Earlier today, August 19, one passenger aboard a Volaris Airbus A320ceo pushing back from the gate to take off somehow managed to deploy the emergency evacuation slide. The motivation or exact details surrounding the incident are not yet clear, but the perpetrator appeared to be in police custody afterwards in Facebook posts online.
Volaris was able to remedy the situation by ferrying a replacement A320neo in to Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX) and getting the passengers to Guadalajara’s Don Miguel Hidalgo & Costilla International (GDL), albeit behind schedule.
A Bad Day At Sky Harbor
Photo: Robin Guess | Shutterstock
The unlucky flyers aboard Volaris flight N526VL were deplaned and reboarded to N552VL after it arrived at Sky Harbor and reached Guadalajara after a six-hour delay, according to FlightAware. The actions of one passenger cost Volaris potentially as much as six digits in unnecessary operational costs and turned a quick border hop into a prolonged, nightmare-like travel experience for the 180 other passengers aboard.
N526VL was ferried to Guadalajara with no passengers aboard once it was made flyable again. These accidents are also known as inadvertent slide deployments, or ISD. More often than not, they are caused by mistakes during the “arming” of doors by flight attendants (FA) or mechanical failures than by passengers acting out. The flight path is shown below:
Photo: FlightAware
Last year a Delta Air Lines 767 experienced a particularly bizarre case when it took off and promptly lost its emergency slide as it fell off due to vibrations. The plane circled back and set down within thirty minutes of departure to address the problem. The Los Angeles Times quoted the International Air Transportation Association on the probable costs that result from accidental deployments:
“[Inadvertent slide deployment can] lead to flight cancellation and the cost for compensation, hotel accommodation, meals etc. can reach up to $200,000 for a single event.”
Out Of Control In The Cabin
Photo: Markus Mainka | Shutterstock
This particular situation is less common than other cases of unruly passenger incidents, but the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has tracked a rise in badly behaved flyers in recent years. The summer of 2024 recorded 915 cases, including 106 due to intoxication, per the FAA. The year 2021 saw a stunning 6,000 unruly flyer reports, but 2025 is up to 1,000 reports as of August which is already on track to meet or beat 2024, which saw 2,100 reports.
The FAA can propose up to $43,658 per violation for unruly passenger cases. Individuals can face lifetime airline bans and even be placed on a no-fly list. One incident can result in multiple fines or even jail time per FAA policy. The details surrounding the Phoenix flyer remain undisclosed but given police presence in Facebook pictures, charges may well be forthcoming.
Easily Avoidable & Costly Mistakes
Photo: oasisamuel | Shutterstock
In many cases ISD is the result of a lack of crew familiarity or mechanical failure that causes the slide to be deployed. Most FAs need to be trained on multiple aircraft models and series, which all have similar but different door arming and disarming mechanisms. Confusion, distractions, or low familiarity can lead to mistakes that end with the slide popping out.
In January 2025, CNN covered an ISD by a Delta Air Lines crew that ended up canceling a flight from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) to Daniel K. Inouye International Airport in Honolulu (HNL). Interestingly, this plane was also a Boeing 767. In anecdotal evidence from Reddit, the Boeing 767 appears to have a reputation for the most ISDs on average due to the main opening lever being close to the arm/disarm lever.
IATA Code
Y4
ICAO Code
VOI
Year Founded
2005
CEO
Enrique Beltranena
Some consider this to be a major failure of basic aircrew responsibilities, as in the case of a British Airways Airbus A321 that experienced an ISD in January, as the NY Post reported. Regardless of how aircrew mistakes may be viewed, at least for the Volaris crew that day the fault fell to an unruly passenger, but that certainly didn’t help the unfortunate flyers of N526VL.
The Airbus A330-800neo is one of two variants in the Airbus A330neo family, with the other being the A330-900neo. The A330neo is an upgrade over the original A330 variants, with new engines, updated wingtips, interior improvements, and software upgrades. The A330-900, directly succeeding the A330-300, has proven effective and has even found love in the United Statesat Delta Air Lines. Contrastingly, the A330-800 has been shunned in the US.
In some ways, you can consider the start of the A330neo to be the original A350 program. To compete against the Boeing 787, Airbus took the A330 family and added new engines along with a carbon-composite wing and a new cockpit. Airlines largely rejected the concept, prompting Airbus to create a clean-sheet aircraft, the A350 XWB, and move up in size. The A330neo was developed in the 2010s to slot underneath the A350 in price and capability.
The Airlines That Don’t Want The Airbus A330-800
Photo: Dirk Daniel Mann | Shutterstock
The A330-800 is Airbus’s smallest widebody, and given that the US is home to more Boeing 767s (a similarly-sized twinjet) than any other nation in the world, you’d expect the European manufacturer to make significant efforts to sell this jet here. However, Airbus hasn’t sold a single A330-800to a US airline. This is especially surprising considering that the prior A330-200 has been reasonably successful in the country, being operated by Delta, Hawaiian, and, previously, American Airlines.
United Airlines currently flies 53 aging Boeing 767s, but has committed to the 787 to replace these planes. Hawaiian Airlines, a current A330-200 operator, ordered Boeing 787-9s to replace its Airbus widebodies, although these planes are now slated to remain in service while the Dreamliners get transferred to Alaska Airlines. For American Airlines, meanwhile, its 767 and A330 fleets were fully retired during the COVID-19 pandemic, with the 787 serving as their replacement.
Only four airlines in the US operate passenger widebodies in scheduled service, and by and large, they have opted for the similarly sized Boeing 787. This is despite the fact that these planes are replacing the Boeing 767 or Airbus A330, which are optimized for medium-haul routes, similar to the Airbus A330neo. Notably, Hawaiian Airlines formerly held orders for six Airbus A330-800s, but cancelled them in favor of the Dreamliners.
Why Delta Air Lines Isn’t Buying Them
Photo: Minh K Tran | Shutterstock
Delta Air Lines is the largest operator of the Airbus A330-900 in the world and the largest operator of the A330 series as a whole. It operates 11 A330-200s, 31 A330-300s, and 37 A330-900s with two more on order, but has never ordered the A330-800, and has not announced plans to obtain more A330neos. What’s surprising is that the A330-900s were slated to partially replace the Boeing 767-300ER fleet, an aircraft significantly smaller than the A330-900.
You’d expect Delta to replace these aircraft with the A330-800, given that it would be far closer in size to the 767. However, going with the larger A330-900 instead was a conscious choice. Delta is looking to upgauge its entire network, replacing A320s and 737s with A321neos and 737 MAX 10s, while 767s are to be replaced with larger widebodies. Delta is looking to lower per-seat economics, and larger aircraft variants are cheaper to operate per-seat than smaller variants.
Aircraft Types In Service With Delta
Aircraft Types On Order By Delta
Airbus A220-100
Airbus A220-300
Airbus A220-300
Airbus A321neo
Airbus A319-100
Airbus A330-900
Airbus A320-200
Airbus A350-900
Airbus A321-200
Airbus A350-1000
Airbus A321neo
Boeing 737 MAX 10
Airbus A330-200
Airbus A330-300
Airbus A330-900
Airbus A350-900
Boeing 717-200
Boeing 737-800
Boeing 737-900ER
Boeing 757-200
Boeing 757-300
Boeing 767-300ER
Boeing 767-400ER
Delta only has two A330-900s left on order. It’s expected that at least part of its remaining A350 order will displace existing A330-900s that can replace the remaining 767-300ERs, which would again be a system-wide upgauge. Meanwhile, it’s been heavily speculated that the Atlanta-based carrier is looking to order Boeing 787-10s. With a possible delivery date in the early 2030s, these could replace older A330s and the Boeing 767-400ER, while also being a significant upgauge over both types.
Why The Airbus A330-800 Is Not Selling
Photo: Markus Mainka I Shutterstock
In the US, Delta is looking to upgauge its entire network, while other carriers are focusing on the Boeing 787. However, the A330-800 has also sold poorly around the world, with only eight total orders, while the A330-900 has received nearly 440. Seven have already been delivered: four to Kuwait Airways, two to Uganda Airlines, and one to Air Greenland. One more example is reported to have been ordered in an executive configuration.
The A330-800 is a direct replacement for the Airbus A330-200, which, in Delta’s premium-heavy configuration, seats 223 passengers. At the other end of the spectrum, Hawaiian’s leisure-focused A330-200s seat 278. With the new winglets and more efficient Rolls-Royce Trent 7000, the A330-800 now has a range of 8,100 NM (15,000 km) at a Maximum Takeoff Weight of 251 tonnes, and this is the issue.
The A330-200 that the A330-800 is based on was developed as a shrink of the original A330-300 (replaced by the A330-900). As such, the A330-200/800 is more expensive to operate per-seat than its larger counterparts. In the past, the A330-200 sold due to its additional range, but as the A330-300 grew more capable, sales for the A330-200 dried up. With the A330-900 now having up to 7,350 NM (13,600 km) of range, almost no airline is willing to sacrifice economics for the extra miles.
The Decline Of Short-Fuselage Variants
Photo: Wirestock Creators | Shutterstock
In airliner design, manufacturers typically create the base design (Airbus A320, Boeing 757-200, Airbus A330-300, Boeing 777-200), then they will either shrink the fuselage (Airbus A319, Airbus A330-200) or stretch the fuselage (Boeing 757-300, Boeing 777-300). Shrinking typically results in a more capable plane with higher per-seat costs, while a stretched variant boasts the best per-seat costs but also has less range.
Manufacturers don’t always develop their aircraft in this manner (both Airbus A350 variants are optimized for their size), but this is typically how commercial aircraft are designed. This approach generally proved successful, as the A330-200 made up 46% of passenger A330ceo sales, while the A319, A320, and A321 were all popular. For first-generation A320 variants, only the A318 was a sales flop, with this variant being a shrink of a shrink.
Today, however, the A330-800 is far from the only reengined shrink that’s been unpopular. The A319neo has only received 57 orders, while slightly over 300 orders have been received for the Boeing 737 MAX 7. The 777-8’s development has been paused, and even sales for the Boeing 787-8 have slowed down dramatically. As the larger version of an airliner becomes more capable, such as during a re-engine program, demand for the shrink disappears.
Why Airbus Doesn’t Care About Selling A330-800s
Photo: EA Photography | Shutterstock
From a manufacturer’s position, a shrink allows you to capture a broader segment of the market by addressing the shortcomings of the original model. However, such jets are priced lower than a larger model, but cost practically the same to produce, thereby generating lower profit margins. Manufacturers prefer to sell larger variants whenever possible, as they generate the highest profits.
When significant demand exists for a smaller aircraft that is more capable, manufacturers will price it competitively. The sale price is a significant component in whether an airliner wins an order, and, as such, selling an A330-200 may have yielded lower profits than an A330-300 in the past, but this was still preferable over losing an order to the Boeing 767.
With the A330-800, however, airlines aren’t lining up to buy it, and Airbus spent little on developing it. The A330-900 captures nearly all of the market, and this variant generates higher profit margins. As such, Airbus is incentivized to price the A330-900 competitively, while the A330-800 has low demand and generates lower profits, so Airbus likely budges little on pricing. This lowers demand for the A330-800 even further, but Airbus would still rather sell more A330-900s.
The Bottom Line
The Airbus A330-800 has been sold to three airlines. This is the only widebody in Air Greenland’s fleet and is used for flights to Copenhagen, directly replacing an Airbus A330-200. For Kuwait Airways and Uganda Airlines, the type serves as a small, efficient, cheap widebody that has incredible capability. Kuwait Airways also operates the A330-900, making it easier for the airline to integrate it into the fleet.
While the A330-800 has so far proven a sales dud, Airbus is not focused on the variant’s individual orderbook. Rather, Airbus aims to make money on the A330neo program as a whole, and selling more A330-900s appears to be a winning strategy for the European planemaker. As such, the A330-800 will likely go down as one of the industry’s rarest birds, similar to other reengined shrinks like the Airbus A319neo.
Digitizing maintenance and other aircraft records would help streamline MRO visits and transactions, such as lease transfers.
Credit: Chris Rank/Airbus
Years from now, when seamless digital record transfers are as routine as clouds in the sky, many will cite the AOG Technics fraud in 2023 as the event that sparked a fundamental shift in how aviation keeps tabs on aircraft assets. They will be right—sort of. AOG Technics, a London-based company that…
Senior Air Transport & Safety Editor Sean Broderick covers aviation safety, MRO, and the airline business from Aviation Week Network’s Washington, D.C. office.
Is Parts Integrity Finally Having Its Moment? is part of our Aviation Week & Space Technology – Inside MRO and AWIN subscriptions.
Subscribe now to read this content, plus receive full coverage of what’s next in technology from the experts trusted by the commercial aircraft MRO community.
Already a subscriber to AWST or an AWIN customer? Log in with your existing email and password.
Aero Linx: OX5 Aviation Pioneers ALL ARE WELCOME. OPEN TO ALL. You do not have to be a pilot or mechanic to join our organization. As an OX5 member, you will: 1) Belong to one of the oldest aviation clubs in the USA 2) Share the camaraderie of aviation people 3) Meet interesting pilots 4) Learn interesting historic stories 5) Participate and display at air shows 6) Contribute to scholarships and other projects 7) Receive a quarterly newsletter 8) Attend the annual Reunion/Board Meeting
Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport
Delta Air Lines
Seattle-Tacoma International Airport
British Airways
