“The solution provides reliable long range communications for FANS and ACARS messages and ETOP operations in addition to voice and data Airline Administrative (AAC) Communications using the high reliable Iridium [constellation] with global coverage. The AOC messages are used by airlines to improve operational efficiency,” the L3Harris representative said. A220 operators or airlines purchasing the former C Series aircraft will now be able to use the AFIRS system for air traffic safety voice, future air navigation system and airlines operations control over Aircraft Communications Addressing and Reporting System (ACARS), the L3Harris representative said. The new satcom option is also the latest of several program updates for the Airbus A220 over the last year. Airbus officially started manufacturing its first A220s built in the U.S. on August 5, 2019. The first U.S.-made A220 – an A220-300 destined for Delta Air Lines – is scheduled for delivery in the third quarter of 2020. By the middle of the next decade, Airbus expects the facility to produce between 40 and 50 A220s per year. Airbus also added CATIII autoland certification to the A220’s European type certification in November 2018, several months prior to Delta Air Lines becoming the first U.S. carrier to start passenger-carrying flights with the aircraft.