Air Mauritius took delivery of its first A330-900neo aircraft this month, on lease from ALC, in Toulouse, and now Airbus UK has revealed just what it takes to build a plane of this nature.
The aircraft manufacturer has offered aviation fans a sneak peek behind the scenes in a new two-minute video of the A330-900neo being built, and it's pretty mesmerising.
The clip reveals everything from the manufacturing to the assembly line and even how they spray paint the airline's livery onto the plane body.
It's also pretty fascinating to watch as at the start they take apart the entire cabin, leaving just the wings.
Then there are the cabin interiors to be given an overhaul, as a cross section of the plane is revealed, as well as the exteriors which are given a fresh lick of paint before the final touches are added.
The new aircraft will feature a two-class cabin with 28 business class seats and 260 economy class seats.
It marks a major milestone for Air Mauritius which has become the first airline in the world to operate both the A330neo and A350 XWB.
The airline currently operates nine Airbus aircraft, of which two A350-900s, three A340-300s, two A330-200s and two A319s.
Named Aapravasi Ghat in reference to Mauritius’ history, the new carrier will serve routes between Mauritius and Europe (predominantly London and Geneva), as well as routes to India and South East Asia, and regional offerings including Johannesburg, Antananarivo and Reunion Island.
Airbus says that it currently has an order book of more than 1,700 A330 aircraft across 120 customers to date – making it the most popular widebody family.
Air Mauritius CEO Somas Appavou said in a statement: "I am delighted to welcome our first Airbus A330neo, another milestone in our fleet modernisation programme.
"The addition of two A330neos to our fleet will bring more flexibility and efficiency to our operations while supporting our network strategy.
"The A330neo offers similar levels of comfort as the A350 XWB, which has received very favourable feedback from our customers.
"I strongly believe that with the addition of the A330neo to our fleet, Air Mauritius will further reinforce its focus and emphasis on the customer who are at the very core of our business model."
Christian Scherer, Airbus Chief Commercial Officer added: "Sugar and spice and all things nice! Like its namesake, inspired by the island’s history in developing the sugar industry, their first A330neo will pioneer Air Mauritius into a whole different level of efficiency and flexibility by operating both the A330neo and the A350 XWB, our latest generation widebodies.
"Passengers will enjoy unmatched levels comfort in our award winning ‘Airspace by Airbus’ cabins on both aircraft. Well done to our trusted partner on being the world’s first airline to operate the A330neo and the A350 XWB together – a sweet combination!"
Source: Read Full Article