Air France is renewing its fleet and will welcome the first of 60 Airbus A220-300s at the end of September. The new aircraft will replace Air France’s A318s and A319s on its short- and medium-haul network. Its first A220 recently left the Airbus paint shop near Montreal, and sports the new Air France colors and the winged seahorse, the airline’s historical symbol, at the front of the fuselage.

The Airbus A220 is made with lighter composite materials; uses 20 percent less fuel than previous generations of the aircraft; and has a 34 percent reduced noise footprint. The aircraft aligns with Air France’s sustainable development objectives.

Before arriving in Paris, the aircraft will undergo a series of ground and in-flight tests; once in the city, it will be used for more than a month to train the flight crews. Some members of the crew began the “type rating” process last summer.

When a new type of aircraft enters the fleet, Air France creates two core groups — one of pilots, the other of flight attendants — who are then responsible for training their colleagues. Last September, eight instructor pilots attended an eight-week theoretical and practical training course at the Airbus training center in Montreal. They are now currently training their colleagues using a Full Flight Simulator mounted on jacks at Air France’s flight simulation center at Paris-Charles de Gaulle. When Air France receives the aircraft, training will be supplemented by about 20 flights in real conditions. Eventually, about 700 pilots will be qualified on this aircraft.

Fourteen flight attendants trained in Zürich September–December 2020, and they are now finalizing the training manuals and content they will provide from September 2021. They also trained an additional 37 flight attendants to complete the practical flight training as soon as the A220 enters service. Two A220 door models have been installed at the Air France Crew Academy near Paris-Orly to train approximately 2,500 flight attendants.

From maintenance to station staff, all operational sectors are preparing for the arrival of this latest-generation aircraft, which will welcome 148 passengers in a 3-2 cabin configuration. Each seat will feature type A and type C USB ports and WiFi access.

Are you excited for the new Airbus A220? What is your favorite aircraft? Will you fly Air France to experience the new aircraft? Tell us. Email us at letters@globaltravelerusa.com. Please include your full name and location.