The A330-800 is one of the rarest commercial jets currently in service.
In fact, only four aircraft have been delivered, with only 11 more still on order. Let’s take a
look at the few airlines that have ordered the A330-800 and why more haven’t done the same...
The A330neo series was launched in 2014 as an upgraded engine offering for the A330.
Like the original A330 series, there are only two variants. The smaller A330-800 offers a capacity
of 220-260, while the larger A330-900 offers a capacity of 260 to 300. With a shorter fuselage,
range is increased for the -800, which can fly 8,150 nautical miles compared to 7,200 nautical
miles for the -900.The A330-900 has so far proven fairly popular with 316 orders to date and 54
aircraft delivered (according to Airbus data). The -800, however, only has 15 confirmed orders
from four airlines: Air Greenland, Kuwait Airways, Garuda Indonesia, and Uganda Airlines.Kuwait
Airways has the largest -800 order with eight aircraft. It was the launch customer for the type,
first taking delivery in October 2020, operating its very first passenger flight in November 2020.
It now has two aircraft and is waiting for six more.Uganda Airlines ordered two A330-800s and
has taken delivery of both jets. The first arrived in December 2020, and the second in February 2021.
These aircraft will of course be used on long-haul routes,
including service to London from the airline’s hub at Entebbe.Air
Greenland has an order for just one A330-800 but is yet to take delivery. The order was
only confirmed in December 2020. The aircraft will replace its only long-haul aircraft, an
aging A330-200, used on its route to Copenhagen. It is likely that one of the reasons Air Greenland
chose the A330-800 (over the A330-900 and 787) was for its ability to operate from shorter runways.
This is an issue in Greenland, and the airline hopes to expand service to new airports.
And finally, Garuda Indonesia has four A330-800s on order. However, it has yet to take delivery
of any of these jets thus far. The airline also has 12 of the larger A330-900 aircraft ordered.
These upgrades make sense for Garuda as it already operates a sizeable
fleet of A330-200 and A330-300 aircraft. It is not yet clear where these new aircraft
will fly. But it is possible that the slightly increased range of the A330-800 was of interest
to Garuda. We know that the airline is looking at direct flights from Denpasar, Bali once the market
recovers. With its range, the A330-800 could reach Paris, Los Angeles, and San Francisco.
There is, of course, nothing fundamentally wrong with the A330-800.
The decision by airlines to choose the A330-900 instead
really comes down to the increased capacity for only a small trade-off in range.
The A330neo is, in most cases, not being used as a flagship long-haul aircraft
but as a high-capacity aircraft for medium-range routes. The difference in range doesn’t make a
huge difference to the routes it can operate, and the higher capacity is more appealing. Apart from
some specific niche areas, the economics of the largest model just work out better.
Do you think any more airlines will order the A330-800 in the future,
as A330-200s start to be retired? Let us know what you think by leaving a comment.