Commercial

Airbus A330

Manufacturer: Airbus

The Airbus A330 is a wide-body airliner developed and produced by Airbus.

Aircraft Facts

Type Key
airbus-a330
Class
Commercial
Registry Count
160
Example Registration
N137AR

Specifications

Wingspan
60.3 m / 197.83 ft
Length
58.82 m / 192.98 ft
Height
17.39 m / 57.05 ft
Cruise Speed
871 km/h / 541 mph
Range
13450 km / 7262.42 nmi
First Flight
1992-11-02
Total Built
1666

Aircraft Overview

History

Airbus began developing larger A300 derivatives in the mid‑1970s, leading to the A330 twinjet and the A340 quadjet. Both designs were launched with first orders in June 1987. The A330‑300 first flew in November 1992 and entered service with Air Inter in January 1994. The A330‑200, a shortened longer‑range variant, entered service in 1998 with Canada 3000.

Design

The A330 shares many underpinnings with early A340 variants, notably the same wing components and structure. It has two main landing‑gear legs instead of three, lower weight, and a slightly shorter fuselage. Both aircraft use fly‑by‑wire controls and a glass cockpit, increasing commonality.

Variants

Variants include the A330‑300 and A330‑200. The A330‑300 first flew in 1992 and entered service in 1994. The A330‑200, a shortened longer‑range version, entered service in 1998.

Notable Facts

  • First Airbus airliner to offer three engine options: GE CF6, PW4000, and Trent 700.
  • A330‑300 has a range of 11,750 km with 277 passengers.
  • A330‑200 can fly 13,450 km, longer range than the 300.
  • Shares wing components and structure with early A340 variants.
  • Uses fly‑by‑wire controls and a glass cockpit for commonality.

Variants

  • A330-243- 46 registrations - Example N271AD
  • A330-941- 39 registrations - Example N401DZ
  • A330-323- 22 registrations - Example N272AY
  • A330-343- 17 registrations - Example N302PF
  • A330-223- 13 registrations - Example N137AR
  • A330-302- 11 registrations - Example N820CM
  • A330-243F- 6 registrations - Example N330QT
  • A330-202- 3 registrations - Example N3103S
  • A330-300- 3 registrations - Example N992JA

Machine-Readable Resources

Sources