Aircraft
Airbus A330-800 Flies for First Time
Maiden mission comes less than a month after Kuwait Airways signed on as new launch customer
The first Airbus A330-800 takes off from Blagnac Airport in Toulouse on November 6. (Photo: Airbus)
The first Airbus A330-800 takes off from Blagnac Airport in Toulouse on November 6. (Photo: Airbus)

The first Airbus A330-800 took off Tuesday morning from Blagnac Airport in Toulouse for its maiden flight over southwestern France. The aircraft, MSN1888, will perform the dedicated flight-physics tests required for the smaller variant of the A330neo family, launched in 2014 as a more fuel-efficient replacement for the A330-200.