The Airbus A330 is a wide-body twin-engine jet
airliner made by Airbus, a division of EADS. Versions of the
A330 have arange of 7,400 to 13,430 kilometres (4,000 to 7,250 nmi) and
can accommodate up to 335 passengers in a two-class layoutor carry 70
tonnes (150,000 lb) of cargo.The origin of the A330 dates to the 1970s as one of several conceived derivatives of Airbus's first airliner, the A300. The A330 was developed in parallel with the A340, which shared many common airframe components but differed in number of engines. Both airliners incorporated fly-by-wire flight control technology, first introduced on an Airbus aircraft with the A320, as well as the A320's six-display glass cockpit. In June 1987, after receiving orders from various customers, Airbus launched the A330 and A340. The A330 was Airbus's first airliner offered with the choice of three engines: General Electric CF6, Pratt & Whitney PW4000, and Rolls-Royce Trent 700.
