The A330-800, the new generation 250-seater to join Airbus’s twin-aisle family, has rolled out of the paintshop on track for its first flight in mid-2018.
As the newest member of the A330neo family and with a 242-tonne Maximum Take-Off Weight (MTOW) for its base variant, the A330-800 can operate routes of up to 7,500 nm. The recently launched 251-tonne MTOW variant of the aircraft will be able to operate ultra-long-range routes of up to 8,150 nm.
Together with the 300-seater A330-900 they share 99% commonality, with the same airframe, engines and cross crew training, providing greater flexibility for operators 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.
A new feature of the A330neo wings are the specially developed curved wingtip Sharklets – which draws on the A350 XWB technology, extending the wingspan to 64m.
The manufacturer said that “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 be able to experience the latest generation IFEC, a new entrance area and mood lighting enhancements plus more spacious overhead bins and quieter flights.
