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Delta Air Lines’ first Airbus A220-100 (formerly known as the Bombardier CS100) was introduced this week after rolling out of the painting hangar at the A220 final assembly line in Mirabel, Que.
Delta will be the first U.S. airline to take delivery of the A220, featuring a state-of-the art interior and delivering best-in-class fuel performance.
Now that the aircraft is decked out in Delta’s livery, it will move to pre-flight activities in the A220 flight line hangar in Mirabel before taking off for its first flight later this fall.
Larry Cato, a program manager on Delta’s fleet management team, was onsite for the occasion.
“There’s nothing like seeing years of planning come together in the shape of a freshly painted aircraft,” said Cato in a post on the airline’s website. “It’s a major milestone for the future of our fleet.”
The painting process took nine days, 200 rolls of masking tape and 165 gallons of paint to complete, according to Delta.
“It’s a tremendous feeling of accomplishment to know we just outfitted North America’s first A220 from tail to tip,” said Julie Leveille, an Airbus supervisor in the Mirabel paint shop.
“I’ve been working in the paint shop for 15 years. It can be a challenging job, but seeing the finished product makes it worth it.”
Delta has ordered 75 A220-100 aircraft according to Airbus, which acquired a majority stake in Bombardier’s C Series program earlier this year after the U.S. government threatened massive duties on C Series sold in the United States.
Delta’s first A220 is scheduled to begin service in early 2019.
Click below for a time-lapse video of the painting process.
Fresh from the paint shop: Introducing @Delta‘s first @Airbus A220 #avgeek https://t.co/6ejrqSbQlC pic.twitter.com/e7iAEX0ox3
— Delta News Hub (@DeltaNewsHub) September 14, 2018
