The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has granted Airbus certification for its higher-maximum-takeoff-weight A330-900, the company said Thursday. The 251-tonne mtow allows for 650-nm boost in range – or six tonnes more payload – when compared with the A330-900’s current 242-tonne version.

This increase in range responds to evolving market needs, said Airbus, enabling airlines to benefit from missions lasting as much as 17 hours. France’s Corsair has agreed to become the first airline to operate the variant.

According to Airbus, the new mtow option makes the A330-900 “the perfect fit” for longer transpacific or Asia-Europe routes. The longer of the two A330neos, the A330-900 seats 260 to 300 passengers in a typical three-class cabin configuration. The manufacturer said certification at the new 251-tonne mtow variant of the shorter-fuselage A330-800, which holds 220 to 260 passengers in three classes, will take place next year.  

While retaining 99 percent spares commonality, Airbus managed to achieve the mtow increase achieved through a combination of weight-neutral structural reinforcements and landing gear adaptations. Modifications to the nose and main landing gear have also allowed Airbus engineers to extend the airplane’s time-before-overhaul (TBO), prolonging the previous 10-year interval to a new 12-year timeframe.