Features: Inside Uganda Airlines Airbus A330-800 Neo Aircraft

Uganda Airlines has received its first Airbus A330-800 Neo. The Airbus landed at Entebbe International Airport on Tuesday morning. Captain Paul Etyang, flew the craft alongside a Ugandan crew from France to Entebbe.

However, Ugandans know little about the new bird the country has acquired. Entebbe Post brings you some of the features

This A330neo variant focuses more towards increased travel range. With a range of 8,150 nautical miles, the A330-800neo can seat up to 406 passengers. It also features one of the shortest runway requirements among all the new generation aircraft that makes it the best fit for smaller airlines at smaller airports.

The Airbus A330 New Engine Option (NEO) was developed by Airbus as a successor and redesigned version of the A330 airliner. The major upgrades include the new engines and other minor enhancement for the aircraft’s efficiency and a few cabin improvements.

The Airbus A330neo has two variants: A330-800neo and A330-900neo, both were announced by Airbus at the Farnborough Air Show on July 14 2014.

In October 2017, major structures of the A330-800neo entered into production. Installation of high-lift devices on the wing was done in Bremen, Germany while building of fuselage sections were done in Hamburg.

The center wing box that carries the structure of the wing was done in Nantes, France and titanium engine pylons that holds the heavy engine in Toulouse. Sharklet wingtips were from Korea.

In November 2017, final construction of the aircraft began.

On November 6 2018, A330-800neo took its maiden flight with a four hour and four-minute flight.

On February 13 2020, the aircraft was awarded the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) certification.

The A330-800neo maintained the 58.82-meter fuselage length of the A330-200, but can accommodate six more passengers with an advanced cabin that has 18-inch wide seats for economy configuration. It has an exterior height of 17.39 meters and a fuselage diameter of 5.64 meters. It has a wheelbase of 22.18 meters.

Other enhancements include increased 64-meter wingspan with A350 XWB-inspired winglets, new engine pylons and new composite sharklets. The new version is also equipped with enhanced upper ventral fairing and wing twist for adjusting lift distribution along the wing.

The A330-800neo is designed for distance as it can land at smaller runways. It was chosen by Air Greenland because of its advantage in short runway requirements.

A330-800neo Cabin

The cabin of A330-800neo presents the Airspace Cabin design that won a Best Product Launch award and was unveiled in 2016. The cabin has the newest fourth-generation In-Flight Entertainment (IFE) that features a fiber-optic backbone, hardwired for high bandwidth and Ultra High Definition (UHD) with 3D capable screens for passengers. It also has the updated in cabin management tools such as the Flight Attendant Panel (FAP) and Galley Inserts.

The toilets are designed in Space-Flex for more effective use of the rear cabin volume. It features the Person with Reduced Mobility (PRM) lavatories that helps to transfer the passenger from the wheelchair to the toilet seat through a tip-up seat mounted inside the lavatory. It also offers the Smart-Lav configuration, a new optimized lavatory design that provides more usable cabin length.

The cabin is the quietest in its category and has the newest Light-Emitting Diode (LED) lighting technology. It is also equipped with a unique welcome area for the passengers.

The A330-800neo has a cabin length of 45 meters and a width of 5.26 meters.

A330-800neo Engine and Performance

Crafted specifically for the A330neo, the aircraft is driven by two latest-generation Rolls-Royce Trent 7000-72 turbofan engines with a maximum thrust of 72,834 pounds each. It has a small, high pressure-ratio core and a fully swept wide-chord fan technology that gives it a 10% fuel consumption enhancement.

The aircraft has a maximum range of 8,150 nautical miles and has a fuel capacity of 36,740 US Gal. It can fly up to 41,450 feet and has a maximum cruise speed of 496 knots.