What are the payload-range diagram capabilities of small widebody aircraft?

Hello All,

Around five years ago this blog published a post on the payload-range capabilities of widebody aircraft. Since then, Airbus published the payload-range capabilities of both A330neo variants. The blog writer has also become more knowledgeable on how aircraft work.

This blog post will focus on small passenger widebody aircraft, which includes the A330ceo, A330neo, 787-8, and 787-9 variants. The goal is to try to answer why the A330-800 has been selling so poorly.

A word of caution on the comparison

This post will compare the payload-range diagrams of Airbus and Boeing aircraft from the Airport Planning Manuals. There are two main reasons why those are not exact apples-to-apples comparisons.

The first is the assumptions about the aircraft’s empty weight, i.e. the weight with a full cabin and associated amenities but without passengers. Airbus and Boeing have different assumptions. While differences on single-aisle aircraft tend to be smaller, the more complex long-haul cabins have much heavier seats. Another point is that Airbus assumes the A330ceo and A330neo do not have cabin crew rest areas, while the Dreamliner does. The cabin crew rest area weighs several hundred kilos.

The second is fuel reserves. Fuel reserves are usually made of three components: a percentage of mission fuel, diversion to an alternate airport, and time to fly a holding pattern while awaiting landing clearance. Airbus usually assumes 3% mission fuel reserves, while Boeing assumes 5%.

While not relevant here, Airbus and Boeing use different passenger plus luggage assumptions. Airbus is usually more aggressive (and less realistic) than Boeing for long-haul passengers: 95kg vs. around 102kg (225 pounds). Some airlines assume more than 110kg per passenger + bags in real-life operations.

With those caveats disclosed, we can attempt a comparison.

The payload-range diagram

Below is the payload-range diagram of the six aircraft:

This is for a maximum takeoff weight of 242 metric tons for the A330-200 and A330-300, 251 metric tons for the A330-800 and A330-900, 227.9 metric tons for the 787-8, and 254 metric tons for the 787-9.

With payloads at variant ranges:

Range (nm)	A330-200	A330-300	A330-800	A330-900	787-8	787-9
4,000	45.8	45.8	45.8	45.8	43.3	52.5
5,000	43.4	40.0	45.8	44.4	43.3	52.5
6,000	34.7	29.9	41.5	36.8	39.0	45.2
7,000	25.0	19.7	32.5	27.4	30.4	35.4

Range in Nautical miles, payload in metric tons

It is worth noting that the A330ceos and A330neos have a small “kink” in the payload-range diagram before they high the aircraft MTOW and start trading payload for range. As the mission length increases, so do fuel reserves as a share of mission fuel. The plane lands with those reserves. The Airbus aircraft have a maximum landing weight limitation that the Dreamliner doesn’t have. So they have to remove some payload to accommodate the extra fuel to avoid going over the maximum landing weight.

Neo means two (or more) flying hours

When comparing the payload-range diagrams, assuming around 100kg per passenger, the A330-200 can fly 250 passengers up to 7,000nm (it means a bit more than 14h block-hour missions). The A330-300 can fly up to 12.5h missions (payload of 29.9 tons) in its 242 metric tons MTOW variant with 290 passengers. Note that most A330ceos have a takeoff weight below that level, so the practical range is even lower.

With more fuel-efficient engines and a higher MTOW, the A330-900 can fly up to 14h missions with 290 passengers. The A330-900 has more payload-range capacity than the A330-200. Airlines can replace the A330-200 with the A330-900 on missions up to 14 hours with full passenger loads in standard long-haul configurations.

The A330-800 stuck in a corner

The A330-800, as an A330-900 shrink, can carry more payload than the A330-900. However, the A330-900 has more volume to carry freight or passengers. As described in the previous section, the A330-900 can carry full passenger loads in a standard long-haul configuration for missions up to 14 hours. It is more profitable across the network of most airlines.

This is more than enough for A330neo operators. Airlines that operate missions longer than that also tend to have A350s in their fleets. The A350 is better suited for cargo operations or longer-range flights.

While the A330-800 has more payload-range capabilities than the competing A330-900, it is not the best aircraft on the market for it. For missions up to 14h the A330-900 has more revenue potential with its extra volume, and beyond that an A350-900 or 787-9 works better.

The Dreamliner advantage

The 787-9 has around an eight-metric tons payload advantage over the A330-900. The difference is largely the result of the lower aircraft empty weight due to the composite structure. The higher MTOW also contributes to the payload difference in favor of the 787-9. The A330-900 and 787-9 engine and aerodynamic efficiencies are similar.