The Airbus A330-200F has touched down in Toulouse after completing its maiden flight, marking the start of a 180h, four-month flight-test program.

Taking off from Toulouse-Blagnac Airport’s Runway 32 at just after 10:00 a.m. local time, the A330-200F performed a 4-hour maiden airborne evaluation that was completed with its return to the southwestern France facility for a flyby, followed by a touch-and-go maneuver and the final landing.

On the flightdeck of the Pratt & Whitney PW4000-powered freighter (MSN 1004) for the 3h 50min flight were Airbus test pilots Philippe Perrin and Martin Scheuermann, accompanied by test-flight engineers Wolfgang Brueggemann, Stephane Vaux and Pascal Verneau.

The 64t payload freighter variant, which is also offered with Rolls-Royce Trent 700 engines, is due for simultaneous European Aviation Safety Agency and US Federal Aviation Administration certification in March. The first customer aircraft (MSN 1032) – a Trent-powered version – is currently in build and is due to be delivered to launch customer Etihad Crystal Cargo, in August.

Airbus holds orders for 67 aircraft from nine customers.

The A330-200F is based on Airbus’ popular A330-200 passenger jetliner, and is produced on the same Toulouse final assembly line as the A330/A340 aircraft.

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