Air Inter operated the first commercial flight of the Airbus A330 in 1994. The French domestic airline introduced the A330-300 on a route between Paris and Marseille.
The A330 was developed as a wide-body twin-engine aircraft for medium- and long-haul routes. Airbus designed it alongside the four-engine A340, allowing the two families to share important features while serving different airline requirements.
Air Inter received the first A330-300 and began commercial operations on 17 January 1994. The aircraft later became a major international type, with passenger, freighter, tanker, and military versions derived from the A330 design.
Air France is an easy mistake because it is France’s best-known flag carrier and later operated many A330s. However, Air Inter—not Air France—performed the type’s first commercial service. Air Inter eventually merged into Air France in the 1990s.