Airbus and its rival Boeing offered customarily divergent takes on the prospects for the A330neo during the ISTAT Europe conference in Istanbul today.
Boeing vice-president marketing Randy Tinseth suggests Airbus was wrong to build the A330 aircraft in the past and is wrong again with the A330neo.
"It is a 1970 fuselage which is heavy and was abandoned for the A350 family. The wing was built in the 1980s while the Boeing 787 engine is not optimised for the A330neo," says Tinseth.
Airbus chief operating officer for customers John Leahy responds: "I am glad that they are not paying much attention in Seattle."
Leahy justifies the launch of the re-engined twin-aisle aircraft with the argument that the A330-900neo will consume 12% less fuel per trip versus its competition.
"Our aircraft are equipped with the wing re-twist. We have also added 3.7 metres to the wing to improve aerodynamics. This has pushed up efficiency by 4%," he says.
Leahy says the powerplant gets an 11% saving from the wing modification. Drag adds 1% to fuel consumption and the weight of a bigger engine adds 2%, but sharklets bring a 4% improvement via aerodynamic optimisation.
He claims the A330neo and 787s have similar range performance, but the Airbus products have better economics and comfort.
"Personally I rather sit in a 18-inch seat than a 16.9-inch seat," he adds.
Leahy says that since its launch the A330neo has won 127 orders from seven customers.
"We are negotiating with four more customers right now and I hope to announce orders by the end of the year," he adds.
Source: Cirium Dashboard
