Boeing 767-300ER vs Airbus A330-200

The Boeing 767-300ER and Airbus A330-200 were the two mid-size long-haul twins of the 1990s and 2000s, and they remain common in service, often on the same routes. The 767-300ER entered service in 1988: a 54.9 m aircraft seating around 218 in three classes, with CF6, PW4000 or RB211 engines and a range of about 5,980 nautical miles, built in large numbers for Delta, American, United, Air Canada, British Airways, Japan's carriers and many more. The A330-200 arrived a decade later, in 1998, as a shortened A330-300 with extra fuel: 58.8 m long, seating around 247 in three classes, with CF6, PW4000 or Trent 700 engines and up to 7,250 nautical miles of range.

The A330-200 was built to take the 767-300ER's market and largely did, with more than 650 delivered and a decisive edge in range and capacity; it also became the basis of the A330 freighter and the MRTT tanker. The 767's advantages were a lighter airframe, lower trip costs on shorter routes and, for the big US carriers, fleets already in place. Both types are past production, succeeded by the 787-8 and -9 and the A330neo, but hundreds of each still fly, and both have active freighter-conversion markets.

Passenger experience

The cabins are the main difference. The 767's fuselage is narrower and economy is 2-3-2, so only one seat in seven is a middle; the A330's is wider with 2-4-2, which has side pairs with no middle but a four-seat centre block with two. Seat widths are similar at around 17.5 to 18 inches. The A330 is the quieter and smoother aircraft with larger bins and, on most operators, more modern interiors; many 767s still flying are more than twenty-five years old, though Delta's and United's have been refurbished with lie-flat business seats. For the best seat on a 767, take any window or aisle in the side pairs; on an A330-200, the side pairs ahead of the wing, avoiding the rows beside the rear galley.

Which to choose

For airlines the A330-200 was the more capable aircraft and won the sales contest; the 767-300ER has survived on low cost and fleet inertia. For passengers the 767's 2-3-2 layout is a small, real plus in economy, while the A330-200 offers a newer, quieter cabin. Neither is a bad way to cross an ocean.