Airbus is working on new upgrades for the Airbus A220 line. The manufacturer will be introducing a Runway Overrun Awareness and Alerting System (ROAAS) for the A220-100 and A220-300, with all future production units to feature the system beginning in 2027. The A220 is the last aircraft in Airbus’s lineup to receive a ROAAS system, which was first introduced by Airbus in 2009.
The introduction of the ROAAS system is part of a series of upgrades that Airbus is making to both improve the A220 line as well as to further integrate it into its lineup. The A220, having originally been designed by Bombardier, features a completely seperate design from other Airbus aircraft in key areas, including avionics. It also sits in a competitive market position, requiring continuous investment.
The Newest Software Upgrades For The A220
New Airbus A220s will begin to feature the Airbus ROAAS system as of 2027. A similar system, named the Runway Overrun Protection System (ROPS), has been present on other Airbus models for nearly 17 years and is meant to prevent runway overruns during landing. The A220 is the last aircraft within the Airbus lineup to receive a runway overrun system, as it was originally designed by Bombardier and therefore features unique software.
Regulators have been issuing mandates for manufacturers to incorporate a form of an ROAAS system in their aircraft in accordance with ICAO guidelines. With the system on the A220, Airbus will be in full compliance with these guidelines. Not only will this improve general safety by improving situational awareness for A220 pilots, but it will also create more commonality with the rest of the Airbus lineup.
Airbus’s ROPS system was first introduced on the Airbus A380 in 2009. Airbus later rolled it out onto the A320 family in 2011, followed by the A330 and A340 (since discontinued) in 2012. The Airbus A350, A320neo, and A330neo families featured the ROPS system since their debut, and Airbus has significantly evolved the ROPS system since it was first introduced 17 years ago.
Looking At The ROAAS System
The ROAAS system that will be present in new A220s differs slightly from the ROPS system used on the rest of Airbus’s lineup. However, the new system uses the same basic principles as the standard ROPS system. Initially, ROAAS will be available for dry runways, wet runways, or wet grooved runways. Additional runway types and conditions will be added after certification.
The ROAAS functions in two different ways, depending on whether the aircraft is on approach or has already landed. While on approach, the ROAAS calculates the aircraft’s stopping distance based on weight, energy, and runway condition, among other parameters. If the calculated stopping distance exceeds the runway length, the aircraft will warn the pilots.
Initially, pilots will be alerted to the issue via an aural « Runway too short » alert, while the phrase « RWY TOO SHORT » will appear on the pilot’s primary flight display (PFD) in yellow. If the aircraft has already passed over the runway threshold, the same phrase will be displayed in red while the same aural alert will continue. If the aircraft has already landed, the phrases « MAX BRAKE » and « MAX REVERSE » will appear in red on the PFD while aural alerts conveying the same messages will also play.
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Other Upgrades To The Airbus A220 Family
Airbus has been progressively working on updating the A220 line to ensure its competitiveness against the Embraer E2. This involves bumping the A220’s Maximum Takeoff Weight (MTOW) to improve the aircraft’s payload-range capabilities, while improving onboard broadband access by incorporating HBCPlus Connectivity by 2028. In addition, Airbus plans for its entire line-up, including the A220, to be 100% compatible with Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) by 2030.
Rumors have long circulated of a stretched variant of the A220, often named either the A220-500 or the A221. However, Airbus is mainly focused on improving the program’s finances before investing in a stretch of the aircraft, given that this would likely be a multi-billion-dollar project.
In addition, there are concerns over the viability of a stretched A220, given the success of the Boeing 737 MAX 8, the possible limitations of an A220 stretch, and the market size for the A220 family as a whole. The aircraft has also been suffering from high production costs and in-service reliability issues, although Airbus appears as committed as ever to the program.