First New Aircraft Type in 14 Years for Northwest

Northwest Airlines has unveiled its first Airbus A330 wide-body aircraft. While Northwest has taken delivery of 193 new mainline airplanes since 1989, the A330 is the first entirely new aircraft type to join the airline's fleet in 14 years. The A330 also marked the debut of new seats in Northwest's World Business Class and coach class cabins, as well as new in-flight entertainment systems.

"The A330 will allow us to both grow our revenues and lower our costs," said Richard Anderson, chief executive officer. "The A330 will equip Northwest with the customer comforts and amenities necessary to compete for today's sophisticated international traveler, and simultaneously enable Northwest to take another important step to contain our costs through reduced operating expenses and expanded fleet commonality."

The exterior and interior of aircraft number N3302, a -300 model of the A330 in Northwest's new livery, was shown to members of the media at the airline's wide-body hangar in Detroit. The A330 will officially enter commercial service at Northwest in September on flights between the carrier's Detroit WorldGateway and Amsterdam hubs. The A330-300 will become Northwest's trans-Atlantic flagship aircraft, gradually replacing the 22 DC10-30s the airline currently operates on its trans-Atlantic routes.

Just the first...

Northwest has ordered 24 aircraft in the A330 family, including 14 of the -300 model, and 10 of the longer range -200 type.

The A330 will provide Northwest with up to 30 percent in fuel savings over the DC10-30 it will replace. The A330 also possesses a similar modern flight deck, systems and handling characteristics to Northwest's existing Airbus A319/A320 fleet, which will help contain training and maintenance expenses for the airline. With 139 airplanes in service, the A319/A320 (below, in old livery) has grown to become the second-largest aircraft type in the Northwest fleet.

"The debut of the A330 speaks volumes about where Northwest Airlines is headed," said Doug Steenland, president, at a news conference at Northwest's WorldGateway at Detroit. "As with all of our new aircraft, the A330 will be operationally cash-positive to Northwest's bottom line over its replacement from its first day of service. At the same time, it will allow us to grow our revenues by competing for both business and coach class passengers with an in- flight experience that meets or exceeds what is offered by our domestic competitors."

Big Bird:

The aircraft has a maximum full passenger range of 4,800 nautical miles and maximum take-off weight of 513,700 pounds, is 208 feet, 10 inches/63.6 meters in length, 55 feet, 2 inches/16.8 meters high; and its fuselage has a diameter of 18 feet, six inches/5.6 meters. The A330-300's wingspan stretches 197 feet, 10 inches/60.3 meters, including winglets with a 30-degree sweep.

The A330-300 also offers NWA Cargo customers air freight capacity for up to 32 LD3 cargo containers, or up to 70,000 pounds of cargo capacity.

New Paint Job is Efficient, Too:

In April, Northwest introduced its first new aircraft paint scheme since 1989. The new design is being phased into the entire Northwest fleet over the next five years. The paint scheme will save Northwest about 20 percent in future painting costs, based on several factors: fewer primary colors and greater durability. The livery will allow Northwest to extend paint cycles for individual aircraft from five to six years. Among the most-noticable attriburtes: the distinctive red tail stays, but "NWA" replaces "Northwest Airlines."

FMI: www.nwa.com