Airbus launched its highly anticipated A330neo at the Farnborough Airshow on Monday.
Details are expected to be filled in at briefings later today, but what has been provided thus far largely confirms what the Wall St Journal and Reuters have been reporting for a few days. The company will go with engine maker Rolls Royce with the Trent 7000 as the sole power plant. Aerodynamically the airplane will be given new engine pylons, an increased wing size, and A350-style winglets. The company says the changes will amount to a 14% savings in operating costs over current generation A330s.
It will also give the airplane a 400 nautical mile increase in range, with first deliveries scheduled for the fourth quarter of 2017.
The move follows a late push that the carrier was making last week to line up initial orders ahead of the show. The Toulouse-based aerospace firm had been debating the timing of the announcement for several weeks prior, repeatedly couching optimism for a launch into caution that the airplane would even happen at all.
The company’s waffling on pulling the trigger goes well beyond the past few months, however. Airbus has been mulling a re-engine of the jet since as early as 2011, with a goal of pitting the jet against rival Boeing’s 787-9 and 787-10 aircraft.
We expect to update this story as new details arise. Stay tuned.
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