IMHO, Airbus should have updated the A330 with GEnx engines and a 540,000lb MTOW and not even done the A350…..perhaps they can still do it since the 330 has a wing area of 3890 sq ft and the A350 is 4700, maybe they can fit different niches. IMO, an A330 with a low price and a 6,000-6,500 nm range with real payload would be a world beater.

They have talked about an A330NEO.

Talk is done in whispers though to avoid A350-800 cancellations.

They may follow through eventually, but only when A350 is in service and airlines are liking them I would think.

You are right though – they should have split their market as:

A320(family) >> 150-220 seats
[A30X >> 150-250 seats]
A330 >> 250-400 seats
A350 >> 400-500 seats
A380 >> 500+ seats

‘cos at the minute, its:
A320(family) >> 100-220 seats
A330 >> 250-440 seats
A350 >> 270-550 seats (it’d be a very cramped 550 people though)
A380 >> 500+ seats

That is a big overlap of A330 and A350… with A350-1000 essentially being a different aircraft.