TAP Portugal will be the first airline to fly the Airbus A330neo, the latest version of the planemaker’s current generation of wide-body jets, the companies said on Wednesday.
The aircraft, a revamped and more fuel-efficient version of the A330 with new Rolls-Royce Trent 7000 engines, is due to enter service in late 2017.
TAP ordered 14 of the jets as part of a wider fleet reorganisation last year.
The Portuguese airline will also be the first to take a new cabin layout called “Airspace,” being showcased at an industry event in Hamburg this week.
The design allows airlines to add more seats, Airbus said last month.
Airbus launched the 250-300-seat A330neo in 2014 partly to plug a gap left by disappointing sales of the smallest version of its newer A350 series.
