MOBILE, AL—Airbus has firmed up orders for 120 A220 aircraft, including 60 for JetBlue and 60 for JetBlue founder David Neeleman's new airline called Moxy. Airbus will produce the planes at a new plant here, with construction beginning this month. The Moxy venture was unveiled at the Farnborough International Airshow in July.
Neeleman sees the A220, formally the Bombardier C Series, as offering maximum flexibility in terms of offering the opportunity to introduce a premium cabin as well as the ability to reach destinations such as Hawaii, Brazil and Portugal from the US Midwest. He has also ordered the bigger A220-300s and expects to receive his first aircraft in 2021.