Airbus A300 vs. Boeing 767: How Do They Compare?

The Boeing 767 and Airbus A300 are similar-looking aircraft; both are twin-engine, twin-aisle widebodies. The A300 first went into service in 1974, and the B767 followed 8 years later in 1982.

The A300 and the passenger variants of the B767 are no longer in production and the numbers in commercial airline fleets are dwindling, especially the A300 which is currently operated as a passenger aircraft only by airlines based in Iran. That said, both the A300 and B767 have become successful freighters with many being operated today by large cargo airlines such as FedEx and UPS.

In this article, I’ll compare these two rival widebodies from a number of different perspectives, just as we have done before with different aircraft pairings. So, let’s see how they compare in terms of key attributes such as size, seating capacity, range, and orders.

Airbus A300 vs. Boeing 767: How Do They Compare?

History

Let’s start by briefly looking at the history of the two aircraft.

Boeing 767

The 767 was the first Boeing wide-body aircraft to be designed for two flight crew members. The first 767 orders were placed in 1978 and the commercial jet versions of the 767 are no longer in production, with the last 767 rolling out in 2014. After 2012 all 767 orders have been for the freighter and tanker versions of this aircraft, with FedEx being the major customer.

Boeing 767 was designed to replace the market occupied by aircraft such as the aging Boeing 707, Douglas DC-8, Lockheed L1011 Tristar, and the McDonnell Douglas DC-10.

The 767 family includes five passenger models and the 767 Freighter which is based on the 767-300ER fuselage. In 1985 the 767 was ETOPS certified allowing it to fly regular routes across the Atlantic Ocean.

Aircraft Model Type First in Service
767-200 Passenger 1982
767-200ER Passenger 1984
767-300 Passenger 1986
767-300ER Passenger 1988
767-400ER Passenger 2000
767-300F Freighter 1995

There is also a military tanker version of the 767, based on the 767-200ER, named the KC-46A 9 (designated as the 767-2C in Boeing’s orders and deliveries database).

Boeing’s studies for a higher-capacity 767 in the late 1980s led to the development of the larger 777 twinjet that was brought into service in 1995.

Boeing 767-200

Airbus A300

The history of the A300 goes back as far as the late 1960s with the formation of Airbus, a consortium of European aerospace manufacturers created to provide a credible challenger to Boeing.

In 1969, Airbus decided to develop the world’s first ever wide-body twin-engine commercial aircraft; the Airbus A300, designed to serve the short- to medium-haul market. With only two engines, the A300 was lighter and more efficient than its trijet rivals at the time such as the Lockheed L-1011 TriStar and the McDonnell Douglas DC-10.

The A300B made its first flight in October 1972 and entered service with Air France in May 1974. Initially, A300 sales were slow as the aviation industry was suffering a downturn due to the world oil crisis, and there were industry concerns over whether two engines could safely carry passengers over long distances. In 1977, the A300’s fortunes took a turn for the better when US-based Eastern Airlines leased four A300s, subsequently purchasing them and ordering 19 more.

Also in 1977, the A300B4 became the first ETOPS-certified aircraft, offering airlines more versatility and more options for A300 routes. Some say that it was the ETOPS certification that saved the A300 program as it opened up a bigger market that could be served. The final variant was the A300-600R, rated for 180-minute ETOPS.

Airbus A300-600

In 1982, a variation of the A300, the A310, took to the air, followed shortly after by the A300-600 in 1983. The A310 was a shorter, longer-ranger aircraft than the A300. The A300-600 has a two-crew cockpit eliminating the need for a flight engineer.

The A300-600 was slightly longer than the A300B2 and A300B4 variants and had increased interior space. The A300-600 entered service in June 1984 and used the same digital cockpit design as the A310 with electronic displays, eliminating the need for a flight engineer. There have been lots of different A300-600 models, as follows:

  • A300-600 – the baseline model
  • A300-620C – a convertible freighter
  • A300-600F -the freighter version of the baseline A300-600
  • A300-600R – an increased-range A300−600, first delivered in 1988; all A300s built since 1989 are based on the A300−600R
  • A300-600RC – the convertible-freighter version of the A300-600R
  • A300-600RF – the freighter version of the A300−600R

Aside from the various passenger, freighter, and combi A300 variants, there have also been some more unusual ones. One of the most distinctive is the A300-600ST Beluga, the whale-shaped freighter based on the A300-600 that is used to transport Airbus aircraft parts around the world.

A300 production ceased in 2007, but many remain in service today, although the majority are freighters, with UPS Airlines and FedEx Express being the biggest A300 operators.

The main A300 variants are listed below:

Aircraft Model Type First in Service
A300B2 Passenger 1974
A300B4 Passenger 1975
A300-600 Passenger 1984
A300-600R Passenger 1988
A3006F Freighter 1994

Dimensions

Let’s take a look at some key physical characteristics and see how the passenger versions of these two aircraft measure up against each other:

Aircraft Model Length/ m Wingspan/ m Fuselage Width/ m MTOW/ tonnes
A300B2 53.61 44.84 5.64 142.0
A300B4 165.0
A300-600 54.08 171.7
A3006F 170.5
767-200 48.51 47.57 5.03 142.9
767-200ER 179.2
767-300 54.94 158.8
767-300ER 186.9
767-400ER 61.37 51.92 204.1
767-300F 54.94 47.57 186.9

In broad terms, these aircraft are physically similar, and both are FAA Code IV aircraft (all variants). The main differences are the wider fuselage of the A300 (0.61m wider than the B767), the longer wingspan of the 767, and the longer fuselage of the 767-400ER.

Boeing 767-400

Range

The A300-600R and the standard 767 models have similar ranges varying between 7,200km and 7,500km. As you would expect the 767 extended range models have much longer ranges varying between 10,400km and 12,200km.

The modest range of the A300B2 led to the rapid development of the A300B4, mainly driven by Korean Air, and in September 1974, Korean Air placed an order for four A300B4s with options for two further aircraft. This sale was viewed as significant as it was the first non-European international airline to order Airbus aircraft.

Aircraft Model Range
A300B2 1,850nm (3,430km)
A300B4 2,900nm (5,375km)
A300-600R 4,050nm (7,500km)
A3006F 4,050nm (7,500km)
767-200 3,900nm (7,200km)
767-200ER 6,590nm (12,200km)
767-300 3,900nm (7,200km)
767-300ER 5,980nm (11,0870km)
767-400ER 5,625nm (10,415km)
767-300F 3,255nm (6,030km)

Whilst the 767 was originally targeted at hub and point-to-point carriers operating short- to mid-range transcontinental routes, its later 180-minute ETOPS certifications allowed it to operate intercontinental routes, including transatlantic routes, boosting sales.

As mentioned earlier, ETOPS certification is said to be the commercial savior of the A300. The A300 achieved its initial ETOPS certification way back in 1977 with the A300B4 which was the first ETOPS-compliant aircraft. The final A300 (A300-600R) is rated for 180-minute ETOPS.

Airbus A300F

Seat Capacity

Airbus indicates that the A300-600 can carry a maximum of 345 passengers, and between 210 and 250 passengers in 3-class configurations.

The number of airlines currently operating A300 aircraft is small, and all current operators of A300 passenger aircraft appear to be based in Iran; this isn’t just a coincidence. Due to US-imposed sanctions, Iran has to continue to fix its aging aircraft, rather than being able to buy new ones.

Mahan Air’s website indicates that their A300-600s have 280 seats although it is not clear how many classes the cabin is configured with, I’m guessing it’s two-class. My research shows that Iran Air’s A300-600s are configured with economy and business class with a total of 268 seats (248 economy and 20 business class).

The twin-aisle A300 was typically configured with 8 seats abreast in economy (2-4-2) and six seats abreast in business class (2-2-2).

The 767’s official seat numbers from Boeing vary by variant and number of cabin classes. The 767-200 variants range from 174 (3-class) to 245 seats (1-class), the 767-300 variants range from 210 to 290 seats, and the 767-400 variants range from 243 to 409 seats.

In practice, actual seat numbers vary significantly by airline and depend on their seating standards, number of classes, and whether premium classes are fitted-out with lie-flat seats. Let’s look at some different airline examples of 767-200 and 767-300 seat numbers for two-class cabin configurations:

Airline Aircraft Model Business Economy Total
Icelandair 767-300ER 25 237 262
Japan Airlines 767-300/ER V1 42 219 261
Japan Airlines 767-300ER V2 24 175 199
Japan Airlines 767-300ER V4 30 197 227
Ethiopian Airlines B767-300ER 24 199 223
Air Astana B767-300ER 30 193 223
LATAM B767-300ER V1 30 191 221
LATAM B767-300ER V2 18 220 238
Omni Air Intl B767-200/ER V2 18 195 213
Omni Air Intl B767-200ER V1 20 198 218
Average 26 202 228

Delta Airlines is one of the few airlines operating B767s (300 and 400 variants) with three cabin classes (First or Business, Premium Economy, and Economy). Average seat numbers are 218 for Delta’s B767-300s and B767-300ERs, and 242 seats for Delta’s B767-400ERs. Delta Airlines also operates a 4-class B767-300ER with 26 first-class seats, 18 business class seats, 21 premium economy seats, and 151 economy class seats (total 216 seats).

The twin-aisle 767 typically has seven or eight seats abreast in economy class (2-3-2, 2-4-2), six or seven seats abreast in premium economy class (2-2-2, 2-3-2), and four to six seats abreast in business class (1–⁠2–⁠1, 2-1-2, 2-2-2).

Boeing 767-300

Customers and Orders

The 767 has received 1,560 orders in total as of the end of December 2022, including more than 120 for the tanker version (767-2C) and more than 280 for the freighter version (767-300F). The most popular aircraft in the 767 family is the 767-300ER with 657 orders, accounting for 42% of all 767 orders, or 57% of all passenger jet 767 orders.

Boeing 767 Orders by Variant

The 767’s most successful year for orders was 1989, the same year that it was certified for 180-minute ETOPS, an extension of the 120-minute certification. During the early 1990s, the 767 was the most commonly operated airliner on transatlantic flights between the USA and Europe.

The last order for a B767 passenger jet variant was placed in 2012, and in 2014 Boeing dropped the 767-400ER and the 767-200ER from its pricing list. Since 2012, the only 676 orders received by Boeing have been for the B767-2C and the B767-300F and orders keep coming in for these variants, albeit in small numbers. In 2022, Boeing received three orders each for the B767-2C and the B767-300F.

Some of the 767’s biggest customers include Delta Air Lines, United Airlines, and FedEx. UPS is also a significant customer. Current operators of the 767 include Air Astana, ANA, Austrian Airlines, Delta Airlines, Ethiopian Airlines, Icelandair, JAL, LATAM Airlines, and United Airlines.

Top Boeing 767 Customers

The A300 received a total of 561 orders. The top A300 customers are both freight operators using the A300F – UPS and FedEx. American Airlines is the largest customer for the passenger versions of the A300, although it no longer operates any of these aircraft.

Top Airbus A300 Customers

At the end of December 2022, 229, or 41% of delivered A300s still remained in service. Of these, at least three-quarters were freighters operated by UPS, FedEx, Air Hong Kong, European Air Transport, ASL Airlines (Ireland), MNG Airlines (Turkey), and Uni-Top Airlines (China). The remainder belonged to undisclosed owners and airlines in Iran.

Top A300 Operators

A300 vs. 767: Summary

The A300 and 767 are similar aircraft in that they are both twinjets, and are twin-aisle widebodies. As such, they can be considered rivals. Both aircraft have benefited commercially from ETOPS certification allowing airlines to deploy these twinjets on intercontinental routes not previously possible.

The 767 is still in production, but only as a tanker or as a freighter. The last 767 passenger variant order was placed in 2012. A300 deliveries ended in 2007. The B767 has received almost three times as many orders as the A300, and given that it came on the scene later than the A300 there is a still chance you could be flying in a 767, whereas available options for flying in an A300 are becoming extremely limited.

Both aircraft are still very popular freighters, either as original freighter variants or as conversions from passenger aircraft.

1 thought on “Airbus A300 vs. Boeing 767: How Do They Compare?”

  1. Just to bust your pax numbers. UK airline Britannia crammed 290 into the 767-200 and rival Monarch stuffed 361 into the A300-600R.

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