On Monday, August 25, a Transavia Boeing 737-800 operating flight HV-5517 from Amsterdam to Cyprus was forced to return after the crew reported a technical problem shortly after departure. The jet landed back at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport (AMS) without incident.
The airline has not disclosed details about the nature of the problem, though emergency services were deployed as a precaution. Early indications suggest the issue was related to the aircraft’s flight controls. The Boeing narrowbody remains on the ground at the airport following the incident.
Pilots Declared PAN PAN After Reporting Flight Control Anomalies On Transavia Boeing 737
The Boeing 737-800, registered PH-HXI, was operating a regular service between Amsterdam Schiphol Airport (AMS) and Paphos International Airport (PFO) in Cyprus. According to Flightradar24 data, the aircraft was scheduled to depart at 14:55 local time on August 25 and arrive in Paphos around 20:00. The flight left Schiphol at approximately 15:20 from runway 18L.
Shortly after departure, the crew stopped the climb at 8,000 feet to address a technical problem. They attempted to continue the flight in steps and requested clearances at 10,000 and 13,000 feet, as reported by The Aviation Herald. However, the situation later escalated, and the pilots declared a PAN PAN.
The crew cited anomalies with the flight controls that had first appeared during rotation. They told air traffic control (ATC) that they could not predict how the aircraft would behave, although it appeared stable under autopilot at that time. Ultimately, the crew requested a slow descent and return to the airport. The jet landed safely on runway 18C at Schiphol about 35 minutes after departure. It vacated the runway without issue and taxied back to the apron under its own power.
The Jet Remains Grounded, But Scheduled To Return To Service On August 27
At the time of writing, the aircraft remains grounded at Schiphol but is expected to return to service on August 27. Flightradar24 data shows PH-HXI is scheduled to operate flight HV6143 from Amsterdam to Alicante Airport in Spain. According to Planespotters.net, the aircraft is 8.4-year-old and was delivered to Transavia in April 2017. It is part of the carrier’s Boeing 737-800 fleet, which totals 38 aircraft.
As previously noted, initial reports suggest the issue may have involved the aircraft’s flight control system. However, the airline has not confirmed the exact nature of the fault. What is certain is that the crew issued a PAN PAN call to ATC. Pilots use specific phrases to communicate urgency or distress, and “PAN PAN” is one of the standard signals; it is the standard call for an urgency condition.
The phrase is often explained as “possible assistance needed” and is used to communicate an urgent, but not emergency, situation to ATC over VHF. In general aviation, this could apply to a pilot who has become disoriented or needs to climb to a higher altitude to resolve a problem. For an airliner, it can indicate the loss of a system that does not immediately compromise safety but may still require rerouting or a precautionary landing.
Furthermore, apart from this recent incident, the airline has faced other technical events this month involving its Boeing 737-800 fleet. On August 11, a jet registered PH-HSW operating flight HV-5514 from Faro to Eindhoven was forced to return to Faro after one of its CFM56 engines malfunctioned during the climb.
The aircraft landed safely about 23 minutes after departure, though passengers remained on board for nearly four hours before being disembarked. It remained grounded for more than a day and returned to service on August 13. A few days earlier, on August 6, another 737-800, registration PH-HSF, diverted to Lisbon while operating flight HV-3514 from Faro to Eindhoven Airport.
ICAO Code
B738
IATA Code
738
First Flight
September 22, 1998
Amount Built
2,159
Crew
2
The crew reported an engine fire indication at cruising altitude, shut one engine down, and completed a safe landing on runway 02. Lisbon ATC placed other arrivals into holding patterns to accommodate the emergency. The aircraft involved showed signs of engine overheating on August 1 on a service from Rotterdam to Faro and this led to maintenance checks. According to the technical log, the problems may have been linked to a bird strike into the right-hand engine on July 12.
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.
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Amsterdam Schiphol Airport
Delta Air Lines
