Spain finally completes A330 MRTT fleet five years after ordering locally converted tankers

Spain has received its third Airbus A330 Multi Role Tanker Transport (MRTT), completing an order placed five years ago for aircraft converted in the same country that hosts the type's main conversion center.

Airbus delivered the third A330 MRTT to the Spanish Ministry of Defence on Tuesday at its Getafe facility near Madrid. The aircraft will be operated by the Spanish Air and Space Force's 45th Wing at Torrejón de Ardoz Air Base.

The delivery completes a program launched in November 2021, when Spain ordered three A330 MRTTs based on second-hand A330-200 passenger aircraft acquired from Iberia.

Spain's acquisition was unusual because the country had already been home to the Airbus facility responsible for converting A330 airliners into MRTTs for customers around the world. Despite this industrial role, the Spanish Air Force had not previously operated the type.

The service had also been without a dedicated strategic tanker since retiring its last Boeing 707 in 2016, with the Airbus A400M providing part of its air-to-air refueling capability.

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Spain initially used the former Iberia A330s as strategic transports before sending them through the MRTT conversion process at Getafe. The aircraft supported missions including the evacuation of Spanish nationals from Niger and Sudan and participated in the Pacific Skies exercise in 2024.

Program took longer than initially planned

When the contract was announced in 2021, Airbus expected the first fully converted MRTT to be delivered in 2023 and the third and final aircraft in 2025.

The schedule subsequently changed substantially. Spain's first A330 MRTT entered service only in April 2025, while the second and third aircraft were still undergoing conversion at Getafe at that time.

The third aircraft delivered this week previously flew for Iberia as EC-MIL and later served with the Spanish Air Force in transport configuration as T.24-01 before entering conversion in March 2025.

Spain's MRTTs use a hose-and-drogue refueling system and carry up to 111 tonnes of fuel without requiring additional tanks. Airbus says the aircraft can remain airborne for more than 18 hours and has a range of 16,000 km.

The A330 MRTT can also carry up to 300 troops or 45 tonnes of payload and can be configured for medical evacuation missions with stretcher modules and intensive-care stations.

The completion of the three-aircraft program comes as Spain considers expanding its tanker fleet. Madrid and Warsaw have been working on a joint acquisition that could add three more A330 MRTTs for Spain and four for Poland.

Airbus has now received orders for 91 A330 MRTTs and delivered 68 aircraft to customers in more than 18 countries.