A330-300 | 2006

(TOP)
Airline - Dhahrani
Aircraft - Airbus A340-300 | A9-VCB
Delivered to Royal Dhahrani Airways, 1994
Sold to Atlantic Charter, 2013
Livery - Standard 2003
Country - Kingdom of Dhahran

(BOTTOM)
Airline - Dhahrani
Aircraft - Airbus A330-300 | A9-VDC
Delivered to Royal Dhahrani Airways, 2006
Stored at Victorville, 2020
Livery - Standard 2003
Country - Kingdom of Dhahran

In 2006, Dhahrani took delivery of its first Airbus A330-300 - meant as a replacement for aging (and inefficient) A340-300s. Apart from the improved fuel efficiency due to the A330 having only two engines instead of four, it also increased passenger capacity slightly by adding one row of Business Class and four Economy Class seats. This was done by using an amended interior layout in what was essentially the same fuselage, achieving a more efficient use of floor space. The A330-300 was also equipped with the updated interior developed for the A340-600, while the A340-300 was never retrofitted with this interior. Shown here is A9-VDC, the third A330-300 delivered to the airline, which continues to fly with Dhahrani to this day.

The one drawback of replacing a A340-300s with A330s of the same size was the lower range that the newer aircraft had. This meant that while the A340-300s could reach most of North America and Australia easily, the A330-300s replacing them could not. However, because these shorter-body A340s (unlike the flagship A340-600) were used more on shorter European, African, and Asian flights - well within the A330-300's range - this was not much of a problem.


Disclaimer: This project is designed to look at the progression of aviation in a more-or-less generic fictional Middle Eastern state. The fictional Kingdom of Dhahran is located near the real Saudi Arabian city called Dhahran, but has no affiliation with it, and the name is a coincidence. Any other similarities to real people, locations, or situations may be intentional. I have zero knowledge of Arabic, so while I have spent considerable time trying to get it right, mistakes are possible, and any advice is greatly appreciated.