The A330-300 is a long-range widebody twin seating about 250 to 300 passengers. Delta is the main US operator, and dozens of foreign airlines, including Aer Lingus, Turkish, Lufthansa and Cathay Pacific, fly them into US gateway airports.
A330-300 at a glance
- First flight
- 1992
- Length
- 208 ft 11 in (63.7 m)
- Wingspan
- 197 ft 10 in (60.3 m)
- Engines
- 2 × GE CF6-80E, Pratt & Whitney PW4000 or Rolls-Royce Trent 700 turbofans
- Seats
- ~250–300
- Cruise speed
- ~470 kt (541 mph) / Mach 0.82
- Service ceiling
- 41,450 ft
- Range
- ~6,350 nmi
How to recognize the A330-300
The A330-300 is a long, graceful widebody with a big wing and modest engines. It shares its cockpit design, nose shape and general look with the A320 family, just scaled up.
- Nose: rounded, with the A320-family cockpit window shape.
- Wingtips: upright winglets with a slight outward cant. The newer A330-900neo (A339) has curved sharklets instead.
- Engines: two turbofans that look small relative to the long wing, with smooth exhausts and no chevrons.
- Landing gear: two four-wheel main bogies.
- Tail cone: a smooth, round tapering cone, unlike the 777's flattened blade.
- Length: nearly as long as a 777-200ER but slimmer, with smaller engines.
- Sound and contrail: a smooth roar on takeoff; two contrails at altitude.
The four-engine A340 uses almost the same wing and fuselage; count the engines. Against a 767-300, the A330 is longer and wider, and its winglets are always present.
The A330's wing is long and only moderately swept, giving it a slightly more relaxed look than a 777 or A350. At altitude its two contrails start well outboard of the fuselage. The shorter A330-200 (A332), flown by Delta and by Hawaiian, has a taller fin to make up for its shorter body.
Where and when you'll see it
Delta (callsign DAL) flies A330-300s alongside A330-200s and A330-900neos, mainly to Europe, Hawaii and South America from Atlanta, Detroit, Minneapolis, New York and Seattle. Foreign airlines such as Aer Lingus, Turkish Airlines, Lufthansa, Swiss, Brussels, Cathay Pacific, Philippine Airlines and Air Canada fly A330-300s to US gateways.
Typical cruise is FL330 to FL410. On ADS-B the type code is A333 and the emitter category is heavy. Overnight flights to Europe depart US East Coast airports in the evening, so they climb out over cities like Atlanta and Boston around dusk. See airliner, bizjet, helicopter or military for general widebody cues.
A330s often fly overnight to Europe and return in the afternoon, so look for them climbing out over the East Coast in the evening and arriving the next afternoon. They also fly to Hawaii from Western cities.
Easily confused with
- Boeing 767-300 / 767-300ER / 767-300F: The 767-300 is shorter and narrower and often has blended winglets.
- Boeing 777-200 / 777-200ER: The 777-200ER has huge engines, six-wheel gear and a blade-like tail cone.
- Airbus A350-900: The A350-900 has a black cockpit window mask and curved wingtips.
Quick facts
- The A330 and four-engine A340 were developed together and share nearly the same wing and fuselage.
- Pilots can move between the A330 and the A320 family with short training because the cockpits are so similar.
- Airbus refreshed the type as the A330neo (A330-800 and -900), using Rolls-Royce Trent 7000 engines.
A330-300 questions
How can I tell an A330 from an A340?
Count the engines. The A330 has two; the A340 has four on a nearly identical wing.
Which US airline flies the A330-300?
Delta Air Lines is the main US operator of the A330-300.
Cities where it's a regular
Spot one live
Open the live sky tool and look for A333 in the type column, or browse the live map on airplanes.live.