The Airbus A330-900 Neo Takes Off for the First Time

[Narrator] The airplane making business

is a bit like international relations

from the late 20th century, lots of players,

but only two superpowers that actually matter.

The never ending sales war waged

by Boeing and Airbus has created

a good old fashioned arms race,

and now, Airbus has launched its newest weapon.

The A330-900 NEO just completed its maiden flight,

a four hour 13 minute jaunt.

It took off from and landed at

Toulouse-Blagnac Airport in Southwestern France

where the European plane maker is based.

The twin-aisle, wide-body jet is Airbus' latest answer

to Boeing's very successful 787 Dreamliner.

This game is all about winning over profit hungry airlines

with planes that pack more people and burn less fuel.

Thanks to a retriggered cabin, this variant of the 330 NEO

will hold as many as 287 passengers.

That's a 10 seat increase over the original plane,

which launched in July 2014.

More efficient engines from Rolls Royce

should cut fuel use and drop noise levels in half.

Slightly longer wings and what Airbus calls sharklets,

those are the upturned wing tips,

should bring the efficiency gain to a whopping 14 percent.

All told, Airbus thinks it has a formula

that can win airlines away from the American's at Boeing,

but before it can start deliveries,

it has to prove the A330 NEO 900 is safe for the skies.

This maiden voyage marks the start

of the flight test campaign that'll do exactly that.

Before letting any paying passengers aboard,

Airbus test pilots will spend 1100 hours

aloft in the new jet, aiming to

secure its certification by mid 2018,

then it's time to start deliveries

and get back to preparing the next weapon

in the never ending race for aviation dominance.