Designated the MS1795, the first of three A330neo family development aircraft to fly lands at France’s Toulouse-Blagnac Airport after its high-profile maiden flight. Photo courtesy of Airbus
The first of three A330neo family development aircraft has taken flight, the manufacturer said. MSN1795, an A330-900 variant, flew for 4 hours 13 minutes before landing at Toulouse-Blagnac Airport in France. It was powered by Rolls-Royce Trent 7000 turbofans.
“Today’s first flight of the A330neo marks yet another milestone along the Airbus journey of continuous innovation,” said Fabrice Brégier, Airbus COO and President of Airbus Commercial Aircraft. “We look forward to a successful flight test campaign and entry into service of the A330neo in 2018.”
Airbus hopes to receive EAA and FAA type certification mid-2018. The company is also allocating 300 flight hours for the A330-800 certification flight test program.
TAP Portugal is the launch operator. Airbus said 12 customers in total have placed orders for 212 A330neos.