Boeing767-300

The Boeing 767-300 is the workhorse of the 767 family — a mid-size twin-aisle widebody that stretched the original 767-200 for more capacity. Together with its extended-range sibling, the 767-300ER, it became one of the aircraft that proved a twin-engine jet could safely and economically fly long over-water routes, reshaping how airlines crossed the Atlantic.

History

Boeing developed the 767 in the late 1970s alongside the narrower 757, sharing a common cockpit between the two. The stretched 767-300 made its first flight on January 30, 1986, and entered service with Japan Airlines later that year. The extended-range 767-300ER followed and became the volume seller, prized for transatlantic and other long-haul routes.

The 767’s seven-abreast, twin-aisle cabin hit a sweet spot: wider and more comfortable than a narrowbody, but smaller and cheaper to operate than a 747.

The Family

The 767 was offered in three main passenger lengths sharing the same wing and systems:

Variant	Length	Seats (typical)	Range
767-200	48.5 m	181	~12,200 km
767-300	54.9 m	218	~11,070 km
767-400ER	61.4 m	245	~10,400 km

The 767 also shares a common type rating with the 757, so pilots can fly both with a single qualification — a rare cross-family commonality that airlines valued highly.

ETOPS Pioneer

The 767 was central to the rise of ETOPS (Extended-range Twin-engine Operational Performance Standards). Before ETOPS, twin-engine jets were barred from routes that took them too far from a diversion airport, leaving long over-water flights to three- and four-engine aircraft. The 767’s reliability helped regulators extend those limits, opening transatlantic routes to efficient twinjets and paving the way for the 777 and 787.

In Service Today

Many passenger 767-300s have retired, but the type remains widely used — Delta Air Lines and United Airlines still fly passenger 767-300ERs, while the freighter version (767-300F) is a mainstay for cargo operators like FedEx and UPS. Its cargo-friendly cross-section keeps it in demand as an air-freighter long after passenger versions wind down.

Spotting Tips

• Twin-aisle at mid-size: A widebody clearly smaller than a 777 or A330, with a comparatively narrow twin-aisle cabin
• Pointier nose: The 767 shares its nose and cockpit with the narrowbody 757, giving it a slimmer forward fuselage than most widebodies
• Wingtips: No winglets or raked tips on most 767s — plain, squared-off wingtips
• Engine count: Two engines on a mid-size widebody of this era usually means a 767