Airbus Launches A330NEO

 14 July 2014

Airbus has launched the newest variant of the A330 family with new engines, the A330-800 and A330-900 expected to carry between 250 and 300 passengers following a decision by the Board of Directors of the Group.

The new variant which is larger than the current A330-200 and A330-300 will exclusively incorporate a larger wing, a latest generation Rolls-Royce Trent 7000 engines, aerodynamic enhancements and new cabin features.

The A330neo will reduce fuel consumption by 14% per seat, as compared to the current A330 model making it the most cost efficient, medium range wide-body aircraft on the market. A330neo operators will also benefit a range increase of up to 400 nautical miles from the existing variant at 6100nm.

Airbus expects to achieve a range of 6,200nm with its 242 ton A330-900, which will be the first re-engined variant to enter the market in 2017, while the -800 will be able to reach 7,450nm.



The A330-900s will have a maximum landing weight of 191t while that for the -800neo will be 186t.

The aircraft is expected to compete against the Boeing 787-800s  to be sold at a significant discount than their composite skin counterparts.

Air Lease will be the launch customer of the aircraft after it ordered 25 units of the plane at the Farnborough Airshow in England slated for delivery to the airline in 2018. Deliveries of the A330neo will start in Q4 2017.

In addition to the new Rolls-Royce Trent 7000 engines, the A330neo will feature incremental innovations such as re-twisted wing and optimised slats, including composite ‘A350 XWB inspired’ winglets and a wing span extension from 60.3m to 64m, will together confer increased lift and reduced drag.

Pilots will benefit from latest generation cockpit systems, and the already very comfortable A330 cabin will be further optimised to offer up to ten additional 18 inch wide seats.

The new plane will also have a built-in  including 4^th-generation High-Definition In-Flight Entertainment (IFE), and wifi connectivity plus the same full-LED mood-lighting as in the A330’s big brother – the A350 XWB. The LED cabin lighting will be lighter and cheaper to maintain than traditional illumination while offering unlimited mood-lighting customisation scenarios.