[Avionics Magazine 07-01-2016] Tibet Airlines has received its first widebody aircraft, an A330-200 with increased 242-ton maximum take-off-weight (MTOW), following a handover in Toulouse, France. The increased MTOW, the first A330-200 in China, allows airlines to operate from the most demanding high altitude airports where take off performance, additional range and improved operating costs are key.
Tibet Airlines A330. Photo: Airbus.
The aircraft is configured in a three-class cabin layout (12 business, 32 premium economy, 235 economy) and has been deployed by Tibet Airlines to open up new international routes.
Tibet Airlines currently operates an all-Airbus fleet comprising of 14 A319s and 2 A320s. The airline is famous for its high-altitude operations with its operating base at Lhasa Airport which is at over 3,500 meters altitude. With the proven performance of Airbus narrow body, especially the A319 in high-altitude airports, Tibet Airlines has been successfully connecting Tibet with more domestic cities like Beijing and Shanghai. The A330 is the first widebody equipped with the Required Navigation Performance with Authorization Required (RNP-AR) and the only widebody airliner today flying over Tibet’s sky.