Newest Airbus Jet takes to the skies on maiden flight

Airbus began the maiden flight of its new A330neo jetliner this morning, the plane is an upgraded version of the A330 family and is designed to compete with the Boeing 787 Dreamliner.

The wide-bodied, long-distance jet took off at just before 9am under overcast skies, reports news agency Reuters.

Its maiden flight was watched by top executives from Airbus and Britain’s Rolls Royce, which supplies the engines.

First lift-off of an @Airbus #A330neo #A330neoFF 🛫 ! pic.twitter.com/O3HC5DZlfa

— Flight-Report (@flight_report) October 19, 2017

The initial aircraft F-WTTN is one of three to be used for flight tests and certification.

The A330neo features technology from the A350 XWB, including new engines, wings and systems as well as the ‘Airspace’ cabin.

Key features of A330neo new generation technology include Rolls-Royce Trent 7000 engines and high span wings which are made at Broughton, they incorporate optimised aerodynamics with composite ‘Sharklets’ wingtip devices.

The A330neo will offer 25% lower fuel burn than “previous generation competitors”, according to Airbus. The A330-900 is planned to receive type certification and enter service with TAP Portugal as the initial airline operator by mid 2018.