Airbus A330 Spotting Guide, Tips for Airplane Spotters, A330neo, Photographs, Unique Design Characteristics, and Production

The Airbus A330 is a wide-body, twin-aisle derivative of Airbus's first airliner, the Airbus A300. The two-engine A330 was developed in parallel with the four-engine Airbus A340, and the two airliners share a number of common airframe, design, and operational components.

Airbus A330 Variants

The A330-300, the first variant, first flew in November of 1992 and entered passenger service with Air Inter in January of 1994. The overall length of the A330-300 is 208' 10".

Airbus later developed the shorter A330-200 variant, ten fuselage frames shorter than the -300, in 1998. The length of the A330-200 is 193'. The -200 has a taller tail than the -300, and measures 57' in height.

Recent models include the A330-800 and A300-900, both in the Airbus "NEO family".

The A330 Multi Role Tanker Transport (MRTT) is an aerial refuelling tanker aircraft based on the Airbus A330-200.

Since its launch, the A330 has allowed Airbus to expand market share in wide-body airliners. Competing twinjets include the Boeing 767 and Boeing 777, as well as the newer Boeing 787.

A330 Model	Overall Length	Overall Height	Typical Seating	Range
A330-200	193' 0"	57' 0"	247	7,250nm
A330-300	208' 10"	55' 3"	277	6,350nm
A330-800neo	193' 0"	57' 0"	257	7,500nm
A330-900neo	208' 10"	55' 3"	287	6,550nm

Airbus A330 Orders and Deliveries

Total Airbus A330 orders and deliveries are shown in the table below (through January 2020).

Airbus A330 Model	Orders	Deliveries
A330-200 (ceo)	660	640
A330-200F (ceo)	41	38
A330-300 (ceo)	785	770
A330-800 (neo)	14	0
A330-900 (neo)	323	45
TOTAL	1,823	1,493

Airbus A330 Spotting Tips

Airbus A330 spotter's guide: notched windshield window, two engines (one under each wing), one passenger deck the length of the fuselage, main landing gear fall to the rear, a "bulged' area between the wings, winglets, and a straight fuselage under the tail structure.

Comparison of the Airbus A330-200 (top) and A330-300 (bottom). The difference in the number of windows between the two forward fuselage doors can distinguish the two models. Typically, the -200 has 12 windows between the two doors, while the -300 has between 17-18 windows; window configuration does vary.

In-flight side-by-side comparison of the Airbus A330-200 (top) and A330-300 (bottom). The tail structure is taller on the -200 than the -300.

Airbus A330-200F spotter's guide: the freighter version of the A330 features a large nose undercarriage "blister" to facilitate a level deck during cargo loading and unloading.

Airbus A330neo

The new A330neo family of jetliners incorporates the latest-generation Rolls-Royce Trent 7000 engines, along with multiple aerodynamic improvements.

Airbus A330neo (photo courtesy of Airbus)

With a range of 7,500 nautical miles, the A330-800neo typically will seat 257 passengers in three classes of service, while offering capacity for up to 406 travellers in a high-density configuration.

The A330-800neo retains the same overall length as the A330-200, i.e, 193'.

The extended-fuselage member of Airbus’ A330neo product line, the A330-900neo, can accommodate 287 seats in a typical three-class layout or up to 440 for high-density configurations. It incorporates the latest-generation Rolls-Royce Trent 7000 engines, along with aerodynamic improvements including new composite Sharklet wingtip devices, as well as increased lift and reduced drag.

The A330-900neo retains the same overall length as the A330-300, i.e, 208' 10".

The first A330neo prototype, a A330-900neo, first flew on October 19, 2017 from Toulouse. A second A330-900neo and a A330-800neo will also participate in flight testing.

Shown below is a spotting guide for the Airbus A330neo

Airbus A 330-900 neo (Photo by DELEHELLE Eric)

Lion Air Airbus A 330-941neo, msn 1984 (Photo by DELEHELLE Eric)

AZUL Linhas Aereas Brasileiras Airbus A 330-941neo, F-WWYO, msn 1952
(Photo by DELEHELLE Eric)

Azul Airbus A 330-941neo, F-WWYO, msn 1952

Airbus A330 Multi Role Tanker Transport (MRTT)

Boom configuration on an Airbus A330 MRTT
Boom configuration on an Airbus A330 MRTT

The Airbus A330 Multi Role Tanker Transport (MRTT) is an aerial refuelling tanker aircraft based on the civilian Airbus A330-200.

The A330 MRTT cabin can be modified to carry up to 380 passengers in a single class configuration, allowing a complete range of configurations from maximised troop transport to complex customisation suitable for VIP and guest missions.

The MRTT can also be configured to perform Medical Evacuation (Medevac) missions; up to 130 standard stretchers can be carried. The main deck cargo configuration allows carriage of standard commercial containers and pallets, military, ISO and NATO pallets.

Standard commercial A330-200s are delivered from Airbus Final Assembly Line in Toulouse, France to Airbus Military Conversion Centre in Getafe, Spain for fitting of refuelling pods, booms and and military avionics.

A total of 12 nations have placed firm orders for approximately 60 aircraft, of which 42 had been delivered by the end of January 2020.

French Air Force Airbus A330 MRTT Phénix, Registration F-UJCG (Photos by DELEHELLE Eric)


Airbus 330 MRTT of the UAE Air Force, No. 1302 (Photos by DELEHELLE Eric)

Future A330 MRTT, MSN 1857, for Singapore Air Force, Registration EC-335, arriving for anti-corrosion paint in 2018 (Photo by DELEHELLE Eric)

Side-by-Side Comparison of the Airbus A330 to Other Airliners

The chart below shows how similar the Airbus A300 (top) and the A330 (bottom) are in overall appearance. One significant difference is between the wings and under the fuselage. The A300 is flat under the fuselage, whereas the A330 features a bulge in that area.