to be noted that a narrowing of the cabin
closer to the tail will also impact usable space. Going by the official published seating for
each aircraft, Boeing says the MAX 7 can fit as many as 172 passengers, while Airbus says
that the A220-300 can accommodate a maximum of 160 passengers. Meanwhile, the suggested
two-class configurations of each jet have the MAX 7 at 138-153 passengers,
while the A220-300 seats 120-150. Despite just two square meters difference in
floorspace, it looks like Boeing's aircraft can apparently squeeze in another 12 passengers.
This highlights the fact that numbers are difficult to compare at face value, since neither
manufacturer defines how much space is allocated to each passenger - whether we're talking about
maximum seating or two-class configurations. At the same time, maximum capacities can also
be dictated by the number of exit doors and the amount of time it takes to evacuate an aircraft.
Without all of these parameters noted on official, public websites, a fair and accurate comparison
can be difficult. But overall, let's settle on the fact that the Boeing MAX 7 has a slight
advantage when it comes to passenger capacity. The next important set of metrics that should
be considered are aircraft weight and range. When it comes to weight, the A220-300 has an
MTOW (Maximum Take-Off Weight) of 70,900 kg (156,300 lbs). The Boeing 737 MAX 7, on the
other hand, has an MTOW of 80,290 kg (177,000 lbs). Meanwhile, the range of the MAX 7 is
stated to be 3,850NM (7,130 km) while the A220-300 is listed at 3,400NM (6,297 km). These
ranges are made possible by fuel capacities of 21,508 liters on the A220-300 (5,682 US Gallons),
and 25,816 liters for the MAX 7 (6,820 US Gal). So as you can see, the Boeing jet is a heavier
aircraft that can fly further. This shouldn't be a surprise, as it's a well-established
trend for essentially all commercial aircraft. But examining the performance
figures of the aircraft, it would appear that fuel efficiency
between the two jets is quite comparable. Indeed, if the A220-300 were able to more
closely match the range of the heavier MAX 7, then it would be a clear indication
of increased efficiency. However, the ranges of both aircraft respective to their
MTOWs seem to put fuel burn close to one another. So the two aircraft are close to each other in
passenger capacities and also offer comparable efficiency. But airlines might also care
about cargo capacity and the ability to transport freight or parcels in the belly hold
(in addition to passenger baggage, of course). According to the cargo website for
SWISS, the A220-300 can carry about 28 cubic meters (989 cubic feet) of
cargo in its two belly compartments. The MAX 7, on the other hand, has a cargo
capacity of 32.3 cubic meters (1,139 cubic feet) - at least according to
the website Modern Airliners. On the websites of both ANA Cargo and Delta
Air Lines, it states that the similarly-sized 737-700 has a cargo capacity of
27 cubic meters (952 cubic feet). Ultimately, for both jets, ground
crews will be required to load and unload individual pieces of baggage by hand,
as neither aircraft has a belly large enough to accommodate standardized
Unit Loading Devices (ULDs). It's worth noting, however, that A320
family aircraft - even the small A319, can accommodate the smaller ULD
container known as the LD3-45. Then, when it comes to passenger comfort
and experience, comparisons can be challenging - especially when so much of the
passenger experience is determined by the airline. Seat spacing, seat comfort, and
inflight entertainment - all of these are selected by the operator,
and not the airframe manufacturer. However, we can say that the A220-300's typical 2-3 seating layout is often highlighted as a
feature by the airlines operating the type. Overall, this layout means fewer middle seats,
thereby giving a little more comfort and privacy to couples and pairs traveling together.
Additionally, the A220 middle seat tends to be wider than all other seats - compensating
for the unfortunate fact that it’s a middle seat! Another passenger experience factor
determined by the manufacturer is the aircraft window. In this case, the 737's
windows are smaller - 10 x 14 inches (25.4 x 35.56cm). The A220's windows are a bit
larger at 11 x 16 inches or 28 x 40.6cm. In addition to a difference in window size,
the position of windows is different for each type as well. Window-seat passengers on the 737
(the MAX, but also all others) will find that they have to slouch down it bend down slightly
to look straight out the window. For those who love to get a good look out at the horizon or the
world outside, the A220's windows are preferable. Acquisition costs, maintenance costs,
and even the fit within the rest of an airline's fleet - there are many factors
that will determine how well an aircraft sells. So when it comes to the types in today's
comparison, how have they performed thus far? According to ch-aviation.com data, the
Boeing 737 MAX 7 has racked up orders for 290 units. Most notably, this
includes 236 for Southwest Airlines. Another 30 are listed as being
ordered by Allegiant Air, while two were ordered by Ukraine's SkyUp Airlines
and another two for China's Rulli Airlines. Given current geopolitics, the latter four
jets may end up being canceled - or perhaps re-allocated to join the 20 orders
currently marked as "unassigned." For the Airbus A220-300, ch-aviation data lists
a total of 700 ordered. Of the largest customers, JetBlue leads the pack with orders for 100 of the
variant, while Breeze comes in 2nd place with 80. Delta comes in 3rd place with
62 - and it's 60 each for Air France and Air Canada, and 50 for airBaltic. So, when it comes to aircraft sales and
popularity, it would appear that the A220-300 is the more popular aircraft at this
point. Of course, with any sales comparison, it's important to examine program launch dates and
entry into service. The A220-300 has been flying commercially since December 2016 and, as a result,
has had a little over six years of service. On the other hand, the MAX 7 has
yet to be certified let alone enter service. This will certainly be
a factor in the type's low sales. At the same time, we should also keep in mind
that airlines placing large orders for other MAX variants will have the ability to swap certain
variants in their orders. Thus, airlines like Southwest or Allegiant could always swap some
MAX 8 orders for more MAX 7s... or perhaps less! And finally, we should discuss all the issues
that each aircraft type has faced. After all, even an aircraft with stellar technical
specifications might be less desirable to operators if it's constantly facing
airworthiness directives and operational issues. So on this topic, the MAX 7 faces the most obvious
issue of regulator certification. While Boeing's prototypes have undoubtedly racked up thousands
of flight hours and cycles during testing, the MAX 7 has yet to enter full production
nor has it entered commercial service. For much of 2022, the MAX 7, as well as the
MAX 10, have been in a precarious situation, with a specific government-mandated
certification deadline looming. This presented a risk of introducing
a different cockpit to the -7 and -10 than is currently found on the -8 and -9.
However, a solution was found that will see the new MAX variants attain certification
with cockpits common to the -8 and -9. While this will ensure 737 MAX cockpit commonality
across all four variants, Boeing has agreed to refit all MAX jets with a new cockpit alerting
system three years after the MAX 10 is certified. As for the Airbus A220-300, the type
has had its fair share of issues in its first few years of service. The
most common type of issue has been engine shutdowns involving the type's
Pratt & Whitney PW1000 powerplants. Indeed, operators around the world have
experienced various forms of engine failures taking place during flight.
Engine software might have been one of the key reasons for issues, as the FAA in
2020 required that operators of the type remove certain full-authority digital engine
control software and install new software. To conclude our comparison, it does appear that,
when it comes to mission profile, these two jets have a little bit of overlap with one another.
Was Boeing justified in its case against the Bombardier CSeries? Perhaps not against the CS100
- but a little more so with the CS300/A220-300. So can we say that one jet is better than
the other? Well, as you can see from our various considerations, there
are pros and cons to each type. The 737 MAX's CFM LEAP-1B turbofans seem
to have had fewer in-service issues than the PW1000s powering the A220. However, the
A220-300 is actually flying and in-service, while the MAX 7 is not - something
that airlines seem to care about. ;) Fuel efficiency is comparable and
will undoubtedly vary depending on load factor. However, operators
hoping to fly a little further than what the A220 is capable of may
want to consider the MAX 7 instead. Of course, the 737's higher weight
will also result in higher operating costs when it comes to airport
fees based on aircraft weight. So, in many respects, there are just so
many factors to consider when determining which aircraft is better. However, at least
from a passenger experience perspective, it would seem that the winner would have to be the
A220-300 with its 2-3 layout and larger windows. But what do you think? In what
ways might the MAX 7 be a better aircraft than the A220-300? Let
us know by leaving a comment!
