In November 1987, Airbus Industries launched a new program to help airlines
find a suitable replacement for the McDonnell Douglas DC-10 and to directly
compete with Boeing’s 767 aircraft. As part of this effort, two distinct airliner
families were created – the twin engine A330, and the four engine A340.
The two airliners used a revolutionary electronic flight deck and ‘fly by wire’ control
systems pioneered in the A320 and brought them to a wide-bodied jetliner.
The A330 and A340 projects were launched simultaneously and, much like
Boeing’s 757 and 767, share many common systems, including the flight deck,
airframe, and wings. The only significant difference between the two is the
number and type of engines, as well as some slight changes to the wings and
fuel tanks.
There are two main variants of the A330 as well as a tanker and freighter
version. The A330-300 was launched in 1987 with its introduction into service
occurring in 1993. The first delivered aircraft was to Air Inter in 1994. The
A330-200 variant was launched in 1995 with the first delivered aircraft going to
ILFC/Canada3000 in April of 1998.