Airbus A220s Getting Airspace Cabin, Bigger Overhead Bins

Airbus will be introducing its Airspace cabin concept on the A220 (one of my favorite planes), meaning these comfortable jets will be getting larger overhead bins, and some other cool features.

Airbus A220 Airspace cabins launching in 2026

Airbus has what it calls the Airspace cabin concept, which is basically a cabin package that includes larger overhead bins. For example, this is popular with the A320-family of aircraft. Up until now, it hasn’t been available on the A220, but that will soon be changing.

In early 2026, Airbus is expected to launch the Airspace cabin concept on the A220. The biggest change is with overhead bins, as the new ones have 20% more volume and are 10% lighter (reducing cabin weight by around 300 pounds).

In total, bag capacity will increase by around 15%, allowing up to 19 more bags per flight on the A220-300 model. This is primarily thanks to bins having more vertical space, so that you can place them in the bin like books on a bookshelf. Then there are new Airspace lighting features, including an optional third LED light strip under the new bins.

Airbus highlights how other benefits of the A220 Airspace cabins include increased reliability and reduced maintenance tasks due to the simplified movable mechanism, and improved crew experience thanks to handling of the new fixed bins, which avoid lighting heavy pivoting bins while rearranging luggage.

Air Canada is the launch customer for this concept

Air Canada will be the launch customer for the Airspace cabin concept on the A220, with the first plane expected to get the new cabin features as of early 2026. Air Canada already has a fleet of 34 A220-300s, with an additional 31 of these aircraft on order.

Here’s how John Moody, Air Canada’s Managing Director of Onboard Product, describes this:

“The A220 has already become a favourite among our customers, and we’re thrilled to be the launch customer for the next cabin evolution of this Canadian-designed and assembled aircraft. At Air Canada, we’re always looking for opportunities to evolve our products and make travel more comfortable and convenient. The introduction of larger overhead bins on future A220s means more space for your belongings, quicker boarding, and an even better experience on board.”

Here’s how Ingo Wuggetzer, Airbus’ VP of Cabin Marketing, describes this:

“We are extremely happy to launch the A220 Airspace cabin with Air Canada and very proud the Canadian flag carrier is introducing our latest innovation to support its fleet renewal programme. Through the introduction of the A220 Airspace cabin, we now enable a fully consistent passenger experience on all our platforms providing widebody comfort on single aisle aircraft.”

Below is what Air Canada’s A220s with the Airspace concept will look like.

Now, I should say, purely in terms of aesthetics, I don’t find the Airspace bins to be very sexy. The curved bins give the cabin a more spacious and modern feel, while the Airspace bins feel more boxy. Then again, that boxiness is what increases the capacity of these cabins. 19 more bags per flight is more important than aesthetics, right?

Bottom line

Airbus will be launching the Airspace cabin concept on the A220, with Air Canada being the launch customer, in early 2026. The most exciting development is that we’ll see the overhead bin capacity on these aircraft increase by around 15%, meaning that an A220-300 can accommodate 19 additional cabin bags.

What do you make of Airbus launching the Airspace cabin on the A220?