Canada 3000 was the first commercial operator of the Airbus A330-200 in 1998.
The A330-200 is the shorter-fuselage, longer-range member of Airbus’s A330 family. Airbus developed it for airlines that wanted the A330’s wide-body capacity but needed more range or fewer seats than the longer A330-300 provided.
Canadian charter airline Canada 3000 introduced the A330-200 into commercial service in 1998. Its operation helped demonstrate the type’s suitability for medium- and long-haul passenger routes. The aircraft later became popular with network airlines, leisure carriers and airlines serving routes where range mattered more than maximum passenger capacity.
This milestone is often confused with the A330-300’s introduction. Air Inter was the first commercial operator of the A330 family overall, using the A330-300 in 1994. The A330-200 was a later, distinct version.