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!