Virgin Atlantic Receives First Airbus A330neo Aircraft
Virgin Atlantic's first Airbus A330neo aircraft, which was leased from Air Lease Corporation, has been given to the airline. This is the UK-based airline's 50th Airbus aircraft. It will play a significant role in the company's fleet transformation.
Virgin Atlantic will be the first airline in the UK to use this type of aircraft. They have ordered 13 A330neo aircraft, of which six will be leased from ALC. Eventually, they want to have 16 aircraft in their fleet.
Airbus employs almost 5,000 staff at its Broughton plant, near Chester, which makes wings for all its commercial aircraft.
The A330 family is the most popular widebody aircraft ever in terms of customers and routes, and the A330neo is the most flexible airplane in the mid-to-long-range market. When compared to previous generation aircraft, the A330neo, powered by Rolls-Royce Trent 7000 engines, has double-digit lower operating costs per seat and 25% less fuel burn and carbon emissions.
It gives the pilots of Virgin Atlantic's A330 and A350 fleets the same experience, and since Virgin Atlantic already has nine state-of-the-art A350-1000 aircraft, it makes things easier for passengers as well.
The A330neo features the award-winning Airspace cabin, providing passengers with a new level of comfort, ambience, and design. This includes giving people more personal space, bigger overhead bins, a new lighting system, and the ability to offer the latest in-flight entertainment systems and full connectivity.
The A330neo, like other Airbus aircraft, has a cutting-edge cabin air system that ensures a clean and safe environment during flight. It can carry 262 passengers in three classes, including 32 upper-class seats with privacy doors and two of the carrier's new Retreat Suites.
Compared to the aircraft it replaced, the Trent 7000 uses less fuel per seat and makes less noise. It is approved to run on a 50% sustainable aviation fuel blend (SAFs). The delivery flight from Toulouse to London Heathrow used a 35% SAF blend.
Source: TheBusinessDesk
