Airbus A330-900 MSN1795 registration F-WTTNwhich the company uses for testing on the A330neo platform, recently flew to Toluca, in Mexico, and then to La Paz, in Bolivia. There he carried out a test campaign hot & high which lasted two weeks. With these, it demonstrated its performance in high-altitude and high-temperature airport environments.
Toluca airport is located at an altitude of 9,186 feet (2,800 m), while La Paz airport is at 13,300 feet (4,054 m). Bolivia’s extremely hot climate and altitude have made it an ideal location for Airbus to test the design limits of its aircraft under these operating conditions. Tests hot & high They are carried out due to the impact that these variables have on the performance of the aircraft.: warm air is less dense, which decreases the lift generated by the wings and the thrust generated by the engines (both because they move less air mass per second and because of the impossibility of burning the greatest amount of fuel per second).
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This campaign marks the first time that the A330-900 has operated from airports so high. The goal: to benefit airline customers whose networks require such operations, expanding the range of airports from which the A330neo can operate.
So far, the A330neo has been certified to operate at airports up to 8,000 feet. Upon approval – potentially by the first quarter of 2025 – the aircraft will be able to operate at airports up to 12,500 feet in elevation. Among others, it will enable operations in China, Tibet (e.g. Lhasa), Central and South America (e.g. Bogotá, Toluca, Quito and Mexico) and Africa (e.g. Addis Ababa).
Testing primarily focused on evaluating takeoff and landing performance. The aircraft has also performed local flights to evaluate approach and climb performance. Other tests have included multiple engine starts, low-speed taxiing and aborted takeoffs. A team of around 40 Airbus experts has participated in the campaign. According to the manufacturer, the first results indicate good performance and behavior of both the aircraft and its Trent 7000 engines.
