With orders for its related A330 twin-jet and A340 quad-jet designs now approaching 1,500, Airbus is continuing to invest in the two twin-aisle types. Improvements across the family range have included "A340-600-technology" flight-deck, cabin, systems, and structures upgrades in the early part of this decade. Now, it is planning enhanced extended-range twin-engine operations (ETOPS) performance, lower drag, improved A330-200 payload range performance under a higher maximum take-off weight (MTOW), increased maintenance intervals, and new cargo-loading system (CLS), according to A330/A340 product-marketing director Alan Pardoe.

Check out Aviation Today’s Paris Air Show Microsite here and AT Blogs here in which John Persinos covers the big Paris story no one is talking about – Airbus eclipsing Boeing in orders and what it means.

Airbus expects to receive approval for 240-minute ETOPS services with the A330-200 by 2010. The increase will facilitate operations on routes such as Johannesburg-Perth, Sydney-Mauritius, or Jakarta-Durban that are not possible under 180-minute provisions. The upgrade covers aircraft with Honeywell or Thales flight-management systems and will be available on increased MTOW aircraft.

The European manufacturer will provide improved performance on A340-500 and -600 models entering service from year's end. Modified upper-belly fairings that smooth airflow around the center wing box will improve local pressure distribution on inboard wing surfaces. Resultant lower drag is expected to improve cruise speed by about 1%, and the upgrade will be available for retrofit via a service bulletin.

From September next year, new A330-200s will offer an MTOW of about 525,000lb, allowing operators to carry approximately 7,500lb more weight over a 4,900-nmi range or fly an extra 330nmi at current weights (an extended range of about 7,270nmi. There will be no increase in aircraft basic empty weight, Pardoe saying the increase arises from "re-examining and 'playing with' existing margins." Available as a retrofit to A330-200s built in the past five years, the additional distance is claimed to put the aircraft on a par with early-production Boeing 787-8s.

Under the most-recent maintenance review board report, A330/A340 maintenance-inspection schedules have been revised with approval of European and North American airworthiness regulators. Intervals between "A" checks have been extended from 600 to 800 flight hours and for "C" checks from 18 to 21 (or 24) months; these periods compare with respective service-entry intervals of 400 flight hours and 15 months. There is no change to "intermediate" check intervals, but the original ten-year interval between structural (or "heavy") inspections has been increased to 12 years.
According to Airbus, the extension reduces "A" checks from seven/year to five for aircraft with typical annual utilisation of 4,400 flight hours, while less-frequent "heavy" inspections allow airlines to synchronise such events with "intermediate" checks. Pardoe says the move means "a reduction of one 'heavy' check in the aircraft life," while overall the new schedule reduces direct maintenance costs by up to 6%.

Finally, a new A330/A340 lower-deck CLS, launched by Russian carrier Aeroflot, is a product of long-term analysis of in-service experience, says Pardoe. The improved CLS, which involves redesigned parts and fewer maintenance tasks, uses additional power-drive units that offer "very low" roller wear and an improved ball-mat design.

The 1,000th example of the A330/A340 family having been rolled out earlier this year, Airbus has a backlog comprising 400+ orders. Singapore Airlines and Swiss have recently joined five Middle East operators as new A330-300 customers or as carriers replacing Boeing 777s (or smaller A330-200s).

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