Airbus has landed another potential order for 50 of its revamped A330 wide-body airliner, taking commitments to buy the aircraft to 105 just a day after its official launch.
Plans to build the fuel-efficient A330neo (new engine option) were unveiled by Airbus on Monday at the Farnborough Airshow. The aircraft will feature innovative winglets designed by engineers based at the European aerospace giant’s Filton plant which cut fuel use.
Airbus immediately followed the launch announcement by revealing that it had signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) – or outline agreement – for 25 of the updated aircraft with long-standing customer Air Lease Corporation (ALC), the Los Angeles-based aircraft leasing company. 
Dublin-based global aircraft leasing firm Avolon also yesterday announced an MoU for 15 A330neo aircraft while international transportation finance group CIT Group made a firm commitment to order 15 A330-900neos.
Pictured: A computer-generated of an A330-900neo in AirAsia's livery
Yesterday low-cost operator AirAsia signed an MoU for 50 of the 310-seat A330-900neo jets. The Malaysian-based budget carrier is due to take delivery of the first aircraft in 2018. The order could be worth around $13.75bn (£8bn) at list prices.
AirAsia head and co-founder Tony Fernandes said: “We have been encouraging Airbus to launch this new version of the A330 for some time now. We are 100% sure that the A330neo will be quite unbeatable in its size category.”
AirAsia is one of Airbus’s largest airline customers with 536 aircraft on order, excluding the A330neo commitments.
The A330-900neo and slightly smaller A330-800neo will enable Airbus to compete against arch-rival Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner in the all-important long-haul market segment.
The A330neo is being offered to airlines at a discount to the 787 as, unlike the Boeing, it is to be made from traditional aluminium rather than using some lightweight composite materials. However, the winglets will be constructed from composite material.
The original A330 made its first commercial flight in 1994. Airbus has sold around 1,300 A330s and the vast majority remain in operation. It hopes to sell more than 1,000 A330neos.
