{"id":59024,"date":"2026-05-07T02:43:44","date_gmt":"2026-05-07T06:43:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/world\/19bn-order-boosts-belfast-airbus-factory\/07\/05\/2026\/"},"modified":"2026-05-07T02:43:44","modified_gmt":"2026-05-07T06:43:44","slug":"19bn-order-boosts-belfast-airbus-factory","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/world\/19bn-order-boosts-belfast-airbus-factory\/07\/05\/2026\/","title":{"rendered":"$19bn order boosts Belfast Airbus factory"},"content":{"rendered":"

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It is the single largest order ever made for the A220 [Getty Images] <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Malaysian airline Air Asia has placed an order for 150 Airbus A220s, the wings of which are made in Belfast.<\/a><\/p>\n

It is the single largest order ever made for the A220 and takes total orders beyond 1,000.<\/p>\n

Air Asia said the ‘list price’ of the aircraft is $19bn (\u00a314bn), though the actual amount to be paid is unclear.<\/p>\n

Aside from the wings, Belfast’s Airbus operation also makes the mid-fuselage [centre section of the aircraft body] for the A220.<\/p>\n

The Airbus plant is regarded as one of Northern Ireland’s most important manufacturing facilities employing about 1,500 people and supporting more jobs in the local supply chain.<\/p>\n

Airbus bought the factory in 2025, as part of a wider deal<\/a> which led to the break up of Spirit Aerosystems.<\/p>\n

Rival manufacturer Boeing also bought some of Spirit’s Belfast assets and now employs the majority of the 3,500 staff at the site.<\/p>\n

Front foot forward <\/h2>\n

Earlier this year, the Airbus chief executive said the company<\/a> was “committing a lot of cash” to Belfast to support the ramp up of A220 production.<\/p>\n

Guillaume Faury said the plant also had to show it could be more competitive.<\/p>\n

“It’s very important to be successful on the ramp-up, to be with a high level of quality, and to be competitive.<\/p>\n

“That’s what we want for Belfast, but we count as well on the employees and the management of Belfast to contribute to the A220 and to be with a front foot forward to contribute to a good program.”<\/p>\n

Tony Fernandes, the entrepreneur behind Air Asia, said the range of A220 would allow the airline to serve new destinations.<\/p>\n

“The A220 unlocks new markets and routes and brings us closer to building the world’s first true low-cost network carrier,” he added.<\/p>\n

There is speculation in the aerospace industry that Airbus is on the verge of announcing a “stretch” version of the A220.<\/p>\n

The current A220 has a maximum passenger capacity of 160 seats, while a “stretched” model could take that closer to 200.<\/p>\n

Air Asia has already expressed an interest in the stretched version and has suggested it could also order up to 150 of them when they become available.<\/p>\n

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It is the single largest order ever made for the A220 [Getty Images] Malaysian airline Air Asia has placed an order for