The European Aviation Safety Agency approved ETOPS (Extended-range Twin-engine Operational Performance Standards) for more than 180 minutes of the aircraft Airbus A330-900. The received approval, which already includes ETOPS 180 in the basic configuration of the A330-900, also provides for the possibility to receive the ETOPS 285 depending on the needs of the operators.
Thus, the flight distance to the nearest flying distance on one running engine can increase to 3,700 km, which will allow operators to more effectively operate their Airbus A330neo in various directions. Soon, approval is expected to be received from the United States Federal Aviation Administration.
Airbus A330neo has improved engines. This family is represented by two models, A330-800 and A330-900, designed to accommodate 257 and 287 passengers in three classes. Airplanes of the A330neo family are equipped with highly efficient Rolls-Royce Trent 7000 engines, have an improved aerodynamic contour (new A350 XWB tips and increased wingspan), and also equipped with the new cabin, which provides passengers with even more comfort in flight. Thanks to these improvements, the A330neo will reduce fuel consumption by 25% compared with the aircraft of the previous generation of this category.
In total, Airbus received more than 1,700 orders from 120 customers for aircraft of the A330 family. Currently, more than 1,400 aircraft are operated in a fleet of 120 operators around the world. In 2009, the A330-200 / 300 became the first aircraft to receive ETOPS 180. Currently, twin-engine Airbus aircraft have spent over 20 million ETOPS hours in the air, most of which are on the A330 family model.
ETOPS is an aviation acronym for Extended Range, Twin Engined, Operation, Performance, Standards. The term used to signify Extended Range Operation with Two-Engine Airplanes but the meaning was changed when regulations were broadened to include aircraft with more than two engines. This provides norms and special requirements for performing flights on a twin-engine aircraft over a non-reference terrain lasting more than 60 minutes, developed by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) in the mid-80s. According to the ETOPS standards, the route of a twin-engine aircraft must be built in such a way that it constantly resides within a certain flight time to the nearest airfield, where it would be possible to make an emergency landing in case of failure of one of the engines.
