MONTREAL — Airbus SE has secured a firm order from Air France- KLM for 60 A220 aircraft – the former Bombardier C Series – to be built at the European giant’s Mirabel facility north of Montreal.

The contract for the narrow-body A220-300 includes an option for another 30 aircraft and acquisition rights. The Airbus board confirmed the news Tuesday after weeks of rumours about the passenger jet.

Based on 2018 list prices, the firm portion of the contract sits at nearly US$5.5 billion, though airlines generally negotiate big discounts.

The first plane is slated for delivery to Air France-KLM in September 2021. Operated by Air France, the A220s will replace some of the fleet’s aging A318s and A319s.

As of late June, the Airbus A220 order book counted 551 aircraft, including Delta Air Lines’ firm order for 75 A220-100s last October.

In July 2018 Bombardier sold a majority stake in the C Series aircraft program to Airbus, which renamed it the A220.