Airbus’ fi rst A330neo is coming to life one year after the programme was launched, with the fi rst ‘cutting of metal’ underway at its production facilities in Toulouse and Nantes. Machining of the first engine pylon started during the summer at Airbus’ facility in Saint-Eloi (Toulouse), while Airbus’ Plant in Nantes began production of the fi rst A330neo centre wing box.

Th e fi rst A330neo Centre Wing Box rib 1 produced in Nantes uses an innovative Isogrid design with 330 triangular pockets, which enables the part to meet all our rigidity, strength and low weight requirements.

Th e all-new pylon produced in Saint- Eloi is a key element in the A330neo’s innovative design, attaching the latest generation, fuel-efficient Trent 7000 engines to the wings. Made out of lightweight titanium, the A330neo pylon uses cutting-edge aerodynamics, materials and design technologies derived from the A350 XWB. The A330neo pylon will be fi tted with a new A350 XWB inspired fairing made from composite materials and titanium for ensuring optimised aerodynamics.

The A330-800neo and the A330- 900neo are two new members of the Airbus Widebody Family with first deliveries scheduled to start in Q4 2017.