The A330neo took off on its maiden flight from Toulouse at 10 AM on 19th October. The first flight is scheduled to last for four hours.
The A330neo — the latest, re-engined addition to the Airbus widebody twin line-up — took off on its maiden flight from Toulouse at 10 AM on 19th October. The first flight is scheduled to last for four hours.
The first A330neo to fly is an A330-900, the larger variant of the family, which also comprises the A330-800. It will be joined in the flight test programme by another -900 and one -800. The three flight test aircraft are scheduled to fly a total of 1,400 hours.
Both models feature a new A350-inspired wing with Sharklet wingtip devices, Rolls-Royce Trent 7000 engines and the new AirSpace by Airbus cabin. The A330neo is targeting a reduction in fuel consumption of 14% per seat.
The A330neo offers an additional 400 nautical miles range, leading to a 6,550nm range on the A330-900 and 7,500nm on the A330-800. To date, 10 customers have announced orders for a total of 212 A330neos — almost all of which are for the larger -900 version. The -800 has logged only six orders to date.
First delivery, to TAP Portugal, is planned for mid-2018.