A330 | |
---|---|
An Airbus A330-300, the first and most common variant, of Turkish Airlines, the largest A330 operator | |
Role | Wide-body jet airliner |
National origin | Multi-national |
Manufacturer | Airbus |
First flight | 2 November 1992 |
Introduction | 17 January 1994 with Air Inter |
Status | In service |
Primary users |
Turkish Airlines Air China China Eastern Airlines Delta Air Lines |
Produced | 1992–present |
Number built | 1,342 as of 30 April 2017[update] |
Program cost | $3.5 Billion (with A340, 2001 dollars) |
Unit cost |
A330-200: US$233.8 million, €222.1 million (2017)
A330-300: US$259.0M, €246.0M (2017) A330-200F: US$237.0M, €225.1M (2017) |
Developed from | Airbus A300 |
Variants |
Airbus A330 MRTT EADS/Northrop Grumman KC-45 |
Developed into |
Airbus A330neo Airbus Beluga XL |
The Airbus A330 is a medium- to long-range wide-body twin-engine jet airliner made by Airbus, a division of Airbus Group. Versions of the A330 have a range of 5,000 to 13,430 kilometres (2,700 to 7,250 nmi; 3,110 to 8,350 mi) and can accommodate up to 335 passengers in a two-class layout or carry 70 tonnes (154,000 lb) of cargo.
The A330's origin dates to the mid-1970s as one of several conceived derivatives of Airbus's first airliner, the A300. The A330 was developed in parallel with the four-engine A340, which shared many common airframe components but differed in number of engines. Both airliners incorporated fly-by-wire flight control technology, first introduced on an Airbus aircraft with the A320, as well as the A320's six-display glass cockpit. In June 1987, after receiving orders from various customers, Airbus launched the A330 and A340. The A330 was Airbus's first airliner that offered a choice of three engines: General Electric CF6, Pratt & Whitney PW4000, and Rolls-Royce Trent 700.
The A330-300, the first variant, took its maiden flight in November 1992 and entered passenger service with Air Inter in January 1994. Airbus followed up with the slightly shorter A330-200 variant in 1998. Subsequently-developed A330 variants include a dedicated freighter, the A330-200F, a military tanker, the A330 MRTT, and a corporate jet, ACJ330. The A330 MRTT formed the basis of the proposed KC-45, entered into the US Air Force's KC-X competition in conjunction with Northrop Grumman, where after an initial win, on appeal lost to Boeing's tanker.