EK and the A330 NEO?
According to most aviation publications, Airbus is going to announce the development of an A330NEO program with updated RR engines at the Farnborough Airshow in two weeks from now.
This A330NEO will be offered in two variants (mirroring the -200 and -300 series) and could be ready by as early as 2016.
With the cancellation of the A350 orders, is there a chance that EK will surprise us by ordering this revamped A330s?
There's routes that, at least at the moment, don't justify a B777. EK could go for the -300 variant and would already have crews and ground staff trained. Deliveries could start in about 2 years and could replace aging A330s. Fuel burn is rumored to be almost as good as a B787 (per pax) on most routes and Airbus would sell it at a very discounted price.
Any thoughts?