Airbus Belfast delivers 500th A220-300 wingset after becoming fully integrated

Airbus has marked a significant industrial milestone in Northern Ireland as its Belfast facility completed and delivered the 500th wingset for the Airbus A220-300.

As reported by Belfast’s Business Eye, the achievement comes just months after Airbus completed its acquisition of the former Spirit AeroSystems facilities in Belfast, bringing A220 wing production under Airbus ownership in full following a restructuring of the global aerospace supplier. 

Airbus Belfast (formerly Spirit AeroSystems, formerly Bombardier) has delivered its 500th wingset for the A220-300 programme pic.twitter.com/Z0cnJ2HXI1

— John Mulgrew (@newsmulg) July 2, 2026

“We aren’t just celebrating a number; we’re celebrating an industrial achievement,” Business Eye quotes Anthony Rouse, Head of Airbus Belfast and Plant Director, as saying. “The delivery of our 500th A220-300 wingset is a great milestone for this site – the home of A220 wings!” 

Exclusive home of A220 wing production

The Belfast plant remains the exclusive producer of wings for every Airbus A220, supplying aircraft assembled in both Mirabel, Canada, and Mobile, Alabama. 

Its most distinctive innovation is the A220’s carbon-composite wing, manufactured using Airbus’ patented Resin Transfer Infusion (RTI) process. The technique produces a wing that is around 10% lighter than a comparable aluminium design, reducing fuel consumption, improving range and lowering carbon emissions. 

Airbus recently marked 10 years since the aircraft entered commercial service. The programme has now gained over 1,000 firm orders from 35 customers. More than 500 A220 aircraft have been delivered to 25 operators, carrying more than 240 million passengers worldwide. 

Demand received another boost earlier this year when AirAsia placed an order for 150 A220-300s, the largest single order ever placed for the aircraft. 

Belfast celebrates 500th wing milestone under Airbus ownership

The 500th wingset milestone is also significant because it comes during a new chapter for the Belfast operation.

The facility first changed ownership in 2019 when Bombardier sold its aerostructures business to Spirit AeroSystems as part of Bombardier’s exit from commercial aircraft manufacturing.

Airbus acquired Bombardier’s C Series programme in 2018 and renamed it the A220; the aircraft’s wings continued to be produced by Spirit under long-term supply agreements.

That arrangement changed in December 2025, when Airbus completed the acquisition of key Spirit AeroSystems sites supporting its aircraft programmes, including the Belfast operation. The move formed part of the wider breakup of Spirit AeroSystems ahead of its acquisition by Boeing. The transaction returned A220 wing production to direct Airbus control and brought Airbus production of A350 fuselage sections and A320 wing components in Belfast into the company’s industrial system. 

A strategic site for future A220 growth

The Belfast wing factory will play a critical role as Airbus ramps up A220 production.

The manufacturer is targeting higher monthly production rates later this decade to meet its growing backlog. It is also evaluating a stretched A220-500 variant that would expand the family into the lower end of the A320 market. AirAsia has indicated that it would purchase an additional 150 aircraft of the new variant. 

Regardless of when or whether the larger variant is launched, every A220 wing will continue to be built in Belfast, making the Northern Ireland facility one of Airbus’ most strategically important aerostructures sites.

The latest milestone reflects Belfast’s production steadiness through ownership changes from a legacy Bombardier operation, through six years under Spirit AeroSystems, to a fully integrated Airbus manufacturing centre supporting the European planemaker’s commercial aircraft programmes.