The A330-900's maiden flight on October 19, 2017, marked the beginning of a 1,400-hour flight test campaign. This involved three prototypes and the first production aircraft, with 1,100 flight hours dedicated to the A330-900 and 300 flight hours for the A330-800, aiming for EASA and FAA Type Certification by mid-2018.

The 4-hour and 15-minute flight reached an altitude of 30,125 feet (9,182 meters) and a speed of 502 knots (930 km/h). It aims to establish specific maximum operating points and conduct an initial assessment of handling qualities, including at a high angle of attack. This initial aircraft, MSN1795, is set to complete 600 hours of flight and will be joined next month by the second aircraft, MSN1813, which will fly for 500 hours. Following this, the third aircraft, MSN1819, the first customer aircraft for TAP Portugal with a fully equipped cabin, will join the program.

At the Boeing 787 launch in 2004, Airbus initially responded with an upgraded A330. However, after receiving negative feedback from airlines and lessors, the A350 XWB emerged as a new design in 2006. Following the launch and commercial success of the A320neo in December 2010, Air Asia's CEO Tony Fernandes expressed interest in having Airbus re-engine the A330. New engines, such as the GEnx or Rolls-Royce Trent 1000, developed for the 787, could provide a 12%-15% improvement in fuel efficiency, with sharklets contributing at least an additional 2%.

Airbus sales chief John Leahy argues that the competitive economics of the A330, even without new engines, make it a viable option for midrange routes compared to the Boeing 787 due to its lower purchase price. Introducing an A330neo would hasten the phase-out of the similarly sized A350-800. Additionally, Airbus is contemplating adding new engines to the A380 but is cautious about managing two significant modification projects at the same time.

In March 2014, Delta Air Lines showed interest in using it to replace its Boeing 767-300ER. In the 250-300-seat market, CIT Group believes that the A330neo offers profitability for shorter ranges where the A350 and Boeing 787, designed for longer distances, are not optimized. Steve Mason, CIT's vice president for aircraft analysis, stated, "The A350-800 is not as efficient as they'd like." Steven Udvar-Hazy, chairman and CEO of Air Lease Corp., remarked, "We don't believe it is rational for us to take both the A350-800 and the A330neo. I don't see the A350-800 surviving if they proceed with the A330neo."

AirAsiaX discontinued its flights from Kuala Lumpur to London and Paris in 2012 because the Airbus A340s were not fuel efficient. The airline plans to attempt these routes again using A330s. As Airbus ramps up production of the new A350, extending the production of the A330 could help sustain profitability. Following Emirates' cancellation of 70 A350 orders, Airbus stated that it is still working on re-engining the smaller A330.

On 14 July 2014, during the Farnborough Airshow, Airbus announced the A330neo program, which will be powered by the new Rolls-Royce Trent 7000 engines. This model will enhance fuel efficiency per seat by 14%. Airbus aims to sell 1,000 A330neo aircraft. Its range will extend by 400 nautical miles (740 km), and although 95% of the components will be shared with the A330ceo, maintenance costs will be reduced. The new winglets, styled like the A350 XWB and 3.7 meters wider, along with new engine pylons, will improve aerodynamics by 4%, all while staying within ICAO category E airport requirements.

The larger 112-inch Trent 7000 engine is 11% more efficient than the previous 97-inch model. However, a 2% efficiency loss is attributed to increased weight, and an additional 1% is due to the extra drag from the larger engine. Despite these losses, the incorporation of sharklets and aerodynamic optimization recovers 4%, resulting in a 12% fuel efficiency improvement per trip. Additionally, fuel consumption per seat is enhanced by 2% due to the rearranged cabin (Space-Flex and Smart-Lav) with increased seating capacity, leading to a 14% reduction in fuel burn per seat for the new −900neo compared to the earlier 235-tonne −300 version. The newer 242-tonne −300 is already 2% more efficient.

Development costs are expected to impact Airbus's Return on Sales target by approximately -0.7% from 2015 to 2017, with an estimated cost of $2 billion. Airbus believes that the lower capital cost makes the A330neo the most cost-effective medium-range wide-body aircraft in the market. The company anticipates demand for 4,000 aircraft and identifies an open market for 2,600 jets not yet covered by existing backlogs with operators already using A330s. Aerodynamic changes will include a re-twisted wing and optimized slats.

Airbus believes that the A330neo gains a significant market advantage by being a more affordable wide-body aircraft, ideal for high-density routes under 4,000 nautical miles, which are typically served by planes designed for 8,000-mile routes. Ed Greenslet, editor of Airline Monitor, mentioned that the A330neo might dominate this segment since the Boeing 767 is "essentially out of production," and the only other suitable aircraft is the Boeing 757; the largest Boeing 737 lacks the passenger capacity to compete effectively. However, a major upgrade program for the A330 could present challenges for Airbus. The re-engined A330 would enter a twin-aisle market already filled with the Boeing 787, 777X, and Airbus A350, potentially affecting sales of other Airbus models.

John Leahy predicts that the A330-900 will have operating costs comparable to the 787-9, but will be available at 25% lower capital costs and can achieve a production rate of 10 units per month after initially starting at a rate of 7 to 8 units per month. Both A330neo models are expected to have a maximum take-off weight of 242 tons. The design for this type was finalized in late 2015.

Airbus revealed a unique cockpit windscreen for the A330neo, resembling that of the A350. The A330neo will feature Airbus's new interior concept, which aims to enhance the passenger experience. Initially based on the largest 242-ton MTOW A330, Airbus is exploring an upgrade to a 245-ton (540,000 lb) MTOW for the A330neo, aligning with the original specification for the Airbus A350-800 before it was replaced by the A330neo. This would extend the -900's range to 7,000 nmi (12,964 km), allowing it to better compete with the 787-9’s 7,635 nmi (14,140 km) range.

During the first flight on October 19, 2017, it was announced that the MTOW would increase to 251 tons (553,000 pounds) by mid-2020, with some modifications to the landing gear and brakes. This change would extend its range by 700 to 1,000 nautical miles (1,300 to 1,900 kilometers) compared to the current A330neo or A330ceo models.

With the fan size increased from 97 to 112 inches (250 to 280 centimeters), the nacelles are mounted higher, requiring extensive CFD analysis to prevent supersonic shock wave interference drag, similar to the first slat's dog-tooth. Adjustments to the wing twist and belly fairings were made to achieve the lowest drag elliptical span-wise pressure distribution, altered by the larger sharklets, including the flap track fairings shape to reduce form drag.

The Trent is the sole powerplant, as the British manufacturer provided better terms for exclusivity. Customers lament the lack of competition among engine manufacturers: Steven Udvar-Hazy, CEO of Air Lease Corporation, expressed his desire for engine options, but Airbus noted that configuring a commercial aircraft for multiple engine types increases development costs by several hundred million dollars. The head of Pratt and Whitney stated, "Engines are no longer commodities...the optimization of the engine and the aircraft becomes more relevant."

Choosing to offer the aircraft with a single engine option isn't unique to Airbus; the Boeing 777X will exclusively feature General Electric GE9X engines, after Rolls Royce's bid with its Advance configuration was not accepted.

The first aircraft emerged from the paint shop in December 2016, awaiting its engines. Its maiden flight was postponed until September 2017, following the installation of the Rolls-Royce Trent 7000s during the summer. These engines were expected to arrive before the end of the first half of 2017, the original schedule for the first flight. After this delay, TAP Air Portugal might receive the first A330neo by the end of the first half of 2018, or possibly in the third quarter. The engines were delivered to Airbus in June. The aircraft, now complete with engines, was showcased in Toulouse in September before its first flight.

The A330-800neo and A330-900neo will maintain the fuselage lengths of the A330-200 and A330-300, respectively. Through cabin optimization, the A330-900neo can accommodate 10 more seats, totaling 310 passengers, and the A330-800neo can fit six more seats, totaling 252 travelers, with economy seats that are 18 inches wide. The A330-800neo is expected to cover 7,500 nautical miles (13,900 km) with 257 passengers (maximum 406), while the A330-900neo should travel 6,550 nautical miles (12,130 km) with 287 passengers (maximum 440).

Independent analysis of a 3,350 nm transatlantic flight indicates that the 787-9 has a slight edge over the A330-900neo in terms of cash cost per available seat mile. However, the Airbus surpasses the Boeing when capital costs are taken into account. Since the Dreamliner was launched in 2004, the market has been nearly evenly divided between the two aircraft, with 900-920 A330s sold compared to 950-1,000 787-8/9s. Richard Aboulafia from the Teal Group believes that the A330neo should lead the lower end of the twin-aisle range/capacity because the 787-8, built for 8,000 nm or more, comes with high operating costs and unit price.

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