Airbus plans to deliver the first A330-900 to launch operator TAP Air Portugal on 26 November.
The hand-over of the first A330neo will be marked by a ceremony at the Airbus delivery centre in Toulouse.
Max Kingsley-Jones/FlightGlobal
Delivery to TAP comes much later than the early 2018 date originally scheduled, after the flight-testing programme was delayed primarily by hold-ups with the re-engined twinjet’s Rolls-Royce Trent 7000 engines.
European type certification for the A330-900 was secured in late September while Airbus expects approval from the US Federal Aviation Administration by year-end.
Airbus revealed at the first flight of the smaller A330-800 earlier this month that it has 23 A330neos “in the system for the final assembly line”. These include eight customer “heads of version” comprising TAP, Air Mauritius, Wow Air, Azul, Rwandair, Delta Air Lines, Thai AirAsiaX, and Air Senegal.
Source: Cirium Dashboard
