Lost plane Airbus A330: a modern, transatlantic workhorse

The A330-200 is 59 meters (194 feet) long and has a wingspan of 60.30 meters. It can carry 253 passengers and can fly at 880 kilometers (547 miles) per hour at a cruising altitude of 10,700 meters.

The plane is used for both freight and passenger transport and was first test flown in August 1997. Since then 600 models of the A330 have been produced and are used around the world, including the slightly longer A330-300.

The catalogue price of the A330-200 is about $180.9 million (127 million euros).

Thanks to its range of 12,500 kilometers, the A330 is often used for direct intercontinental flights such as the route between Brazil and France. Airbus says the plane can fly more than 11 million hours during its lifespan.

The missing Air France plane is fitted with General Electric engines.