German leisure airline Condor takes delivery of its first A330neo

German Airline Condor Flugdienst GmbH has taken delivery of its first A330-900 widebody aircraft out of an order of 16 A330neo aircraft. 

The A330neo will replace previous generation aircraft in their fleet to reduce Condor’s operating costs as well as fuel consumption and CO2 emissions by 25 percent. 

Condor’s A330neo will offer unrivalled passenger comfort and will accommodate 310 passengers, featuring 30 seats in Business, 64 seats in Premium Economy and 216 seats in Economy class.

The A330neo features the award-winning Airspace cabin, providing passengers with a high level of comfort, ambience and design. This includes offering more personal space, larger overhead bins, a new lighting system, and the ability to offer the latest in-flight entertainment systems and full connectivity. As with all Airbus aircraft, the A330neo also features a state-of-the-art cabin air system ensuring a clean and safe environment during the flight.

Condor has selected in July 2022 the A320neo Family to modernise its Single-Aisle-fleet. By operating the A320neo and A330neo aircraft side by side, Condor will benefit from the commonality economics these two aircraft Families offer.

 

The A330neo is the new generation version of the popular A330 widebody. Incorporating the latest generation Rolls-Royce Trent 7000 engines, new wings and a range of aerodynamic innovations, the aircraft offers a 25 percent reduction in fuel consumption and CO2 emissions. The A330-900 is capable of flying 7 200 nm / 13 334 km non-stop.

At the end of November, the A330 Family had registered a total of over 1,700 firm orders of which 275 are A330neos from 24 customers.

Condor A330neo performs successful test flight

Ready for takeoff: The first of the 18 new Condor A330-900neo long-haul aircraft took off yesterday on its first test flight. At around 1:30 p.m. local time, the aircraft, which will in future be identified as D-ANRA and painted in stripes of the colour " Island," took off from Toulouse. During the test flight over the Pyrenees and the Atlantic coast, which lasted several hours, all tests were successfully completed and the aircraft landed safely back in Toulouse. The first Condor A330neo will go on route later this year, with Mauritius and the Maldives among its first destinations.

From the end of this year, the first factory-new Airbus A330neo will join the Condor fleet. This will be followed by the rollover of the entire short- and medium-haul fleet from 2024. With the 2-litre aircraft on long-haul routes and ultra-modern short- and medium-haul aircraft in the A32Xneo family, Condor is consistently focusing on state-of-the-art technology, maximum efficiency and the highest level of customer comfort and will have one of the greenest fleets in all of Europe.

STARLUX launches widebody fleet with first A330neo

Taiwan’s STARLUX Airlines has taken delivery of its first widebody aircraft - an A330-900. It is the first of 26 Airbus widebodies set to join the airline’s fleet, comprising eight A330neo and 18 A350s. 

The A330neo aircraft and one A350 are being acquired on lease from ALC, while the airline has 17 A350s on direct order with Airbus. Benefiting from the A330neo’s unbeatable operating economics and award-winning Airspace cabin, the aircraft will feature a two-class cabin with 28 business class seats and 269 economy class seats. 

The A330neo joins an existing fleet of seven single-aisle A321neo at the airline and will complement the airline’s network by flying regional routes from Taiwan to the wider Asia-Pacific.

At the same time, STARLUX has also signed up for the computer-based ACE (Airbus Cockpit Experience) Suite training solution. Using a “learning by discovery” approach, STARLUX’s flying crew will be able to use the ACE Trainer that simulates a 3D Cockpit environment with guided lessons and free play. 

ACE Suite offers an efficient learning process that also provides customers with significant time savings off high-level devices training. Users can enjoy better knowledge retention and continuous skills reinforcement. ACE Suite is approved by EASA and in line with ICAO regulations. 

“I am delighted to welcome our first A330neo, as it marks a key milestone in our growth. Having already operated modern and efficient single-aisle A321neo, we are confident that the A330neo will bring even more flexibility and efficiency in our network strategy, whilst optimising cost efficiency and achieving high passenger comfort,” K.W. Chang, Founder and Chairman of STARLUX Airlines. “We are also looking forward to starting to take delivery of our A350s in the coming months.” 

“We are excited to work closely with STARLUX to build their new fleet,” said Christian Scherer, Airbus Chief Commercial Officer. “Together the A321neo, A330neo and A350 will enable the carrier to benefit from the unique technical commonality and efficiency offered by our latest generation aircraft. In addition, they offer the best levels of comfort in their respective size categories, which will be a key element for STARLUX in delivering its premium in-flight experience.”

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ALC orders 111 Airbus aircraft - 25 A220-300s, 55 A321neos, 20 A321XLRs, 4 A330neos and 7 A350Fs

Air Lease Corporation has signed a Letter of Intent covering all Airbus Families, highlighting the power of the company’s full product range. The agreement is for 25 A220-300s, 55 A321neos, 20 A321XLRs, four A330neos and includes seven A350Fs. The order which will be finalised in the coming months, makes the Los Angeles based ALC one of Airbus’ largest customers and lessor with the biggest A220 order book. Founded in 2010, ALC has ordered a total of 496 Airbus aircraft to date.

With this order, ALC and Airbus are launching a multi-million dollar ESG fund initiative that will contribute towards investment into sustainable aviation development projects that will in the future be opened to multiple stakeholders from the aircraft leasing and financing community and beyond.

Joint creation of a sustainability fund to foster industry decarbonisation solutions

“This new order announcement is the culmination of many months of hard work and dedication by both organizations to optimize and fine-tune the size and scope of this large aircraft transaction in view of the rapidly growing global airline demand to modernize their jet fleets through the ALC leasing medium,” said Steven F Udvar-Hazy, Executive Chairman of Air Lease Corporation. “After lengthy and detailed consultations with several dozen of our strategic airline customers around the world, we are focusing this comprehensive order on the most desirable and in-demand aircraft types, covering the A220, A321neo, A330neo and A350 families. ALC is an international Market Leader in each of these categories of the most modern Airbus product lineup. These multi-year additions of new technology aircraft assets to ALC’s expanding portfolio will allow us to grow our revenues and profitability while satisfying our airline customer requirements.”

German holiday airline Condor selects the Airbus A330neo

German airline Condor Flugdienst GmbH has chosen the A330neo to renew its long-haul fleet with plans to introduce 16 aircraft of this new and more efficient type. The airline has signed an agreement with Airbus for the purchase of seven Airbus A330neo, and intends to lease a further nine.

Condor is the latest airline to order Airbus’ state-of-the-art A330neo widebody aircraft, bringing a step-change in performance and economics. The airline will operate the A330neo on its international long-haul network to the Americas, Africa, the Caribbean and Asia.

“Condor excels in operating profitably many routes no other carrier is able to; we are proud to see a demanding airline such as Condor selecting our latest-technology A330neo as the aircraft of choice, building the future of their widebody fleet in the relentless pursuit of lowest operating costs and passenger comfort,” said Christian Scherer, Airbus Chief Commercial Officer and Head of International. “By operating the A320 and A330neo aircraft side by side, the airline will benefit from all the commonality economics these two premium products offer, with the embedded flexibility to address new and existing markets with the right-sized, right-efficiency aircraft.” 

Cleaner & more efficient: the A330neo first to receive green-light for post-2028 environmental regulations

Cleaner & more efficient: the A330neo first to receive green-light for post-2028 environmental regulations

The A330-900 (Neo) has become the first large airliner to be certified by *EASA for *ICAO’s new CO2 emissions standard. With this milestone, not only is Airbus the first manufacturer to receive such certification for any commercial aircraft world-wide, but this also demonstrates that the aircraft which Airbus produces today, and will continue to produce well into the future, will comply with foreseeable CO2 regulations.

The new requirement, adopted in 2017, has been developed by the UN’s ICAO Committee on Aviation Environmental Protection (CAEP) and is now being cascaded to certifying airworthiness authorities worldwide. Moreover, it complements existing aircraft noise and engine emissions standards and will be applicable both to New Type-Certified aircraft and to In-Production aircraft. By January 2028 all aircraft being produced will need to comply with the ICAO CO2 standard. Existing in-service aircraft, meanwhile, are being covered by separate environmental measures.

Dakar to New York route coming soon from Air Senegal

The small West African airline Air Senegal has confirmed it will be starting a service from its home base of Dakar to New York's JFK airport this coming September.

The airline is going to be using an Airbus A330-900neo on the route, that will continue on to Washington Dulles Airport from 2nd September.  The new jet features 32 lie-flat seats in business class, 21 seats in premium economy cabin and 237 seats in economy.

In addition to onboard wifi, passengers will be able to take advantage of an impressive 46kg - two-piece - baggage allowance and other benefits the airline has put in place.

Ibrahima Kane, Managing Director of Air Senegal, said: "It is with great pleasure that we announce a new year-round link between Senegal and the United States of America, which is part of the strategic expansion of our intercontinental network. In addition, the United States remains a high priority market for our well-represented diaspora in the area. With this flight, Air Senegal will make the USA even more accessible, and thus better connectivity will strengthen strong economic and socio-cultural ties between the USA and Senegal."

The return flight has been timed to offer connections to Ziguinchor, Cap Skirring, Banjul, Conakry, Praia, Abidjan, Nouakchott, Bamako Cotonou, Douala, Libreville and Casablanca.

Air Senegal's current schedule.

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Airbus’ new weight variant A330neo makes its first flight

More range and even better economics: these are the key attributes of Airbus’ increased maximum take-off weight A330neo variant, which flew for the first time on Friday 28th February.

Benefitting from a maximum take-off weight increase to 251 tonnes, the A330neo offers a significant 650-nautical mile boost in range – or six tonnes more payload – when compared to the A330neo’s current 242-tonne version. This increase in range responds to evolving market needs, enabling airlines to benefit from the unique economics of the A330neo on even longer routes.

Taking to the skies for the first time this afternoon from Toulouse, France, was the 251-tonne A330-900 – which provides the perfect fit for longer trans-Pacific or Asia-Europe routes. The A330-900 is the longer-fuselage A330neo version, seating 260-300 passengers in a typical three-class cabin configuration.

Delta adding 2 more efficient A330-900neos to fleet

Delta has reached an agreement with Air Lease Corporation (ALC) to lease two new Airbus A330-900neo aircraft set for delivery in the fourth quarter of 2020 and the first quarter of 2021. These aircraft will be powered by Rolls-Royce Trent 7000 engines.

"These two incremental aircraft represent an opportunistic play to fulfil our near-term widebody aircraft needs for our customers and employees as older generation aircraft are retired and to support measured growth in 2021," said Greg May, Delta's Senior Vice President – Fleet and Technical Procurement. "We're also pleased that the engines on these aircraft will be maintained by Delta TechOps professionals through our partnership with Rolls-Royce."

Delta adding 2 more efficient A330-900neos to fleet

Delta has reached an agreement with Air Lease Corporation (ALC) to lease two new Airbus A330-900neo aircraft set for delivery in the fourth quarter of 2020 and first quarter of 2021. These aircraft will be powered by Rolls-Royce Trent 7000 engines.

“These two incremental aircraft represent an opportunistic play to fulfil our near-term widebody aircraft needs for our customers and employees as older generation aircraft are retired and to support measured growth in 2021,” said Greg May, Delta’s Senior Vice President – Fleet and Technical Procurement. “We’re also pleased that the engines on these aircraft will be maintained by Delta TechOps professionals through our partnership with Rolls-Royce.”

Separately, Delta has made an agreement with Airbus to accelerate three planned A330-900neo deliveries, with two arriving in the fourth quarter of 2020 and another in the first quarter of 2021. As a result, Delta expects to take delivery of seven total A330-900neo aircraft in 2020.

In July, Delta was the first U.S. airline to operate the next-generation A330-900neo on Seattle service to Shanghai, which offers the latest in innovative design and technology for customers. Featuring the Delta One suites, Delta Premium Select, Delta Comfort+ and Main Cabin, the jet is also the first Delta aircraft to feature memory foam cushions throughout the aircraft for hours of comfort. Additionally, it’s the first Delta widebody aircraft to feature its new wireless in-flight entertainment system in every seat.

In September, the aircraft debuted on Seattle service to Seoul-Incheon and on October 27 will begin Seattle flying to Tokyo-Narita. 

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Aircalin takes delivery of its first of two A330neo aircraft

Aircalin takes delivery of its first of two A330neo aircraft

New Caledonia’s Aircalin has taken delivery of its first of two A330-900 at a delivery ceremony in Toulouse, France, with the second aircraft joining the fleet later in 2019, replacing its existing two A330s. Aircalin is also a customer for the A320neo and will replace its existing two A320s to become an operator of two A330-900s and two A320neos.

Aircalin’s A330neos are configured in a comfortable three-class layout with 291 seats or 25 more seats than its existing smaller A330-200s. These include 26 business, 244 economy and for the first time, premium economy with 21 seats.

Lion Air becomes first A330neo operator in the Asia-Pacific region

Indonesian carrier Lion Air has received its first A330-900, becoming the first airline from the Asia-Pacific region to fly the A330neo. The aircraft is on lease from BOC Aviation and is the first of 10 A330neos set to join the airline’s fleet.

The A330neo will be used by Lion Air for non-stop long-haul services from Indonesia. These include pilgrimage flights from cities such as Makassar, Balikpapan and Surabaya to Jeddah and Medina in Saudi Arabia. The flight time for such routes can be up to 12 hours.

Delta launches A330-900neo service

Delta's newest widebody aircraft – the Airbus A330-900neo – will begin operations today, with flight DL589 flying from Seattle to Shanghai. As the first North American airline to operate this aircraft type, Delta will use its A330-900neo aircraft for flights connecting Seattle with Seoul beginning Oct. 1 and Tokyo-Narita beginning Oct. 27.

The aircraft launch nearly doubles the premium seat offerings from Seattle to top Asian markets and is the latest in a series of investments Delta has made as it marks the five-year anniversary of its Sea-Tac hub.

"We're transforming the airline customer experience on a global scale and this new aircraft is the latest example of our commitment to our international customers," said Steve Sear, Delta's President — International and E.V.P. — Global Sales. "This state-of-the-art aircraft will provide the latest amenities, entertainment and technology to our customers as they journey to destinations worldwide on Delta's expanding global network."

Delta adds first Airbus A330-900neo to its fleet

Delta's first A330-900neo, Ship 3401, left the Airbus Delivery Centre in  Toulouse, France yesterday, jetting its way across the Atlantic heading to Delta's Technical Operations Center in Atlanta. There, further work will commence to officially bring the aircraft into the airline's fleet.

In partnership with Airbus, Delta is flying the delivery flight with​ a synthetic jet fuel and is exploring opportunities with Airbus to power future delivery flights with similar fuels.

Customers will first see the aircraft on trans-Pacific flights from Delta's Seattle hub later this summer, with the experience featuring:

A modern, luxurious interior with all four branded seat products — Delta One suites, Delta Premium Select, Delta Comfort+ and Main Cabin

Thoughtful touches like in-seat power ports, full-spectrum LED ambient lighting, spacious overhead bins, and memory foam cushions throughout the aircraft for added comfort

Thousands of hours of complimentary entertainment via seatback entertainment screens, powered by a new wireless IFE system from Delta Flight Products

High-speed 2Ku internet connectivity, including free mobile messaging through iMessage, WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger

Delta has a total of 35 purchase commitments for the A330-900neo as older 767-300ERs retire in the years ahead at the end of their serviceable life cycle.

The first A330-900neo for Delta took to the skies this week.....

Delta's first A330-900neo made its initial test flight Wednesday morning, sporting its signature Delta livery in the skies above southern France. 

This marks an important milestone for the aircraft, with delivery to Delta expected later this spring.

Air Asia shows off new Airbus A330-900neo

Fresh from the paint shop.  Photo Air Asia

The budget carrier Air Asia has been keen to show off its latest Airbus aircraft at the European manufacturers Toulouse base last week.

AirAsia has released this image of the Airbus A330-900neo aircraft leaving the Airbus paint shop in Toulouse, France.  The new aircraft is expected to enter service in late June 2019, when it will become the first-ever Airbus A330neo to join the AirAsia fleet.

Watch a time-lapse video of the aircraft getting painted below.