The newest addition to the Airbus family of commercial aircraft, the A220, has received 180-minute extended operations (ETOPS) approval from the Canadian civil aviation authority, Transport Canada. This achievement paves the way for A220 customers to start new direct non-limiting routings over water and remote or underserved regions.

Examples of routes potentially opened up by the ETOPS approval include London-New York, Seoul-Darwin, and Mumbai-Antananarivo.

The 100/150-seat A220, which offers a range of up to 3,200 nautical miles (5,920km), is the first commercial airliner to obtain domestic ETOPS certification from Transport Canada. This capability is available as an option for A220-100 and A220-300 operators, enabling them to fly for up to 180 minutes from the nearest diversion airport.

ETOPS rules — which were initially introduced to allow commercial operations with twin-engine aircraft on routes beyond 60 minutes flying time from the nearest airport — have been progressively revised to allow operations up to or beyond 180 minutes' diversion time. ICAO now refers to Extended Diversion Time Operations (EDTO).