More used Airbus A220s are coming to market. airBaltic plans to cut its A220-300 fleet from 54 to about 36 by the end of 2026, and Romania’s AnimaWings has returned all six of its A220-300s to their lessors. Airbus is building more new A220s at the same time. It delivered 93 in 2025 and targets 13 a month in 2028, so lessors placing used aircraft compete directly with new ones.

Airbus SE is listed as AIR on Euronext Paris, the Frankfurt Stock Exchange and the Spanish stock exchanges.

How many used A220s are coming to market?

airBaltic. The Latvian airline filed for Chapter 11 in the US Bankruptcy Court in New York on 14 September 2026. Chapter 11 is a US court process that lets a company keep flying while it reorganises its debts. At the filing date airBaltic had 46 aircraft and seven engines on operating leases, where the lessor owns the asset and takes it back at the end. Its business plan returns about 20 surplus aircraft, changes the terms of the remaining leases and cuts the fleet to 36 by the end of 2026. The fleet then grows to about 40 by 2031. In August the airline had 54 A220-300s, and before the restructuring it had planned for about 100 by 2030.

AnimaWings. The Romanian airline filed for insolvency at the Bucharest Tribunal on 30 September 2026 and returned all six of its leased A220-300s. The aircraft were delivered between December 2024 and July 2026, so they are young. The airline kept two A320s and blamed recurring technical problems with the A220s. It denied that unpaid lease payments were the cause.

SWISS. SWISS will end its contract with airBaltic, under which airBaltic flies aircraft and crews on SWISS routes, when the 2026/27 winter timetable closes. SWISS will use about 18 aircraft from other airlines in summer 2027, down from 26, and will work mainly with Helvetic Airways. It says more Pratt & Whitney engines are becoming available, so it can fly more of its own aircraft again. That removes outside flying that has kept part of airBaltic’s fleet busy.

OperatorChangeTiming
airBalticA220-300 fleet from 54 to about 36; about 20 surplus aircraft returnedBy end of 2026
AnimaWingsAll six A220-300s returned to lessorsFrom 30 September 2026
SWISSEnds airBaltic flying contract; outside aircraft from 26 to about 18End of winter 2026/27

We set out the lessor exposure when airBaltic filed in our airBaltic Chapter 11 post. At that time A220 lease rates had been rising through 2026, because Pratt & Whitney engine shortages limited the number of A220s able to fly.

How fast is Airbus building new A220s?

Airbus delivered 68 A220s in 2023, 75 in 2024 and 93 in 2025. It delivered 68 in the first nine months of 2026. At the end of September 2026, 544 A220s were in service and 557 were on order but not yet delivered.

Airbus targets a production rate of 13 A220s a month in 2028. A full year at that rate would be 156 aircraft, against 93 in 2025. Airbus has already slowed the plan once. In October 2025 it cut its 2026 target from 14 a month to 12, citing the balance between supply and demand for the type. In February 2026 it set the current target of 13 a month in 2028.

Airbus A220 deliveries a year
PeriodA220 deliveries
202368
202475
202593
Jan to Sep 202668
Rate 13 a month for a full year (target from 2028)156 (target)
Airbus A220 deliveries a year, with the 2028 target of 13 a month shown as a full year.Source: Airbus, full-year 2025 deliveries (12 Jan 2026) and nine-month 2026 results (28 Oct 2026). 156 is Boston Warwick's calculation of 13 a month for 12 months.

airBaltic’s business plan cancels or indefinitely defers its 40 firm A220-300 orders, which carry a list price above €3bn. Johan Pelissier, Airbus’s head of commercial for Europe, said in October 2026 that those 40 aircraft had been moved to the end of the backlog and that the earlier delivery slots had gone to other airlines.

airBaltic A220-300 fleet
PointairBaltic A220-300 fleet
August 2026 (actual)54
End of 2026 (plan)36 (plan)
2031 (plan)40 (plan)
airBaltic's A220-300 fleet in August 2026 and in its Chapter 11 business plan.Source: Aviation Week, 11 August 2026; airBaltic Chapter 11 business plan as summarised by EU Restructuring, October 2026.

What does more used A220 supply mean for lessors and residual values?

A residual value is what an aircraft is worth later in its life, and it drives lease rates and loan sizes. Used A220-300s now compete with new aircraft that arrive quickly and carry new engines. Operators have told industry reporters that they prefer new A220s for that reason. A used aircraft can need extra checks or time in the hangar before it flies for a new airline, and a low lease rate does not always cover that cost.

The last batch of used A220s of a similar size was 12 aircraft that Azorra took back from EgyptAir. The airBaltic and AnimaWings aircraft add about 26 in under a year. Better engine supply puts more A220s back in the air. It also means airlines need fewer aircraft and crews hired from other carriers, as the SWISS decision shows.

For lessors with A220s on their books, two things matter most in the next few months. One is which leases airBaltic rejects or changes in its Chapter 11 case, since that sets the number and timing of returns. The other is how many A220s Airbus hands over in the fourth quarter, which we covered in our post on Airbus’s 870 delivery target.

Frequently asked questions

How many A220s is airBaltic returning? airBaltic’s business plan in its Chapter 11 case returns about 20 surplus aircraft and cuts the fleet to 36 by the end of 2026, from 54 in August 2026. The plan then grows the fleet to about 40 by 2031.

What happened to the AnimaWings A220s? AnimaWings filed for insolvency at the Bucharest Tribunal on 30 September 2026 and returned all six of its leased A220-300s to their lessors. The aircraft were delivered between December 2024 and July 2026. The airline kept two A320s.

How many A220s is Airbus building? Airbus delivered 68 A220s in 2023, 75 in 2024, 93 in 2025 and 68 in the first nine months of 2026. It targets a production rate of 13 A220s a month in 2028.

What happens to airBaltic’s 40 A220 orders? airBaltic’s business plan cancels or indefinitely defers its 40 firm A220-300 orders, which carry a list price above €3bn. Airbus said in October 2026 that the 40 aircraft had been moved to the end of its backlog and the delivery slots given to other airlines.

Talk to Boston Warwick

Boston Warwick advises lessors, lenders and investors on aircraft values, lease returns and transactions, including the A220-300. Our due diligence work covers aircraft condition, maintenance records and residual value assumptions before a deal. Contact us to arrange a call.

Sources

Hero image: airBaltic Airbus A220-300 YL-ABL at Frankfurt Airport by MarcelX42, via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.