ITA Airways Welcomes Its 17th Airbus A330-900neo

Number 17 Is Finally Airborne

ITA Airways just got one step closer to expanding its long-haul fleet. Late August saw the Italian flagship carrier's seventeenth Airbus A330-900neo take to the skies for its maiden flight, operating under callsign AIB01CN with temporary French test registration F-WWCN on the tail. Aviation spotters had been keeping a close eye on airframe 2131 for months, waiting to see when it'd finally leave the ground after sitting parked outside the factory gates.

Months of Silence on the Tarmac

Getting this particular aircraft into the air hasn't been a smooth ride for Airbus or the airline. Back in June, the widebody made headlines for all the wrong reasons after a rejected takeoff—an RTO in industry jargon—grounded the plane completely. Weeks turned into months with zero engine starts or taxi runs, prompting fair questions about whether structural or electronic gremlins had taken hold. Those hurdles appear cleared now that the flight test schedule is back underway.

What Happens Next

With that first test flight in the logbook, official delivery is getting close. Once technicians finish final checks and cabin outfitting, the jet will swap its French test mark for a permanent Italian registration: I-ITYL. For passengers, aircraft number 17 brings extra capacity and modern cabin comfort to ITA's long-haul network as the carrier keeps replacing older long-distance planes with fuel-efficient widebodies.