The newest member of the A330neo Family, the A330-800, has rolled out of the paintshop, on track for its first flight mid-2018.
The A330-800 is the new generation 250 seater from Airbus’ leading twin-aisle family. With its 242-tonne Maximum Take-Off Weight (MTOW) as a base variant, the A330-800 can operate routes of up to 7,500nm and with the recently launched 251-tonne MTOW variant, the aircraft can operate ultra-long-range routes of up to 8,150nm. The A330-800 will leverage the A330-200 proven versatility, popularity and reasons for success offering new generation economics.
Building on the success of the A330-200 with over 600 aircraft in operation, the A330-800 brings new generation economics and comfort in addition to the unprecedented range to the 250-seater aircraft market. Together with the larger 300-seater A330-900 they share 99% commonality, having the same airframe, engines and cross crew training. This gives operators a great flexibility to use either aircraft in their fleet according to network needs in size and range. Both of these widebody aircraft incorporate new Rolls-Royce Trent 7000 engines, zero-splice nacelle, titanium pylon, new wings and new Airspace by Airbus Cabin. The most visible new features of the A330neo wings are the specially developed curved wingtip Sharklets – which draw on A350 XWB technology, extending the wingspan to 64m, providing state of the art aerodynamic characteristics.
Airlines will benefit from 25% less fuel burn per seat compared to previous generation competitors, reduced maintenance costs and the A330’s market-leading 99.5% operational reliability. Passengers will enjoy the award-winning all-new Airspace cabin inspired by the A350 XWB. On top of latest generation In-flight entertainment and connectivity, passengers can look forward to a new welcoming entrance area, spacious overhead bins, mood lighting and exceptionally quiet flights.
With over 1,700 orders, the A330 is the most popular wide-body aircraft ever, having flown nearly 1,000,000 annual flights. Today, close to 1,400 aircraft have been delivered to 118 customers worldwide on a wide range of routes, from domestic and regional flights to long-range intercontinental services.