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The Differences Between an Airbus A330-300 & A330-200

The Airbus A330 series, consisting of the Airbus A330-200, A330-300 and the A330-200F Freighter, are Airbus' largest twin-engine commercial airliners. These are wide-body planes with capacity ranging from 256 to 335 seats, designed for use on medium-range routes. Development of the series began in 1987 and first flight of the A330-300 occurred on November 2, 1992. The A330 was developed in concert with the four-engine Airbus A340 and shares many systems with the bigger plane such as airframe, flight deck and wings. Airliners of the A330 series also share many specifications among themselves, but there are several significant differences.

Fuselage
- The A330-200 is a shortened version of the A330-300, designed to compete directly with the Boeing 767. The length of the fuselage of the A330-300 is 209 feet while the A330-200 is 193 feet and 7 inches.
Passenger Capacity
- The A330-300 seats 295 in three classes or 335 in a two-class configuration. In a three-class configuration the A330-200 seats 256 and in two-class 293.
Control Surfaces
- To compensate for its shorter length, the A330-200 has larger horizontal stabilizer and vertical tail surfaces than the A330-300.
Range
- A330-200s have an additional center fuel tank that provides greater fuel capacity than the larger A330-400. This translates into longer range. The typical flight range of the A330-200 is 6,400 nautical miles versus the 4,500 mile range of the A330-400.

Aviation