Analysis: Why the Airbus A330-900 has outsold the smaller A330-800

As with the original A330 series, there are two different variants for the A330neo - the lower capacity but longer range A330-800 and the higher capacity A330-900.

Unlike the A330 series, the different variants have seen very different uptake by airlines. Most have preferred the higher capacity A330-900 - so much so, that the A330-800 has only seen 12 orders. The extra range it offered was not of sufficient interest to airlines - plus the Boeing 787 took sales as it entered service much earlier.

This article looks at the A330neo series sales, and explores why the A330-800 has been much less popular.

Airbus launched the A330 project in the mid-1970s as a successor to the A300 to compete with new long-range aircraft developments. Customers were slit over wanting a twin engine or four engine (quadjet) widebody - and the solution for Airbus was to develop both. The A330 twin and A340 quadjet were designed together, a successful cost-saving venture from Airbus. The A330 first flew in November 1992 and it entered service in January 1994.

The A330 series was popular with airlines - with 1,479 orders (based on Airbus data). This is split similarly between the two different sized variants - with 665 A330-200 orders and 776 A330-300 orders.

By the mid 2010s, there was growing demand for an update to the A330, largely to meet the improved efficiency of new aircraft such as the Boeing 787.

Rather than develop a new aircraft at this time, the solution was to update and re-engine the A330. The improved A330neo first flew in October 2017 (the first flight is pictured below) and entered service in December 2018.

The A330neo aircraft are updates to the A330-200 and A330-200, but with major differeneces including new Rolls-Royce Trent 7000 engines. There are other improvements in wing design, and passenger comfort.

The main differences between the two A330neo variants are in size and range - with the smaller Airbus A330-800 offering increased range and the Airbus A330-900 focusing on capacity.

The A330neo sales have been very different from the A330 sales, with the A330-900 vastly outselling the A330-800. As of October 2024, orders and deliveries stand as follows:

• The Airbus A330-800 has 12 orders, with only seven aircraft delivered to date.
• The Airbus A330-900 has 344 orders, with 137 aircraft delivered to date.

The few airlines ordering the A330-800 include:

• Air Greenland
• Kuwait Airways
• Uganda Airlines
• Garuda Indonesia

Read more about the operators of the rare A330-800 in our guide

The main differences between the two A330neo variants are in size and range, with details as follows:

In reality, this trade off of additional passenger capacity for a only a small increase in range was not popular. When considering the options for their routes, most airlines have shown preferences for the approximately 40 to 50 passenger increase in capacity. Adding a further 1,000 NM in range is, of course, excellent if needed for routes - but unnecessary if you don't need the type to fly longer routes. The A330-900 already offers a range matching that of the A330-200 and exceeding the A330-300. The need for more for this type was just not there.

The A330-800 is only suited to airlines looking to operate longer routes with lower demand. A few customers have found a need for this - but most see their demand elsewhere. ir greel Air Greenland chose the aircraft for it's ability to take off and land on short runways.

Linked to these differences in specification, the A330-900 offers a lower operating cost for airlines. The crew cost for both aircraft is similar (with possibly just one additional flight attendant needed for the larger aircraft).

Leeham News carried out some analysis of overall operating costs, and showed that the A330-900 per-seat cost is 13% lower than the A330-800.

Boeing launched the Boeing 787 development in the early 2000s. It first flew in December 2009 and entered service (with ANA) in October 2011.

Importantly for Airbus and the A330, this entry to service was much earlier than its improved A330neos. Boeing designed the 787 partly to compete with the A330 (with similar sized variants offered), and the more efficient newer aircraft entered service around seven years before the A330neo.

This lead to many operators looking for an aircraft of these specifications to choose Boeing. This included many existing operators of the A330-200.

To see the effects of limited appeal and earlier alternatives in action, you just need to look at the orders for the A330-800. The two neo variants were designed as replacements for the two standard variants, the A330-200 and A330-300. As such, you would expect previous A330-200 customers to consider replacing aircraft with the new A330-800. In most cases this has not happened.

Airlines that operated the A320-200 that chose to order the A330-900 and not the A330-800 include:

• Air Belgium
• Air Mauritius
• Azul
• Condor
• Delta
• ITA Airways
• Malaysia Airlines
• MEA (Middle Eastern Airlines)
• TAP Air Portugal

Airlines that operated the A320-200 that chose to modernize fleets with the Boeing 787 include:

• Air China
• Air France
• American Airlines
• Avianca
• China Eastern
• China Southern
• Etihad Airways
• KLM
• Qantas

There is also something of a ripple effect at play here. No airline wants to take on an aircraft type that is not popular. This will lead to future challenges with increased costs, maintenance, and perhaps even crew challenges. Hawaiian Airlines explained this well, when it chose to order the Boeing 787 instead of the A330-800. Speaking to Business Insider, Hawaaiin Airlines CEO Peter Ingram said:

"Unfortunately, the A330-800 has not proved to be as popular in the marketplace...it doesn't make sense to remain committed to an airplane that had the risk of not being sufficiently accepted in the marketplace in the future. So the lack of orders for the A330-800 opened us up to having a competition to look at the widebody platform for us going into the decade."