Aerospace giant Airbus has the Paris Air Show to launch a ‘regional’ version of its top-selling long-haul aircraft, adapted to plug a gap in the market for airlines operating popular, short-haul routes.
The firm, which designs wings for all its aircraft at Filton, said the revised A330-300 could up to carry 400 passengers on high-density shorter routes – a key market segment in the Middle East and Far East where demand for domestic air travel is soaring.
Saudi Arabian Airlines was confirmed as the first operator of the A330-300 Regional, placing an order for 20 of the new aircraft at the high-profile air show as part of a package which also included 30 single-aisle A320s – an aircraft range that has become the workhorse of the short-haul market. 
Airbus said there was “significant market opportunity” for the A330-300 Regional and Chinese airlines were also expected to place orders.
Airbus said passenger demand in Saudi Arabia was experiencing high growth on both domestic and regional routes. The A330-300 Regional would boost capacity on several of Saudi Arabian Airlines most in-demand routes.
The new aircraft will joins Saudi Arabian Airlines’ existing Airbus fleet of 12 A330-300s and 50 A320s.
Saudi Arabian Airlines director general Saleh bin Nasser Al-Jasser said: “The A330-300 Regional’s unique flexibility, high capacity and operational capabilities will enable us to expand our domestic and regional network and better absorb growing passenger traffic.
“Introducing the A330-300 Regional in our current fleet is an ideal choice and follows our previous commitment to a family of aircraft which already successfully helped us achieve our ambitions.”
The A330-300 Regional will harness technology used on Airbus’s last two new model launches – the mid-range A350 XWB (extra-wide body) and the A380 superjumbo.
Meanwhile, Airbus continued to secure new orders during the week-long air show.
Air Lease Corporation, the Los Angeles-based company that leases planes to airlines, announced a firm order for more Airbus aircraft including one A350-900 and four from the A320 short-haul family to meet strong market demand, and Garuda Indonesia signed a Letter of Intent for 30 A350 XWB aircraft to develop its medium and long-haul network. The aircraft will enable it to operate non-stop flights from Jakarta or Bali to Europe.
The European group signed a memorandum of understanding with an unnamed Asian airline for 60 of its A320neo (new engine option) short-haul aircraft family. It also booked a firm order with Vietnam airline VietJetAir for six A321s.
The VietJetAir order was signed by the airline’s president and CEO Madam Nguyen Thi Phuong Thao, who said: “Since we took delivery of our first A321 in March this year we have benefitted strongly from the additional capacity offered by the aircraft and its low operating costs.
“We are therefore placing this additional order for the A321 to meet demand on some of our most popular routes.”
VietJetAir, which launched in 2011, now owns a fleet of 25 A320 family aircraft with which it covers Vietnam and a number of destinations across Asia.
Following the latest deal, it has a total of 69 Airbus aircraft on order and also holds purchase rights for another 30 aircraft.
Airbus president and CEO Fabrice Brégier said he was pleased to see the airline renewing its confidence in the company and added: “The A320 family offers the lowest operating costs in the single aisle market and this latest order from VietJetAir further confirms the growing popularity of the A321 as the largest member of the product line.”
The A320neo aircraft family is made of updated versions of the A320 commercial jetliners featuring new more efficient engines, fuel-saving winglets and upgraded cabins.
Speaking about the Asian airline order for the A320neo, John Leahy – Airbus chief operating officer, customers – said: “Airbus welcomes this latest commitment for the A320neo family from a customer in the fast-growing Asia region.
“The A320neo is the best-selling single aisle aircraft family in the world. The neo offers airlines a unique combination of unbeatable economics and outstanding cabin comfort. It’s no wonder the A320neo family is clearly recognised as the industry benchmark in the single aisle segment.”
The aircraft range’s sharklets, also known as winglets, are innovative vertical wing tips designed to reduce drag – and so save fuel – by engineers at Airbus’s Filton plant, where it employs 4,000 people.
According to Airbus, the winglets and engines together deliver fuel savings of more than 15%, placing the aircraft among the most cost-efficient on the market.
The A320neo range has become the world’s best-selling single aisle product line with nearly 3,800 orders received from 72 customers since its launch in 2010, giving it a near 60% of the market.
The entire A320 aircraft family comes in four models – the A318, A319, A320 and A321 – and can seat between 100 to 240 passengers on domestic and long-range routes. To date, more than 11,700 aircraft in the family have been order and 6,500-plus delivered to more than 300 operators worldwide.
