Airbus A220-300

Updated: October 2026 – A slim twinjet taxis to the runway, the engines look almost too big for the narrow fuselage, and the windows run like a band along the whole side: that is very likely an Airbus A220. Whether it is the long -300 or the short -100 and how to reliably tell it from the A320neo and Embraer E2 is what this page shows you. You also get tips on where you are most likely to get the A220-300 in front of your lens in German-speaking countries.

What is the Airbus A220-300?

The A220-300 is the larger of the two A220 variants and targets the market segment between classic regional jets and the A320 family. For it, Airbus cites a typical two-class seating of 120 to 150 seats, with a maximum of 160 seats possible. The manufacturer’s range figure is around 6,300 kilometers – more than most airlines ever need on European routes.

Characteristic is the narrow fuselage: around 3.5 meters in diameter outside, 3.28 meters of cabin width inside. That is enough for five seats per row in a 3+2 arrangement. That puts the A220 right between the four-abreast Embraer E-Jets and the six-abreast types from Airbus and Boeing. It is powered by two geared turbofan engines from the Pratt & Whitney PW1500G family; there is no alternative.

From the Bombardier CS300 to Airbus

The story of the A220 does not begin in Toulouse but in Canada. Bombardier developed the series as the CSeries in two sizes: CS100 and CS300. The CS300 took off for its first flight on February 27, 2015 in Mirabel near Montréal. Transport Canada granted type certification on July 11, 2016, and the European agency EASA followed in October 2016.

The launch operator of the CS300 was airBaltic. The Latvian airline took delivery of its first aircraft at the end of November 2016 and flew the first scheduled flight from Riga to Amsterdam on December 14, 2016. The shorter CS100 had started earlier with Swiss – so both launch customers come from Europe, which made the type present for spotters in the region from the start.

In 2018, Airbus took the majority stake in the program, and on July 10, 2018 the CSeries became the A220: since then the CS100 is called the A220-100 and the CS300 the A220-300. The ICAO codes still date from the Bombardier era, though, which is why the aircraft still show up as BCS1 and BCS3 today. Final assembly takes place in Mirabel and on a second line in Mobile, Alabama, in the US. More on the meaning of such codes is explained in the article IATA and ICAO codes explained.

The three features that are enough to identify it

The A220 is one of those types that stick after one or two deliberate sightings. Three observations are enough in most cases.

Once it is clear that it is an A220, the fuselage length decides the variant. In the end, the registration confirms the type – you can look the aircraft up in any database with it. You will find general tricks for identification in the guide Identifying aircraft types for beginners.

A220-300 or A220-100?

Both variants share wing, tail, cockpit and engine family; pilots fly them with the same type rating. The difference lies in the fuselage.

Feature	A220-300	A220-100
ICAO type designator	BCS3	BCS1
Former name	Bombardier CS300	Bombardier CS100
Length	38.7 m	approx. 35 m
Wingspan	35.1 m	35.1 m
Typical seat count	approx. 120–150 (max. 160)	approx. 100–120 (max. 135)
Look in the picture	long and slim	stocky, short

Next to its big sister, the -100 looks almost stubby: there are noticeably fewer windows in front of and behind the wing, and the ratio of fuselage to wingspan visibly tips. Once you have seen both side by side, you will recognize the variant from a greater distance later too. The -100 has become rarer in Europe, by the way: because of engine and spare parts shortages, Swiss has already parked several A220-100 and, according to reports from summer 2026, decided to phase out the small version permanently. More on the page about the A220-100.

A220, A320neo or Embraer E2?

The most common mix-ups happen with modern narrowbody and regional jets that also carry large geared turbofan engines. The finder helps you narrow it down.

A detail that surprises many: at 38.7 meters, the A220-300 is even slightly longer than an A320neo at 37.57 meters. But because its cabin has one seat fewer per row, fewer passengers fit in anyway. Length alone is therefore no good for telling them apart – fuselage thickness and wingtips are. Against the Embraer E195-E2, the wing helps most: the E2 has no add-on winglets, and its cabin is even narrower at four seats per row. Older E-Jets like the Embraer E190, on the other hand, have clearly distinct winglets and much smaller engines.

The Airbus A319 also often shows up on the same routes and is similar in size. But it has the classic A320 cross-section, smaller windows and a shorter, more compact silhouette. You recognize a Boeing 737-800 immediately by the dorsal fin in front of the vertical stabilizer, which the A220 lacks. More tricks for telling them apart are in the article Telling Airbus and Boeing apart.

Where you can find the A220-300

In German-speaking countries, the A220-300 is mainly associated with Swiss. According to reports from August 2026, the airline operates 21 A220-300 and uses them on European routes from Zurich and Geneva. At Zurich Airport and Geneva Airport, the type is therefore part of the daily business. For the Geneva–London Heathrow route, Swiss has announced it will replace the A220-300 with larger A320neo from summer 2027 – which shows how flexibly the airline shifts its fleet.

airBaltic, as launch operator, flies an all-A220-300 fleet and connects Riga with many destinations in Central Europe, including airports in Germany and Switzerland. Interesting for spotters is the wet lease business: in recent summers, airBaltic has flown A220-300 with crew for the Lufthansa Group, so Baltic registrations (YL-) were operating under Lufthansa flight numbers. How such agreements work is explained in the article Wet lease explained. How many aircraft are in use in which summer varies from season to season.

Air France took delivery of its first A220-300 in September 2021 from an order for 60 aircraft and is replacing older types such as the A318 and A319 on European routes with it. From Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport, depending on the schedule, it can also show up on connections to Germany. In addition there is Croatia Airlines, which is switching its fleet to the A220 and received its tenth aircraft in July 2026, mostly -300. Outside Europe, Delta Air Lines and Air Canada, among others, are large A220 operators.

Place	Chance of a hit	Why
Zurich	high	Swiss hub with dense European traffic, plus airBaltic
Geneva	high	Swiss base, A220 on European routes
Frankfurt, Munich	medium	Wet lease operations in summer, plus A220 operators such as airBaltic depending on the schedule
Other large German airports	medium	Connections by A220 operators depending on the schedule
Small regional airports	low	at most individual connections or charters

How to follow such flights live is explained in the guide on flight tracking with ADS-B.

Spotting in Zurich and Geneva

In Zurich, Observation Deck B is the convenient entry point: from there you see the Swiss fleet taxiing and at the stands, and the A220 can be compared well with other types. If you want landings and takeoffs up close, the Butzenbüel is one of Switzerland’s best-known photo locations. In Geneva, the observation deck offers a view of the apron and the runway where Swiss regularly uses its A220.

In Germany, your chance depends heavily on the schedule. In Frankfurt, the Zeppelinheim viewing platform is a good starting point to look for A220 from guest airlines or wet lease aircraft on European routes. Decisive for your vantage point everywhere is the runway configuration; how to estimate it in advance is explained in the article Understanding runway direction at airports.

Whether your vantage point is legally unproblematic is covered in the article Is plane spotting allowed?.

Photo tips especially for the A220

The A220 is a rewarding but underrated subject. Because it is smaller than the big long-haul jets, you usually need a bit more focal length for frame-filling pictures.

You can calculate in advance when the light suits your spot; how that works is explained in the guide Planning sun position for your photo spot. Which focal length makes sense is covered in the article Lens and focal length for plane spotting, and the complete gear in the Plane spotting gear checklist.

Common mix-ups and how to rule them out

Conclusion

The A220-300 is an aircraft with a dual identity: developed in Canada, now an Airbus. A slim fuselage, a band of windows, large geared turbofan engines and small winglets give you the type, the fuselage length the variant, the registration the confirmation. In the DACH region it is an everyday sight mainly in Zurich and Geneva, and airBaltic, Air France and Croatia Airlines add to that, depending on the schedule also on routes to Germany.