Airbus A330neo Certified “Beyond 180 Minutes” ETOPS by EASA

The Airbus A330-900 has been approved for ETOPS “beyond 180 minutes” by the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA). An approval for ETOPS 180 minutes was granted on November 14 of last year, which was restricted to due to issues with certification documents for the Trent 7000 options and only applied to those with fewer than 500 flight cycles.

Airbus is expecting the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), to provide certification for A330neo in the United States soon.

ETOPS, or “Extended-range Twin-engine Aircraft Operations,” is a set of regulations developed by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) to allow twin-engine aircraft to fly on longer routes previously only allowed for aircraft with more than two engines. Certification for each aircraft specifies the maximum flying time on a single engine an aircraft can be from the nearest suitable airport.

With the new certification, operators for the A330neo are now able to choose an ETOPS 285 minutes option. Routes that are currently operating on ETOPS 180 minutes regulations will be able to fly with a more direct route to allow for increased fuel efficiency.

The A330neo, or “New Engine Option,” is a redesign of the Airbus A330 to bring about increased fuel efficiency and improved economics for customers. The highlight of the design is the new engine, a Rolls-Royce Trent 7000, delivering 68,000 to 72,000 pounds of force. The engine is similar in design to the Trent 1000 offered on the Boeing 787-10 but features an electronically-controlled bleed air system. Just as the upcoming Boeing 777X is offered exclusively with the General Electric GE9X engines, the A330neo aircraft will come only with the Trent 7000 engines. Other modifications on the A330neo include new “sharklets” on the wings, optimized aerodynamics throughout the aircraft, and a redesigned cabin.

TAP Air Portugal, the launch operator for the -900neo, received the first A330-900 on November 26 of last year, with the first revenue flight being made on December 15. The airline plans to receive 15 more A330neos this year and will operate them from Lisbon to Chicago O’Hare and Washington Dulles.

The A330neo program to date has recorded a total of 238 orders, with eight orders for the -800 variant and 230 for the -900. A total of three A330-900s have been delivered so far.

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