The Airbus A330-800 completed a successsful four-hour first flight on 6th November.
Airbus A330-800 development aircraft MSN1888 completed a successsful four-hour first flight on 6th November. The A330-800 is the smaller of the two members of the A330neo family, which also includes the A330-900.
The crew in the cockpit comprised: Experimental Test Pilots Malcolm Ridley and François Barre and Test-Flight Engineer Ludovic Girard. Monitoring the aircraft systems and performance in real time at the flight-test-engineer’s station were Catherine Schneider and Jose Corugedo Bermejo.
The A330-800 development programme will include around 300 flight-test hours, paving the way for certification in 2019.
The two A330neo models feature 99% commonality, having the same airframe, engines and cross-crew training. Both aircraft feature Rolls-Royce Trent 7000 engines, zero-splice nacelles, titanium pylons, new A350-inspired wings and Airspace by Airbus cabins.
The A330-900 will accommodate up to 287 seats in a typical three-class layout, while the A330-800 typically will seat 257 passengers in three classes.
The A330-900 recently completed its development testing and certification programme which validated the A330neo Family’s common engines, systems, cabin and flight & ground operations.
At the end of September 2018, the Airbus order book included 14 customers who have placed orders for a total of 224 A330neos — almost all of which are for the A330-900. Only two airlines to date have selected the A330-800: Kuwait Airways (which has ordered eight aircraft) and Uganda Airlines (two).