14 July 2014

Airbus officially launched the latest enhancement to its medium-range widebody A330 Family: the A330neo (new engine option) program. The A330neo program comprises two versions—the A330-800neo and A330-900neo—which incorporate new Rolls-Royce Trent 7000 engines, along with aerodynamic improvements and the latest in the company’s cabin technology to provide enhanced operating economics.

The A330-800neo retains the current-production A330-200’s fuselage length, while the A330-900neo uses the longer fuselage of the A330-300.

We worked out a solution that keeps the maturity, keeps the simplicity, keeps all that the customers like about the A330 Family—and on top improves the fuel-burn per seat by 14%.

—Airbus President and CEO Fabrice Brégier

Airbus anticipates selling 1,000 A330neo aircraft.
In addition to the fuel-burn reduction, A330neo operators will benefit from up to 400 nautical miles of additional range, along with decreased maintenance costs compared to in-production A330 versions.

Airbus has also further optimized the cabin, allowing for up to 10 more seats on the A330-900neo and six additional seats for the A330-800neo version, while maintaining the company’s 18-inch-wide seat standard in economy class.

With this increased seating, the A330-900neo will offer seating capacity for up to 310 passengers, with the shorter-fuselage A330-800neo accommodating up to 252 travellers.

Drawing on the Airbus family aircraft concept, the A330neo shares more than 95% spares commonality with existing A330 jetliners, while also taking advantage of the latest technology from across the company’s product line. These enhancements include new A350 XWB style winglets; 3.7 meters of additional wingspan—which still meets Category E airport requirements—and new engine pylons for 4% aerodynamic improvements; and cabin innovations such as full-LED mood lighting and Wifi connectivity to deliver superior passenger comfort.

Airbus also will draw on lessons learned from the successful development of the single-aisle new engine option A320neo, planning an ambitious 42-month program for the A330neo jetliner from its launch to the targeted first A330neo delivery in the fourth quarter of 2017.