Airbus has raised the maximum take-off weight (MTOW) of the A220 by 2,268kg (2.3 metric tonnes), allowing the family of aircraft to offer greater range starting from the second half of 2020.

The new MTOW will increase the respective maximum range capabilities to 3,350nm for the A220-300 and 3,400nm for the A220-100, some 450nm more than currently listed in the manual.

“In true Airbus tradition we improve our products constantly,” said Christian Scherer, chief commercial officer, Airbus. “The new MTOW will allow operators to reach markets which today cannot be served by other smaller single-aisle aircraft types.”

The company has improved the A220 by utilising existing structural and systems margins as well as existing fuel volume capacity.

This new capability will allow airlines to tap into new routes that previously were not possible, connecting key cities in Europe with the Middle East or from Southeast Asia to Australia.