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The A330neo series, which consists of the smaller A330-800 and the larger (and much more popular) A330-900 models, is Airbus’s newest tool when it comes to conquering the small (or at least, smaller) widebody section of the modern aviation market. Airbus data today shows that the firm has delivered almost 200, with more than 300 more still on order. However, recent deliveries have been sluggish.
Indeed, a recent report by Yahoo Finance highlighted the fact that deliveries of jets from the Airbus A330neo series actually had to be put on hold altogether for several months earlier this year. According to a source close to the matter, this was reportedly due to a tool going missing on the production line. While not a critical issue, the pause has resulted in the rollout of premium-heavy A330neos being delayed.
An Unplanned Pause
Relatively little is known about the specifics of the misplaced tool that caused next-generation Airbus A330 deliveries to face a multi-month pause earlier this year. Indeed, Yahoo Finance notes that the anonymous source who told AFP about the incident “did not identify the tool nor the production site where it was misplaced.” Likewise, Airbus has been equally reserved in terms of its public comments.
Indeed, Yahoo Finance quotes a spokesperson for the European planemaker as having said that “an isolated quality issue on an A330 horizontal tailplane” was the reason behind the pause, which ran from late May to at least late July. In any case, the issue, which the source described as “just a simple quality problem, nothing critical,” has now been resolved. Airbus then went on to say the following:
“[The quality issue] led us to inspect A330s in the production process, slowing down monthly deliveries over the summer. The root cause [has been] identified, and A330 deliveries have resumed.”
The Current State Of The Global Airbus A330neo Fleet
Airbus has received a total of 524 orders for its new A330neo series. The smaller Airbus A330-800 accounts for just 13 of these, with eight having been delivered and five still on order. Of those that have been delivered, four are flown by Kuwait Airways, two by Uganda Airlines, one by Air Greenland, and one by a private/governmental operator. The A330-900, on the other hand, has done much better.
Indeed, its customers have collectively committed to a grand total of 511 examples of the type, of which 188 have been delivered, and 323 remain on order. Delta Air Lines is this variant’s largest customer, having received 37 examples of the 53 that it has put its name down for. VietJet Air is another major customer, having bought 40 A330-900s. However, it has yet to receive any of these new widebody twinjets.
According to present scheduling data made available by Cirium, an aviation analytics company, 315 flights are scheduled with the Airbus A330-800 this month, compared to 8,667 with the A330-900. The latter’s top operators in terms of flights scheduled are Delta Air Lines (1,967), Cebu Pacific (1,064), TAP Air Portugal (938), Condor (851), ITA Airways (706), and Starlux and Malaysia Airlines (618 apiece).
The Issues Have Delayed Virgin Atlantic’s Premium-Heavy A330neo Rollout
The type’s next-largest operator is Virgin Atlantic, which has scheduled 441 flights with the Airbus A330-900 this month. As reported by Head For Points, the carrier is planning to deploy a premium-heavy layout on certain incoming A330neos. This will see it install 48 Upper Class flatbeds, 56 Premium recliners, and 128 economy seats on certain examples, for a total passenger capacity of 232 seats.
Contrastingly, its existing 262-seat layout has 32 seats in Upper Class, 46 in Premium, and 184 in economy. However, an unfortunate side effect of the delivery pause for Virgin Atlantic is that, per Head For Points, it has forced the carrier to delay the introduction of these premium-heavy jets on two US routes. Now, the type will start flying to New York (JFK) on December 5, with Atlanta following on March 5.
