AirAsia Orders 150 Airbus A220 Aircraft With Wings Made in Belfast

Malaysian airline AirAsia has placed an order for 150 Airbus A220 aircraft, the wings of which are manufactured at the Airbus plant in Belfast. It is the single largest order ever placed for the A220 and takes total orders for the type beyond 1,000.

In addition to the wings, the Belfast facility produces the mid-fuselage section for the aircraft. The Airbus plant employs about 1,500 people and supports additional jobs in the local supply chain. It is regarded as one of Northern Ireland's most important manufacturing facilities.

Airbus acquired the factory in 2025 as part of a wider transaction that involved the breakup of Spirit AeroSystems. Boeing purchased other Spirit assets in Belfast and now employs the majority of the 3,500 staff at the overall site. Earlier this year the company said it was committing significant funding to the Belfast operation to support increased A220 production.

The chief executive stated that the plant needed to demonstrate greater competitiveness. >"It's very important to be successful on the ramp-up, to be with a high level of quality, and to be competitive. "The A220 unlocks new markets and routes and brings us closer to building the world's first true low-cost network carrier," he added.

The current A220 model has a maximum passenger capacity of 160 seats. Industry reports indicate Airbus may be preparing to announce a stretched variant that could accommodate closer to 200 passengers.