The A330-300, the first variant, took its maiden flight in November 1992 and entered service with Air Inter in January 1994. The slightly shorter A330-200 variant followed in 1998.

As of 2026, the Airbus A330-300 is approximately 33 years old as a model. The very first A330-300 took its maiden flight on November 2, 1992, and it officially entered commercial service with the airline Air Inter in January 1994. However, this does not mean every A330-300 you fly on is three decades old. Airbus continued to manufacture the "Current Engine Option" (CEO) version of the A330-300 until the late 2010s, with many of the aircraft currently in operation by airlines like Delta, Turkish Airlines, and Cathay Pacific having been built between 2010 and 2015. In 2026, the "average" age of a working A330-300 in a major airline's fleet is typically around 12 to 15 years. The model has since been largely succeeded by the A330-900 (A330neo), which features more efficient engines and aerodynamic "sharklets" on the wingtips. Despite its age, the -300 remains a "workhorse" of the aviation industry due to its reliable twin-engine design and its ability to carry nearly 300 passengers on medium-to-long-haul routes with very competitive operating costs.