Airline News
Airbus' verdict on A330 revamp coming soon
June 10th 2014
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For the second time in a decade Airbus is deliberating the revamp of its successful A330 programme. At Berlin’s ILA Air Show Airbus’s Fabrice Brégier said his skepticisms about an A330 makeover are fading as customers are showing renewed interest in the aircraft that has sold more than 1,300 times since the project’s initiation in 1987. Read More »
Not looking to develop an entirely new version of the A330, Airbus is only evaluating a re-engining of the model that would significantly lower its operating costs.
An analysis by Bank of America Merrill Lynch estimates the development costs for what might be called the “A330 neo” at US$2.7 million, and projects that Airbus could sell up to 700 of the re-engined model.
According to Airbus, a remodeled A330 would be competitive against the B787 and its own A350 because it would cost less and would be available much faster. Both the Dreamliner and the A350 are sold out through the end of the decade.
It is expected that Airbus’s Board of Directors will make a final decision on the A330 program’s destiny before the Farnborough Air Show in July.
