It’s been nearly 30 years since the Airbus A330 entered service with Air Inter. The dual-aisle
aircraft was Airbus’ successor to the A300 and was set to challenge the growing dominance of
Boeing in the widebody market. Here’s a look at the original and new variants of the aircraft.
Airbus delivered the first A330 on January 17th, 1994, to French carrier Air Inter.
The first variant to be developed was the larger -300, set to compete with the Boeing
767 and 777 families, which had dominated the dual-aisle market. The aircraft could seat up
to 440 passengers in an all-economy layout, with 300 in a more standard two-cabin configuration.
However, Airbus later shrunk the A330 to meet longer-range passenger needs.
The A330-200 could fly 13,400 kilometers but only accommodated up to 250 passengers
in a two-class layout. The type entered service with Korean Air in 1998.
These two variants are now known as the A330ceos and have seen great success, racking up over 1400
orders. However, as the market and technology had evolved, Airbus has offered an updated
variant of the A330, known as the A330neo. To compete with the Boeing 787 family,
Airbus re-engined the A330s and optimized cabin layouts. The A330-800 and A330-900
both feature the Rolls-Royce 7000 and curved wingtips for better efficiency.
The neo has found varying success, with the larger variant far outpacing the smaller one.
As of today, over 350 A330neos have been ordered, compared to just 15 for the smaller -800 variant.
While there have only been four major A330 variants, Airbus has been tinkering to meet
customer needs in the last three decades. In 2013, the planemaker released the A330-300
‘Regional’, which features a lower takeoff weight and range of 5,000km.
On the other end, the A333HGW (High Gross Weight) features a higher takeoff weight to boost range.
The A330 also became the first Airbus aircraft to have a dedicated freighter program.
The A330-200F sold just 38 units, leaving it far behind 767 and 777 freighter-equivalents.
However, the aftermarket P2F (passenger-to-freighter) program means there
are dozens more A330 freighters in the sky today. The A330 also serves as the base for the BelugaXL,
Airbus’ oversized freighter used for moving aircraft parts across the globe.
While heavily modified, it has all the same features as a standard A330.
Finally, the A330 also comes in an ACJ (Airbus Corporate Jet) variant for passengers looking for
a widebody experience. Seating only 50 passengers, this variant can fly over 15,400 kilometers.
As with many passenger planes, the A330 also serves as a foundation for military variants.
The A330MRTT (Multi-Role Transport and Tanker) has seen orders from Air Force’s across the world and
is capable of providing aerial refueling for military aircraft.
What’s your favorite A330 variant? Let us know in the comments!