We were all excited to take a glimpse at the first Airbus A330neo of Cebu Pacific ever since it was ordered in 2019. We thought however that this may be delayed due to the pandemic. However, yours truly received unconfirmed information that Cebu Pacific will take delivery of its first A330-900neo this year. Well, it looks like things did go our way after pictures of Cebu Pacific’s A330-900neo finally appeared!
So how did Cebu Pacific get their A330-900 earlier than expected?
Before the CoviD-19 pandemic, Cebu Pacific was really supposed to take delivery of the A330neos starting this year, 2021. However, the target delivery date of the aircraft was pushed back while Cebu Pacific continued to take in A321neos.
So while it seemed that we were all expecting to see the country’s first A330neo in 2023, something came about. AirAsia X!
It was earlier rumored that Cebu Pacific will be taking over three AirAsia X A330-900neo which had been sitting in Toulouse for more than a year! These are frames MS 1970, MS 1973, and MS 1976. As previously posted on this same page also, Airbus wants these jets to go somewhere instead of being ramp queens. Since AirAsia X still has issues to solve financially, here is Cebu Pacific switching over to a more efficient fleet. So perhaps, it was time for Cebu Pacific to take over the aircraft and resume delivery in 2021.
Cebu Pacific’s A330-900 makes the first appearance, thanks to quick spotters
The rumor has indeed become a reality after plane spotters like A380_TLS_A350, Eurospot, and Brussels_aviator posted photos of the aircraft in metal, fully painted, with engines on! There she was, Cebu Pacific’s first A330-900neo in all her glory.
Now some are thinking that the A330-900neo is larger than Cebu Pacific’s current A330-300. While the newer A330neo is initially planned to have 460 seats as compared to the A330-300’s 436 configurations, their size in terms of the fuselage is the same. The A330-900neo is actually an A330-300 fitted with new wings, newer engines, and perhaps better avionics.
The A330-900neo makes use of new Rolls Royce Trent 7000 engines with a thrust of 68,000 to 72,000lb. It has a fuel burn of 11% less than the Rolls Royce Trent 700 engines found on the present A330-300. The A330-900 can even fly farther with a range of 13,334 km as compared to the A330-300’s 11,750 km range. The range however is also dependent on the configuration. A more dense aircraft will have a lesser range.
Will Cebu Pacific resume long-haul flights to the United States West Coast?
It had long been rumored also that Cebu Pacific wants to launch long haul low-cost flights to the United States West Coast but given the aircraft’s configuration, this is unlikely going to happen yet. The intended purpose of the A330-900neo is for the airline to be able to add capacity without having to request more slots at busy airports in the region. Of course, the A330-900neo is capable of non-stop Manila – Los Angeles flights but Cebu Pacific’s configuration is not meant for such flights.
We are excited to see the country’s first A330 in our airport. We just wonder where Cebu Pacific will use them first for the time being.
