A330NEO: CONTINUITY COULD ALSO BE A DELIBERATE STRATEGY
The A330neo took another approach to renewal: a mature widebody platform with new engines, aerodynamic changes and the Airspace cabin. Airbus delivered the first A330-900 to TAP Air Portugal on 26 November 2018. Its account identifies Rolls-Royce Trent 7000 engines and a higher-span wing with new Sharklets. This was more than a new label, while still exploiting the experience and commonality of the existing A330 family. [197, First delivery; engines, wing and Airspace cabin; 26 November 2018]
Delivery was followed by revenue service. Safran records the first passenger flight on 15 December 2018, from Lisbon to Sao Paulo. Those dates illustrate a recurrent trap in aircraft histories: a delivery photograph does not automatically show the start of commercial operations. They also put the neo idea in perspective. A new engine option can sit inside a wider package of changes; the word itself is not a complete technical description. [198, First revenue flight, 15 December 2018; Lisbon-Sao Paulo]
TAP's first A330-900 at its November 2018 delivery event. Delivery preceded the first revenue flight. Photograph: Airbus / Alexandre Doumenjou - Master Films. [197]
A TAP A330-900 with its Trent 7000 engines and revised wingtip. Airbus' delivery gallery illustrates the neo development. Photograph: Airbus / Alexandre Doumenjou - Master Films. [197]