18 June 2018
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An Airbus A330-900neo aircraft in the colors of launch customer TAP Air Portugal has embarked on a worldwide tour to demonstrate its readiness for airline operations, Airbus announced Monday. The Airbus newest aircraft will arrive in Manila on the first week of July for proving flights of its longest-ranged A330. As a final step in the aircraft certification phase, function and reliability tests planned during the tour include ETOPS missions, landing at diversion airports, and testing airport handling services. The route-proving tests form part of the last trials required for type certification, expected by the end of the summer. Airbus offers the Rolls Royce powered A330-900 with an increased maximum takeoff weight of 251 tonnes, up from existing 242 tonnes, enabling it to cross the pacific. The A330-800, at 251 tonnes, can fly up to 8,150 nm with full passenger load in a three-class configuration, while the A330-900 flies as far as 7,200 nm fully loaded, or another 650 nm compared to the respective standard A330neo variants. Airbus offers the higher mtow A330neo as an option capable of doing Vancouver, Seattle, or San Francisco to Manila all year round and expects EIS in 2020. |
Most likely 5J will be interested. But I doubt PAL.
ReplyDeleteIs it due to PAL being more Intrested on the Boeing 787-10 ?
DeleteI don't think PAL are interested in the 787-10 as of the moment.
DeleteCEB uses the bulk of its A330 flights to destinations that are 4 hours or less. Only SYD and DXB fly for 8.5 hours. I doubt they'd be interested in a newer plane (A330NEO) that is LESS efficient than what they currently have (A330-300) for routes 2500nm or less. So unless they start flying to airports further than NRT from MNL again, I doubt they would be interested.
ReplyDeletePAL may consider this as they fly multiple routes 2500nm long or further, where the advantage of A330NEO would be more apparent. However, all of their A330s are less than five years old.
They may consider 5 units if they want to. This will handle Honolulu, San Fransisco or Middle East market.
DeleteIf I recall those PAL still need Additional A330-300 in its fleet since they will be used to replaced the A340-300 on Inter-Asia routes. Also why PAL never considers the A330-200?
ReplyDeletePAL at the moment has enough aircraft to suffice it's need for inter-asian routes due to it's existing A321-200s and A321neo orders. As for middle East and Asia Pacific routes (as covered by the A330s) I am thinking of maybe additional 5 this aircrafts as they originally ordered 20 A330 but reduced it to 15.
ReplyDeleteAs for CEB, they do fly to middle East. It's plausible that CEB will consider this aircraft. If ever, I hope that they will consider an economy plus in order for lesser seats and not to be a flying match box or sardine air.
CEB has discontinued most of there routes in the middle east leaving only DXB as there sole destination in the region. The other long-haul route they have is SYD and soon MEL. With the A321 both CEO and NEO arriving in there fleet they can probably allocated some of there A330s to add new destinations possible choices would be either HNL or AKL.
DeleteCEBs current A330 @ 436 pax can't reach HNL but the 251t A330-900neo with the same number of seats can.
DeleteIf CEBs current A330s will be deployed to HNL it will be required to leave almost half full @ 220-250 pax. PALs A330 is a HGW version so it is capable of HNL @309 pax.
PAL 8 Tri-Class A330-300 are 235t MTOW while the 7 Bi-Class have a MTOW of 240t. CEB have 6 235t MTOW A330 while the last 2 are 240t all there A330 have 436 seats while PAL has two variant the Tri-class 309 seats and bi-class with 368 seats. PAL will probably standardized all of its A330 to 309 seats. eventually.
DeleteActually, All of PAL's A330 is a HGW version @ 240t.
DeleteCebPac's A330 is just the standard MTOW of 235t
Well, that's what I know.