Since its very founding, Airbus has envisioned an aircraft family derived from their first product, the A300. Nine possible variants were conceptualized, of which, the A300B9, would eventually be developed into the A330 series.

(© Airliners.net/Paul McCarthy)

First ordered by the now-defunct French domestic airline Air Inter on March 12, 1987, and officially launched soon after, the A330-300 was the initial variant developed from the drawing board. The aircraft was planned to serve the same niche as its rival trijets, but with 25% more fuel efficiency and state-of-the-art engines. With the completed airframe rolling out on October 14, 1992, and its maiden flight taking place that November, the A330-300 was the largest twinjet ever produced until the introduction of the Boeing 777.

About this airframe:

In 1996, Dragonair added widebody A330s to its fleet and hoped to operate them in mainland China. It wasn't approved at the time, however, so the A330s were temporarily leased to Cathay Pacific, including VR-HYD. As Cathay Pacific was celebrating its 50th anniversary, all aircraft wore the celebratory sticker, and VR-HYD, with its otherwise bland livery, was no exception. She returned to Dragonair in July that year, presumably after the carrier received authorization to operate A330s on mainland routes. In 1997, after the handover of Hong Kong, the VR- aircraft registry was changed to B- registry, and VR-HYD was re-registered as B-HYD. In 2011, she was transferred from Dragonair to Air Transat and became C-GTSO. She would then uneventfully fly for Air Transat until March 2020, when amidst the global Covid air traffic shutdown, she was withdrawn from service and stored at Pinal County Airpark in Arizona less than a year later. As C-GTSO baked under the Mojave sun, the lease expired and she returned to her true owner, AerCap, and re-registered, for perhaps a final time, to N1132D.

Btw I've been on its sistership, B-HYB. Sadly, I'm yet capable to reproduce the Spirit of Hong Kong livery. Though, hopefully soon, I'd be able to.

(© myself)

Last but not least, the main credit goes to @CinnamonCBF for creating the original, amazing replica!