Is the A330 a medium-haul or long-haul aircraft? Yes.

What is A330? It's complicated.

The twin-aisle aircraft originally found its footing as a provider of improved capacity and range to the popular 767-300ER. That quickly shifted into the "so you want a 787 but can't get one?" market - a veritable sweet spot for the A330. Production surged leading into the transition to the A350 and A330neo.

The COVID-19 pandemic was not kind to the A330, sending many of the aircraft into storage as international traffic all but stopped. Today, many of the same characteristics of how the classic A330 has been used have reemerged. How it is used depends significantly upon the region from which it's used.

The fleet has once again settled into two types: long-haul and medium-haul. A330s departing from North America, Latin America, Europe, and the Southwest Pacific are more likely to make ocean crossings, hence longer-haul. Typical stage lengths for aircraft departing these markets are in the 3,000 nm range.

Yet, the A330 also shows its versatility as a high-density regional player. Africa, the Middle East, and Asia find the A330 operating on routes averaging less than 1,500 nm, half the longer-haul cohort.

The bifurcation of the A330 fleet creates challenges for aircraft owners and managers looking to forecast utilization of a fleet that could range from 1,200 nm average flights to 3,500 nm.

But while those challenges remain, they are the challenges of the pre-pandemic, a further sign that the versatile A330 is finding its way back into the skies.

A chat with Michael Norcia, Co-founder and CEO of Pyka

Did you know there is an electric, autonomous aircraft already in revenue service?

The latest Time on Wing Podcast includes a conversation with Pyka Co-Founder and CEO, Michael Norcia. We talk about the challenges of bringing new technology aircraft to market, the business of autonomous flight, eVTOLs, and the process and challenges in certifying new technology.

Listen to the full podcast through Spotify or your favorite podcast app. You can also visit the Time on Wing Podcast website to see other aviation leaders who have braved the podcast to discuss their Time on Wing.

You can listen to a quick soundbite of Michael discussing regulatory requirements for passenger eVTOL aircraft below.

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