Which airline became the first to receive an Airbus A330neo?

TAP Air Portugal became the first airline to receive an Airbus A330neo.

The Portuguese carrier accepted its first A330-900 in November 2018, becoming the launch operator for Airbus’s re-engined A330 family. The aircraft joined TAP’s long-haul fleet and connected Portugal with destinations in the Americas and Africa.

The A330neo is offered in two versions: the A330-800 and the larger A330-900. Both use Rolls-Royce Trent 7000 engines and incorporate aerodynamic improvements, including new winglets. The A330-900 entered service first and has attracted substantially more orders than the shorter A330-800.

This fact is easy to mix up with the first airline to order or operate other Airbus wide-body models. Delta Air Lines became an early A330neo operator, while Cebu Pacific was associated with the A330-900’s high-density configuration, but neither was the first recipient.