The first 242 tonne Maximum Take-Off Weight (MTOW) variant of the Airbus A330 widebody jetliner has successfully completed its maiden f...
The first 242 tonne Maximum Take-Off Weight (MTOW) variant of the Airbus A330 widebody jetliner has successfully completed its maiden flight.
During the flight, a five-person crew – comprised of Captain Thierry Bourges and First Officer Jean-Louis Rabilloud, along with flight test engineers Joan Andre and Gert Wunderlich and test flight engineer Alain Pourchet– checked the jetliner’s flight control system and validated its flight envelope.
The increased weight A330 landed back in Toulouse-Blagnac Airport following a 3 hours and 30 minutes flight.
The increased takeoff weight A330-300’s flight test campaign, will involve some 15 total hours aloft to confirm its new aerodynamic package and performance.
The A330 242 tonne MTOW is the platform for the future A330neo (new engine option) version – which will incorporate new Rolls-Royce Trent 7000 powerplants and is concrete example of Airbus’ incremental innovation strategy.
The newest enhancement offers more capability at lower operating cost with a range extended by up to 500 nautical miles and up to two percent reduced fuel consumption while also benefiting from operational reliability of above 99 percent. The 242 tonne MTOW is capable of flying missions up to 15 hours.
The variant launch customer is U.S.-based Delta Air Lines, which is scheduled to take delivery of its first aircraft in the second quarter of this year. The shorter-fuselage A330-200 in the 242-tonne configuration is planned to enter commercial service in early 2016.
In addition to Delta Air Lines, eleven customers worldwide have already selected this option since the launch in November 2012.
