The reliable twin-engine widebody that dominated medium to long-haul flying for two decades. Still flying in huge numbers, the A330 remains one of Airbus's most successful aircraft.
✈ Scan Your Sky NowThe Airbus A330-300 is the definitive medium-to-long-haul twin-engine widebody of the 1990s and 2000s. Sharing its wing and much of its structure with the four-engine A340, it proved that two engines could reliably fly passengers across oceans — helping establish the ETOPS (Extended-range Twin-engine Operational Performance Standards) framework that now allows twin-engine aircraft to fly routes far from diversion airports.
Despite being superseded on new orders by the A330neo and A350, over a thousand A330s remain in active service worldwide. Its combination of operating economics, passenger comfort, and versatility across route lengths from 3 to 13 hours keeps it competitive, and many airlines continue to prefer it over newer alternatives on medium-haul thinner routes.
The A330 is a classic wide-body twin — two large engines under a moderately swept wing, wide fuselage, and a tall tail. The wings have prominent winglets on older variants or a curved tip on newer builds. It sits noticeably higher off the ground than a narrowbody due to the larger engines and landing gear.
Compared to the 787 or A350, the A330 has a more conventional appearance — aluminium fuselage without the composite nose, circular engine inlets rather than serrated chevrons on older variants. The distinctive six-wheel main landing gear bogies are visible on approach. Cathay Pacific's A330s have a distinctive green-grey livery that makes them easy to identify.