Airbus A320
Encyclopedia
The Airbus A320 family is a family of short- to medium-range, narrow-body
, commercial passenger jet airliner
s manufactured by Airbus Industrie
.Airbus was originally a consortium
of European aerospace companies, and is now fully owned by EADS
. Airbus's name has been Airbus SAS since 2001. The family includes the A318, A319, A320 and A321, as well as the ACJ
business jet
. Final assembly of the family in Europe takes place in Toulouse
, France, and Hamburg
, Germany; since 2009, a plant in Tianjin
, People's Republic of China, has also started producing aircraft for Chinese airlines. The aircraft family can accommodate up to 220 passengers and has a range
of 3100 to 12000 km (1,673.9 to 6,479.5 nmi), depending on model.
The first member of the A320 family—the A320—was launched in March 1984, first flew
on 22 February 1987, and was first delivered in 1988. The family was soon extended to include the A321 (first delivered 1994), the A319 (1996), and the A318 (2003). The A320 family pioneered the use of digital fly-by-wire
flight control systems
, as well as side stick
controls, in commercial aircraft. Although there has been a continuous improvement process since introduction, the proposed A320neo is to offer new, more efficient engines.
As of October 2011, a total of 4,858 Airbus A320 family aircraft have been delivered, of which 4,765 are in service. In addition, another 3,255 airliners are on firm order. According to Airbus, it ranked as the world's fastest-selling jet airliner family according to records from 2005 to 2007, and as the best-selling single-generation aircraft programme. The family's direct competitors are the Boeing 737
, 717
and 757
.
during the late 1960s/early 1970s, it envisioned a broad family of airliners with which to compete against Boeing
and Douglas
, two established US aerospace manufacturers. From the moment of formation, Airbus had begun studies into derivatives of the Airbus A300B in support of this long term goal. Prior to the service introduction of the first Airbus airliners, engineers within Airbus had identified nine possible variations of the A300 known as A300B1 to B9. A 10th variation, conceived in 1973, later the first to be constructed, was designated the A300B10. It was a smaller aircraft which would be developed into the long-range Airbus A310
. Airbus then focused its efforts on the single-aisle market, which was dominated by the Boeing 737
and McDonnell Douglas DC-9
.
Plans from a number of European aircraft manufacturers called for a successor to the relatively successful BAC One-Eleven
, and to replace the Boeing 737–200 and DC-9. Germany’s MBB (Messerschmitt-Bölkow-Blohm
), British Aircraft Corporation
, Sweden's Saab
and CASA worked on the EUROPLANE, a 180- to 200-seat aircraft. It was abandoned after intruding on A310 specifications. VFW-Fokker
, Dornier
and Hawker Siddeley worked on a number of 150-seat designs.
(formerly Hawker Siddeley) site in Weybridge, Surrey, UK. Although the members were all of Airbus' partners, they regarded the project as a separate collaboration from Airbus. This project was considered the forerunner of Airbus A320, encompassing the 130- to 188-seat market, powered by two CFM56s. It would have a cruise speed of Mach 0.84 (faster than B737). The programme was later transferred to Airbus, leading up to the creation of the Single-Aisle (SA) studies in 1980, led by former leader of JET programme, Derek Brown. The group looked at three different variants, covering the 125- to 180-seat market, called SA1, SA2 and SA3. Although unaware at the time, the consortium was producing the blueprints for the A319, A320 and A321, respectively. The single-aisle programme created divisions within Airbus about whether to design a shorter-range twinjet than a longer-range quadjet wanted by the West Germans, particularly Lufthansa
. However, works proceeded, and the German carrier would eventually order the twinjet.
In February 1981, the project was re-designated A320, with efforts focused on the former SA2. During the year, Airbus worked with Delta Air Lines
on a 150-seat aircraft envisioned and required by the airline. The A320 would carry 150 passengers 1860 nautical miles (3,444.7 km) using fuel from wing fuel tanks only. The Dash 200 had more fuel through the activation of center fuel tank, increasing fuel capacity from 3429 gallons (15,588.5 l) to 5154 gallons (23,430.5 l). enabling to fly up to 2850 nautical miles (5,278.2 km). The aircraft would measure 118 feet 3 inches (36.04 m) and 128 feet 9 inches (39.24 m), respectively. Airbus then had to decide on a cross-section for the A320. It considered a fuselage diameter of "the Boeing 707 and 727, or do something better". It eventually settled on a wider diameter, with the internal width at 3.7 metre, compared to 3.45 metre of the Boeing aircraft. Although heavier, this specification allowed the aircraft to compete more effectively with the 737. The A320 wing went through several stages of design, finally settling on 33.91 metres (111 feet 3 inches). It is longer and thinner, offering better aerodynamic efficiency because of higher aspect ratio
than the competition, namely the 737 and MD-80.
With the A320, Airbus made a controversial decision. For the first time, digital fly-by-wire
(FBW) flight control system would be incorporated into a commercial airliner, although it was previously successfully proven on military fighter aircraft, such as the Vought F-8 Crusader. Aside from associated reduction in weight and cost, this system would provide flight envelope protection
. The pilot, in essence, places inputs into the flight control computer, which interprets these actions and moves the flight control surfaces. FBW also allows Airbus to make flying characteristics similar to later models, such as the Airbus A330
, A340
, A380
, and the upcoming A350
. It would feature, for the first time, side-stick
control, which was implemented on the General Dynamics F-16.
During the A320 development programme, Airbus considered propfan
technology, backed by Lufthansa
. At the time unproven, it was essentially a fan placed outside the engine nacelle, offering speed of a turbofan at turboprop
s economics; eventually, Airbus stuck with turbofans. Power on the A320 would be supplied by two CFM56-5-A1s
rated at 25,000 lbf (112.5 kN). It was the only available engine at launch until the IAE V2500, offered by International Aero Engines, a group composed of Rolls Royce, Pratt & Whitney
, Japanese Aero Engines Corporation
, Fiat
and MTU Aero Engines
(MTU). The first V2500 variant, the V2500-A1, has a thrust output of 25000 pound-forces (111.2 kN), hence the name, and is marginally more efficient than the CFM56, with specific fuel consumption at 0.560, compared to 0.591 of the CFM56.
Production of the A320 was postponed due to a number of reasons. From the start, the UK, France and West Germany
wanted the responsibility of final assembly and the associated duties. These disputes were known as "work-share arguments", driven by, apart from money, prestige. The Germans requested an increased work-share of 40%, while the British wanted the major responsibilities to be swapped around to give partners production and research and development
(R&D) experience. In the end, British work-share was increased from that of the two previous Airbuses, while virtually no changes took place for the other three major member-countries. Another contributing factor was launch aid, or subsidies, for the aerospace companies from their respective governments. France was willing to commit, while the Germans were more cautious. The UK government, on the other hand, were unwilling to provide fundings for the tooling requested by British Aerospace
(BAe). Estimated at ₤
250 million, it was postponed for three years until 1 March 1984, when an announcement was made about the deal between government and manufacturer. The agreement dictates that ₤50 million would be paid whether the A320 would fly or not, while the rest would be paid as a levy of each aircraft sold.
The programme was launched the following day off the back of orders for 96 aircraft from five customers. Air France
was the first customer for the type, having placed an order for 50 aircraft, split evenly between firm and options, between 16 A320-100s and 34 -200s. However, British Caledonian
was the first to place a firm order for seven back in October 1983. Cyprus Airways
became the first to place order for V2500-powered A320s in November 1984. Pan Am
also selected V2500 when it requested 16 firm orders and 34 options in January 1995, as did Inex Adria. The most significant order was to come, when Northwest Airlines
placed an order for 100 A320s in October 1986, later confirmed at the 1990 Farnborough Airshow, powered by CFM56.
The first Airbus A320 was rolled out on 14 February 1987 amid dry ice
and laser beams as part of a spectacular unveiling ceremony. A number of high-profile figures were present, including the Prince
and Princess of Wales
. The first flight
came on 22 February, during which the aircraft flew for 3 hours 23 minutes. The flight marked the beginning of a flight test programme involving 1,200 airborne hours on 530 flights. European Joint Aviation Authorities
(JAA) certification was received on 26 February 1988. The first A320 delivery was to Air France on 26 March 1988.
On 26 June 1988, a chartered Air France Airbus A320-111 crashed
into trees at the end of runway at Mulhouse-Habsheim Airport
. Three out of 130 passengers were killed. Another A320, flown by Indian Airlines, crashed
landed short of the airport runway in Bangalore
. The ensuing fire contributed to the casualty count of ninety-two, out of 146 on board. The press and media later questioned the fly-by-wire flight control system. Subsequent investigations by commission of inquiry found "no malfunction of the aircraft or its equipment which could have contributed towards a reduction in safety or an increase in the crew's workload during the final flight phase...the response of the engines was normal and in compliance with certification requirement".
As of 2009, Airbus required about eight months to build an A320. Components from various Airbus plants are transported to the final assembly plant at Hamburg Finkenwerder for the A318/A319/A321 and to Toulouse Blagnac
for the A320. Nearly all assemblies are moved using Airbus' A300-600ST Beluga
outsized transporters. Airbus A320s sold to Chinese airlines scheduled for delivery between 2009 and 2012 are being assembled in Tianjin
, People's Republic of China.
and minor trailing edge
modifications, increasing the wing area from 124 m² (1,334.7 sq ft) to 128 m² (1,377.8 sq ft). The fuselage was lengthened by four plugs (two ahead and two behind the wings), giving the A321 an overall length of 6.94 metre longer than the A320. The length increase required the overwing exits of the A320 to be enlarged and repositioned to either the leading or trailing edges of the wings. Reinforced were the centre fuselage and undercarriage
to accommodate the increase in maximum takeoff weight (MTOW) of 9600 kg (21,164.4 lb), taking the MTOW to 83000 kg (182,983.7 lb).
Final assembly for the A321 would be, as a first for any Airbus, carried out in Germany (then West Germany). This came after a dispute between the French, who claimed the move would incur $150 million, €135 million in unnecessary expenditure associated with the new plant, and the Germans, arguing it would be more productive for Airbus in the long run. The second production line was located at Hamburg
, which would also produce the smaller Airbus A319 and A318. For the first time, Airbus entered the bond market
, through which it raised $480 million, €475 million to finance development costs. An additional $180 million, €175 million was loaned from European Investment Bank
and private investors. The maiden flight
of the Airbus A321 came on 11 March 1993, when the prototype
, registration F-WWIA, flew with IAE V2500 engines; the second prototype, equipped with CFM56-5B turbofans, flew in May. Lufthansa and Alitalia
were the first to order the stretched Airbuses, with 20 and 40 aircraft requested, respectively. The first of Lufthansa's V2500-A5-powered A321s arrived on 27 January 1994, while over at Alitalia, the first CFM56-5B-powered aircraft was delivered on 22 March.
The A319 is the next derivative of the baseline A320. The design is a "shrink" with its origins in the 130- to 140-seat SA1, part of the Single-Aisle studies. The SA1 was shelved as the consortium concentrated on its bigger siblings. After healthy sales of the A320/A321, Airbus turned its focus back to what was then known as the A320M-7, meaning A320 minus seven rows of seats. It would provide direct competition for the Boeing 737–500/600
. The shrink was achieved though the removal of four fuselage frames fore and three aft the wing, cutting the overal length by 3.73 metre. Consequently, the number of overwing exits were reduced from four to two. The bulk-cargo door was replaced by an aft container door, which can take in reduced height LD3-46 containers
. Minor software programming
were made to accommodate the different handling characteristics; otherwise the aircraft is largely unchanged. Power is provided by the CFM56-5A or V2500-A5, derated to 98 kN (22,031.3 lbf), with option for 105 kN (23,604.9 lbf) thrust.
Airbus began offering the new model from 22 May 1992, with the actual launch occurring 10 June 1993; the A319's first customer is ILFC, who signed for 6 aircraft. The development cost was $275 million, €250 million. On 23 March 1995, the first A319 underwent final assembly at Airbus' German plant in Hamburg, where the A321s are assembled. It was rolled out on 24 August, with the maiden flight the following day. The certification programme would take 350 airborne hours involving two aircraft; certification for the CFM56-5B6/2-equipped variant was granted in April 1996, after which qualification for the V2524-A5 started the following month. Delivery of the first A319, to Swissair
, took place on 25 April 1996, entering service by month's end. In January 1997, A 319 broke a record during a delivery flight by flying 3588 nautical miles (6,645 km) the great circle
route to Winnipeg
, Manitoba from Hamburg, in 9 hours 5 minutes. Sales of A319 would overtake that of the A321, amassing 1,470 order compared to 932; it has proved popular with low-cost airlines such as EasyJet
, who has orders for 172, with 167 delivered.
(AVIC), Singapore Technologies Aerospace
, Alenia and Airbus on a 95- to 125-seat aircraft project. The programme was called the AE31X, and covers the 95-seat AE316 and 115- to 125-seat AE317. The former would have an overall length of31.3 metre, while the AE317 is longer by 3.2 metre, at 34.5 metre. The engines would be supplied from two BMW Rolls-Royce BR715s, CFM56-9s, or the Pratt & Whitney PW6000s; with the MTOW of 53.3 t (117,506.4 lb) for the smaller version and 58 t (127,868.1 lb) for the AE317, the thrust requirement were 77.9–84.6 kN (17,512.6–19,018.8 lbf) and 84.6–91.2 kN (19,018.8–20,502.6 lbf), respectively. Range was settled at 5200 km (2,807.8 nmi) and 5800 km (3,131.7 nmi) for the high gross weights of both variants. Both share a wingspan of 31 metre and a flight deck similar to that of the A320 family. Costing $2 billion, €1.85 billion to develop, aircraft production to take place in China.
Simultaneously, Airbus was developing Airbus A318. In early 1998, Airbus revealed its considerations of designing a 100-seat aircraft based on the A320; by September 1998, the project AE31X terminated, after which Airbus officially announced an aircraft of its own, the A318, at that year's Farnborough Airshow. The aircraft is the smallest, or "baby", of the A320 family, and therefore the smallest Airbus. Ironically, it was developed at the same time as the largest commercial aircraft in history, the Airbus A3XX (later renamed Airbus A380
). First called A319M5 in as early as March 1995, it was shorter by 0.79 metre ahead of the wing and 1.6 metre behind. These cuts reduced passenger capacity from 124 on the A319 to 107 passengers in a two-class layout. Range was 3350 kilometres (1,808.9 nmi), or 6850 kilometres (3,698.7 nmi) with upcoming sharklets.
The 107-seater was launched on 26 April 1999 with the options and orders count at 109 aircraft. After three years of design, the maiden flight
took place at Hamburg on 15 January 2002. Tests on the lead engine, the Pratt & Whitney PW6000
, revealed worse-than-expected fuel consumption. Consequently, Pratt & Whitney abandoned the five-stage high pressure compressor (HPC) for the MTU-designed six-stage HPC. The 129 order book for the A318 shrunk to 80 largely because of switches to other A320 family members. After 17 months of flight certification, during which 850 hours and 350 flights were accumulated, JAA certification was obtained for the CFM56-powered variant on 23 May 2003. On 22 July 2003, first delivery for launch customer Frontier Airlines
occurred, entering service before the end of the month.
In 2006, Airbus tested three styles of winglet intended to counteract the wing’s induced drag and wingtip vortices
more effectively than the previous wingtip fence. The first design type to be tested was developed by Airbus and was based on work done by the AWIATOR programme. The second type of winglet incorporated a more blended design and was designed by Winglet Technology LLC, a company based in Wichita, Kansas as well as the third type. Two aircraft were used in the flight test evaluation campaign – the prototype A320, F-WWBA, which had been retained by Airbus for testing, and the new , which later delivered to JetBlue Airways
and registered N636JB; the latter was fitted with both types of winglets.
Despite the anticipated efficiency gains and development work, Airbus announced that the new winglets will not be offered to customers, claiming that the weight of the modifications required would negate any aerodynamic benefits. Instead, on 17 December 2008, Airbus announced it was to begin flight testing an existing blended winglet design developed by Aviation Partners as part of an A320 modernisation programme. The aircraft used for the test programme is MSN001 , the original A320 prototype airframe, powered by CFM56 engines.
On 15 November 2009, Airbus announced future additions of Sharklets to A320s commencing in 2012 with launch customer Air New Zealand
. These Airbus winglets, which are 2.4 metre tall and weigh 200 kilograms (440.9 lb), would reduce fuel burn by 3.5% and offer increases in payload of 500 kilograms (1,102.3 lb), or range by 100 nautical miles (185.2 km) at the original payload. This corresponds to an annual CO2
reduction of around 700 tonnes per aircraft, saving operators US$220,000 per aircraft per year. The Sharklets are to be manufactured and distributed by Korean Air Aerospace.
The cabin was fitted to more than 600 aircraft (as of March 2009) since 2007. Airbus claims it offers better luggage storage and a quieter cabin, packaged with a more modern look and feel. Additionally, improved cabin efficiency by a new galley concept, reduced weight, improved ergonomics and food hygiene and recycling requirements. LED
ambience lighting is optionally available. Anytime LEDs are used for the Passenger Service Unit (PSU) and passengers can get information with touchscreen displays. Older A320 series aircraft can be updated.
. Though the new engines will burn 16% less fuel, the actual fuel gain on an A320 installation will be slightly less, since 1–2% is typically lost upon installation on an existing aircraft. This means an additional range of 950 km (513 nmi), or 2 t (4,409.2 lb) of extra payload. The A320neo will also include some modifications to the wing, mainly the installation of blended winglets called "Sharklets".
Airbus' CEO said to be "comfortable" with the projections of 20% lower maintenance cost for the Pratt & Whitney's PW1000G family, compared with today's engines. Airbus is targeting 2016 for the first delivery and plans to deliver 4,000 A320neo over 15 years. Virgin America
became the launch customer with a firm order of 30 A320neo aircraft as a part of a 60 aircraft order on 17 January 2011. In January 2011 IndiGo
reached a tentative agreement with Airbus to order 150 A320neo aircraft along with 30 more A320s.
At the Paris Air Show
2011, Airbus announced that they had orders from Scandinavian Airlines System
and Air Lease
respectively and also from India's low-cost carrier IndiGo
. On 23 June 2011, Airbus announced an order for 200 A320neo jets from Malaysian low-cost carrier AirAsia
, the largest commercial aviation order. At the 2011 Paris Air Show, the A320neo received a combined 667 orders; it has received 1,058 orders since officially being launched in December 2010 to become the most popular civil aircraft model. American Airlines
ordered 130 NEOs on 20 July 2011, which would cause the airline to cease having an all-Boeing fleet. On 15 November 2011, Qatar Airways
announced an order for 50 A320neo airliners with options for 30 more at the Dubai Airshow
2011.
The Airbus A320 family are narrow-body (single-aisle) aircraft
with a retractable tricycle landing gear
and are powered by two wing pylon-mounted turbofan engines.
monoplane
s with a conventional tail unit
with a single vertical stabilizer
and rudder
. Wing swept back at 25 degrees, optimised for maximum operating Mach number
0.82, built by British Aerospace (BAe). Compared to other airliners of the same class, the A320 features a wider single-aisle cabin of 155.5 inches (3.9 m) outside diameter, compared to 148 inches (3.8 m) of the Boeing 737 and 131.6 inches (3.3 m) of the Boeing 717
, and larger overhead bins. In addition, the aircraft has a cargo hold equipped with large doors to assist in expedient loading and unloading of goods.
The Airbus A320 is the first narrow body airliner to use a significant amount of the structure made from composite material
. Its tail assembly
made virtually of such material by CASA, who also builds the elevators, main landing gear doors, and rear fuselage parts.
The A320 was the first civil airliner to include a full digital fly-by-wire
flight control system. Its design also included a full glass cockpit
rather than the hybrid versions found in other previous airliners. Digital head-up display
s are available.
The A320's flight deck
is equipped with Electronic Flight Instrument System
(EFIS) with side stick controllers. At the time of the aircraft's introduction, the behaviour of the fly-by-wire system (equipped with full flight envelope protection
) was a new experience for many pilots. The A320 features an Electronic Centralised Aircraft Monitor (ECAM) which gives the flight crew information about all the systems of the aircraft. With the exception of the very earliest A320s, most can be upgraded to the latest avionics standards, keeping the aircraft advanced even after two decades in service.
Early A320 planes used the Intel 80186
and Motorola 68010
, in 1988 Intel 80286
family CPUs. The flight management computer contained six CPUs, running in three logical pairs, with 2.5 megabytes of memory.
Newer Airbus feature LCD (liquid crystal display) units in the flight deck of its A318, A319, A320, and A321 flight decks instead of the original CRT (cathode ray tube
) displays. These include the main displays and the backup artificial horizon, which was an analogue display prior to this. LCDs weigh less and produce less heat than CRT displays.
engines for the A320 series: CFM International
with their CFM56
, International Aero Engines
, offering the V2500
and Pratt & Whitney
whose PW6000
engines are only available for the A318 variant.
(JAA) issued the type certificate
for the A320 on 26 February 1988. After entering the market in March 1988 with Air France and Ansett, the former Australian domestic airline, Airbus then expanded the A320 family rapidly, launching the 185-seat A321 in 1989 and first delivered it in 1994; launching the 124-seat A319 in 1993 and delivering it in 1996; and launching the 107-seat A318 in 1999 with first deliveries in 2003.
(−600/-700/-800/-900) and the Boeing 717 during its two decades in service. As of 2010, as well as the Boeing 737, the A320 family faces competition from Embraer's
E-195
(to the A318), and the CSeries
being developed by Bombardier
to the A318/A319.
Airbus has shipped 4,858 A320 series aircraft since their certification/first delivery in early 1988, with another 3,255 on firm order (as of 31 October 2011). In comparison, Boeing
has shipped 6,943 737
s since late 1967, with 5,437 of those deliveries since March 1988, and has a further 2,191 on firm order (as of 31 October 2011). Based on figures since 1988 when they first entered direct competition, Airbus delivered on average 204 A320 series aircraft per annum, while on average 229 Boeing 737s were delivered.
, for "New Short-Range aircraft". The follow-on aircraft to replace the A320 was named A30X. Airbus North America President Barry Eccleston states that the earliest the aircraft could be available is 2017. In January 2010, John Leahy, Airbus's Chief Operating Officer Customers, stated that any all new single-aisle aircraft is unlikely to be constructed before 2024/2025.
The baseline A320 has given rise to a family of aircraft which share a common design but with passenger capacity ranges from 100, on the A318, to 220, on the A321. They compete with the Boeing 737
, 757–200
, and 717
. Because the four variants share the same flight deck, all have the same pilot type rating
. Today all variants are available as corporate jets. US Airways is the largest airline operator of A320 family of aircraft in North America with 232 as of January 2011.
Technically, the name "A320" only refers to the original mid-sized aircraft, but it is often informally used to indicate any of the A318/A319/A320/A321 family. All variants are able to be ETOPS
(Extended-range Twin-engine Operational Performance Standards) certified.
The A320 series has two variants, the A320-100 and A320-200. Only 21 A320-100s were ever produced; these aircraft, the first to be manufactured, were delivered only to Air Inter
(later acquired by Air France
) and British Airways
(as a result of an order from British Caledonian Airways made prior to its acquisition by British Airways). The A320-200 features wingtip fences and increased fuel capacity over the A320-100, resulting in increased range; otherwise differences are minimal. Indian Airlines used their first 31 A320-200s with double-bogie main landing gear
for airfields with poor runway condition which a single-bogey main gear couldn't manage. Typical range with 150 passengers for the A320-200 is about 3,300 nautical miles (6,150 km). It is powered by two CFMI
CFM56-5
s or IAE V2500s with thrust ratings between 113 to 120 kN (25,403.4 to 26,977.1 lbf). The lowest speed an A320 can fly is approximately .
A total of 2,793 of the A320 model have been delivered, and 2,552 have been ordered as of October 2011. The direct Boeing competitor is the 737–800.
The A321 is stretch and first derivative of the standard A320. The variant was launched in 1988, when the A320 began operations. Compared with the A320, the A321's major change is the stretched fuselage, which is lengthened by 6.94 metre which makes the A321 the largest among the A320 Family. This is achieved by adding a front plug immediately forward of wing 4.27 metre, and a 2.67 metre rear plug. To maintain performance, double-slotted flaps were included, in addition to increasing the wing area by 4 m² (43.1 sq ft), to 128 m² (1,377.8 sq ft). Other minor modifications were made to accommodate the A321's 9600 kg (21,164.4 lb) increase in maximum takeoff weight, taking the MTOW to 83000 kg (182,983.7 lb). The maiden flight of the first of two prototypes came on 11 March 1993. The A321 entered service in 1994.
. Relative to other Airbus A320 family variants, the A318 has sold in only small numbers with total orders for only 80 aircraft placed at 28 February 2011.
in Dresden
, Germany, and Zhukovsky
, Russia. The launch customer AerCap
signed a firm contract on 16 July 2008 to convert 30 of AerCap’s passenger A320/A321s into A320/A321P2F (passenger to freighter).
On 3 June 2011, Airbus however announced all partners would end the passenger to freighter programme, citing high demand for used airframes for passenger service.
Data through end of October 2011. Updated on 8 November 2011.
with a total of 789 fatalities as of October 2011.
Other occurrences for the A320 include 33 non-fatal incidents such as engine failure, APU
fire, runway excursion, and minor collision near gate. There have been 50 incidents of glass cockpit
blackout. There have also been seven incidents of nose gear malfunction, including JetBlue Airways
Flight 292
.
Source: Airbus, Airliners.net, Pratt & Whitney
Narrow-body aircraft
A narrow-body aircraft is an airliner with a fuselage aircraft cabin width typically of 3 to 4 metres , and airline seat arranged 2 to 6 abreast along a single aisle...
, commercial passenger jet airliner
Jet airliner
A jet airliner is an airliner that is powered by jet engines. This term is sometimes contracted to jetliner or jet.In contrast to today's relatively fuel-efficient, turbofan-powered air travel, first generation jet airliner travel was noisy and fuel inefficient...
s manufactured by Airbus Industrie
Airbus
Airbus SAS is an aircraft manufacturing subsidiary of EADS, a European aerospace company. Based in Blagnac, France, surburb of Toulouse, and with significant activity across Europe, the company produces around half of the world's jet airliners....
.Airbus was originally a consortium
Consortium
A consortium is an association of two or more individuals, companies, organizations or governments with the objective of participating in a common activity or pooling their resources for achieving a common goal....
of European aerospace companies, and is now fully owned by EADS
EADS
The European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company N.V. is a global pan-European aerospace and defence corporation and a leading defence and military contractor worldwide...
. Airbus's name has been Airbus SAS since 2001. The family includes the A318, A319, A320 and A321, as well as the ACJ
Airbus Executive and Private Aviation
Airbus Executive and Private Aviation is a producer of large corporate aircraft. It is a part of Airbus S.A.S., an EADS company, and had a model range that parallels the commercial aircraft offered by the company, ranging from the A318 Elite to the double/triple-decked Airbus A380 Prestige...
business jet
Business jet
Business jet, private jet or, colloquially, bizjet is a term describing a jet aircraft, usually of smaller size, designed for transporting groups of up to 19 business people or wealthy individuals...
. Final assembly of the family in Europe takes place in Toulouse
Toulouse
Toulouse is a city in the Haute-Garonne department in southwestern FranceIt lies on the banks of the River Garonne, 590 km away from Paris and half-way between the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea...
, France, and Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
, Germany; since 2009, a plant in Tianjin
Tianjin
' is a metropolis in northern China and one of the five national central cities of the People's Republic of China. It is governed as a direct-controlled municipality, one of four such designations, and is, thus, under direct administration of the central government...
, People's Republic of China, has also started producing aircraft for Chinese airlines. The aircraft family can accommodate up to 220 passengers and has a range
Range (aircraft)
The maximal total range is the distance an aircraft can fly between takeoff and landing, as limited by fuel capacity in powered aircraft, or cross-country speed and environmental conditions in unpowered aircraft....
of 3100 to 12000 km (1,673.9 to 6,479.5 nmi), depending on model.
The first member of the A320 family—the A320—was launched in March 1984, first flew
Maiden flight
The maiden flight of an aircraft is the first occasion on which an aircraft leaves the ground of its own accord. This is similar to a ship's maiden voyage....
on 22 February 1987, and was first delivered in 1988. The family was soon extended to include the A321 (first delivered 1994), the A319 (1996), and the A318 (2003). The A320 family pioneered the use of digital fly-by-wire
Fly-by-wire
Fly-by-wire is a system that replaces the conventional manual flight controls of an aircraft with an electronic interface. The movements of flight controls are converted to electronic signals transmitted by wires , and flight control computers determine how to move the actuators at each control...
flight control systems
Aircraft flight control systems
A conventional fixed-wing aircraft flight control system consists of flight control surfaces, the respective cockpit controls, connecting linkages, and the necessary operating mechanisms to control an aircraft's direction in flight...
, as well as side stick
Side-stick
A side-stick or sidestick controller is an aircraft control column that is located on the side console of the pilot, usually on the righthand side, or outboard on a two-seat flightdeck...
controls, in commercial aircraft. Although there has been a continuous improvement process since introduction, the proposed A320neo is to offer new, more efficient engines.
As of October 2011, a total of 4,858 Airbus A320 family aircraft have been delivered, of which 4,765 are in service. In addition, another 3,255 airliners are on firm order. According to Airbus, it ranked as the world's fastest-selling jet airliner family according to records from 2005 to 2007, and as the best-selling single-generation aircraft programme. The family's direct competitors are the Boeing 737
Boeing 737
The Boeing 737 is a short- to medium-range, twin-engine narrow-body jet airliner. Originally developed as a shorter, lower-cost twin-engine airliner derived from Boeing's 707 and 727, the 737 has developed into a family of nine passenger models with a capacity of 85 to 215 passengers...
, 717
Boeing 717
The Boeing 717 is a twin-engine, single-aisle jet airliner, developed for the 100-seat market. The airliner was designed and marketed by McDonnell Douglas as the MD-95, a third-generation derivative of the DC-9. Capable of seating of up to 117 passengers, the 717 has maximum range of...
and 757
Boeing 757
The Boeing 757 is a mid-size, narrow-body twin-engine jet airliner manufactured by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. Passenger versions of the twinjet have a capacity of 186 to 289 persons and a maximum range of , depending on variant and cabin configuration...
.
Origins
When Airbus designed the Airbus A300Airbus A300
The Airbus A300 is a short- to medium-range widebody jet airliner. Launched in 1972 as the world's first twin-engined widebody, it was the first product of Airbus Industrie, a consortium of European aerospace companies, wholly owned today by EADS...
during the late 1960s/early 1970s, it envisioned a broad family of airliners with which to compete against Boeing
Boeing
The Boeing Company is an American multinational aerospace and defense corporation, founded in 1916 by William E. Boeing in Seattle, Washington. Boeing has expanded over the years, merging with McDonnell Douglas in 1997. Boeing Corporate headquarters has been in Chicago, Illinois since 2001...
and Douglas
Douglas Aircraft Company
The Douglas Aircraft Company was an American aerospace manufacturer, based in Long Beach, California. It was founded in 1921 by Donald Wills Douglas, Sr. and later merged with McDonnell Aircraft in 1967 to form McDonnell Douglas...
, two established US aerospace manufacturers. From the moment of formation, Airbus had begun studies into derivatives of the Airbus A300B in support of this long term goal. Prior to the service introduction of the first Airbus airliners, engineers within Airbus had identified nine possible variations of the A300 known as A300B1 to B9. A 10th variation, conceived in 1973, later the first to be constructed, was designated the A300B10. It was a smaller aircraft which would be developed into the long-range Airbus A310
Airbus A310
The Airbus A310 is a medium- to long-range twin-engine widebody jet airliner. Launched in July 1978, it was the second aircraft created by Airbus Industrie,a consortium of European aerospace companies, Airbus is now fully owned by EADS and since 2001 has been known as Airbus SAS. the consortium of...
. Airbus then focused its efforts on the single-aisle market, which was dominated by the Boeing 737
Boeing 737
The Boeing 737 is a short- to medium-range, twin-engine narrow-body jet airliner. Originally developed as a shorter, lower-cost twin-engine airliner derived from Boeing's 707 and 727, the 737 has developed into a family of nine passenger models with a capacity of 85 to 215 passengers...
and McDonnell Douglas DC-9
McDonnell Douglas DC-9
The McDonnell Douglas DC-9 is a twin-engine, single-aisle jet airliner. It was first manufactured in 1965 with its maiden flight later that year. The DC-9 was designed for frequent, short flights. The final DC-9 was delivered in October 1982.The DC-9 was followed in subsequent modified forms by...
.
Plans from a number of European aircraft manufacturers called for a successor to the relatively successful BAC One-Eleven
BAC One-Eleven
The British Aircraft Corporation One-Eleven, also known as the BAC-111, BAC-1-11 or BAC 1-11, was a British short-range jet airliner of the 1960s and 1970s...
, and to replace the Boeing 737–200 and DC-9. Germany’s MBB (Messerschmitt-Bölkow-Blohm
Messerschmitt-Bölkow-Blohm
Messerschmitt-Bölkow-Blohm was a German aerospace company formed as the result of several mergers in the late 1960s. Among its best-known products was the MBB Bo 105 light twin helicopter...
), British Aircraft Corporation
British Aircraft Corporation
The British Aircraft Corporation was a British aircraft manufacturer formed from the government-pressured merger of English Electric Aviation Ltd., Vickers-Armstrongs , the Bristol Aeroplane Company and Hunting Aircraft in 1960. Bristol, English Electric and Vickers became "parents" of BAC with...
, Sweden's Saab
Saab
Saab AB is a Swedish aerospace and defence company, founded in 1937. From 1947 to 1990 it was the parent company of automobile manufacturer Saab Automobile, and between 1968 and 1995 the company was in a merger with commercial vehicle manufacturer Scania, known as Saab-Scania.-History:"Svenska...
and CASA worked on the EUROPLANE, a 180- to 200-seat aircraft. It was abandoned after intruding on A310 specifications. VFW-Fokker
VFW-Fokker
VFW-Fokker GmbH was a joint venture of Fokker and Vereinigte Flugtechnische Werke started in 1969 that, from then on, controlled the ERNO initiative....
, Dornier
Dornier Flugzeugwerke
Dornier Flugzeugwerke was a German aircraft manufacturer founded in Friedrichshafen in 1914 by Claudius Dornier. Over the course of its long lifespan, the company produced many notable designs for both the civil and military markets.-History:...
and Hawker Siddeley worked on a number of 150-seat designs.
Design effort
A new programme was initiated subsequently, called Joint European Transport (JET). This was set up in June 1977, and was based at the then British AerospaceBritish Aerospace
British Aerospace plc was a UK aircraft, munitions and defence-systems manufacturer. Its head office was in the Warwick House in the Farnborough Aerospace Centre in Farnborough, Hampshire...
(formerly Hawker Siddeley) site in Weybridge, Surrey, UK. Although the members were all of Airbus' partners, they regarded the project as a separate collaboration from Airbus. This project was considered the forerunner of Airbus A320, encompassing the 130- to 188-seat market, powered by two CFM56s. It would have a cruise speed of Mach 0.84 (faster than B737). The programme was later transferred to Airbus, leading up to the creation of the Single-Aisle (SA) studies in 1980, led by former leader of JET programme, Derek Brown. The group looked at three different variants, covering the 125- to 180-seat market, called SA1, SA2 and SA3. Although unaware at the time, the consortium was producing the blueprints for the A319, A320 and A321, respectively. The single-aisle programme created divisions within Airbus about whether to design a shorter-range twinjet than a longer-range quadjet wanted by the West Germans, particularly Lufthansa
Lufthansa
Deutsche Lufthansa AG is the flag carrier of Germany and the largest airline in Europe in terms of overall passengers carried. The name of the company is derived from Luft , and Hansa .The airline is the world's fourth-largest airline in terms of overall passengers carried, operating...
. However, works proceeded, and the German carrier would eventually order the twinjet.
In February 1981, the project was re-designated A320, with efforts focused on the former SA2. During the year, Airbus worked with Delta Air Lines
Delta Air Lines
Delta Air Lines, Inc. is a major airline based in the United States and headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. The airline operates an extensive domestic and international network serving all continents except Antarctica. Delta and its subsidiaries operate over 4,000 flights every day...
on a 150-seat aircraft envisioned and required by the airline. The A320 would carry 150 passengers 1860 nautical miles (3,444.7 km) using fuel from wing fuel tanks only. The Dash 200 had more fuel through the activation of center fuel tank, increasing fuel capacity from 3429 gallons (15,588.5 l) to 5154 gallons (23,430.5 l). enabling to fly up to 2850 nautical miles (5,278.2 km). The aircraft would measure 118 feet 3 inches (36.04 m) and 128 feet 9 inches (39.24 m), respectively. Airbus then had to decide on a cross-section for the A320. It considered a fuselage diameter of "the Boeing 707 and 727, or do something better". It eventually settled on a wider diameter, with the internal width at 3.7 metre, compared to 3.45 metre of the Boeing aircraft. Although heavier, this specification allowed the aircraft to compete more effectively with the 737. The A320 wing went through several stages of design, finally settling on 33.91 metres (111 feet 3 inches). It is longer and thinner, offering better aerodynamic efficiency because of higher aspect ratio
Aspect ratio (wing)
In aerodynamics, the aspect ratio of a wing is essentially the ratio of its length to its breadth . A high aspect ratio indicates long, narrow wings, whereas a low aspect ratio indicates short, stubby wings....
than the competition, namely the 737 and MD-80.
With the A320, Airbus made a controversial decision. For the first time, digital fly-by-wire
Fly-by-wire
Fly-by-wire is a system that replaces the conventional manual flight controls of an aircraft with an electronic interface. The movements of flight controls are converted to electronic signals transmitted by wires , and flight control computers determine how to move the actuators at each control...
(FBW) flight control system would be incorporated into a commercial airliner, although it was previously successfully proven on military fighter aircraft, such as the Vought F-8 Crusader. Aside from associated reduction in weight and cost, this system would provide flight envelope protection
Flight envelope protection
right|thumb| 327 px| [[China Airlines Flight 006]] damaged by going outside its [[flight envelope]] to gain control after a drop in twenty seconds of 3,000 m...
. The pilot, in essence, places inputs into the flight control computer, which interprets these actions and moves the flight control surfaces. FBW also allows Airbus to make flying characteristics similar to later models, such as the Airbus A330
Airbus A330
The Airbus A330 is a wide-body twin-engine jet airliner made by Airbus, a division of EADS. Versions of the A330 have a range of and can accommodate up to 335 passengers in a two-class layout or carry of cargo....
, A340
Airbus A340
The Airbus A340 is a long-range four-engine wide-body commercial passenger jet airliner. Developed by Airbus Industrie,A consortium of European aerospace companies, Airbus is now fully owned by EADS and since 2001 has been known as Airbus SAS. a consortium of European aerospace companies, which is...
, A380
Airbus A380
The Airbus A380 is a double-deck, wide-body, four-engine jet airliner manufactured by the European corporation Airbus, a subsidiary of EADS. It is the largest passenger airliner in the world. Due to its size, many airports had to modify and improve facilities to accommodate it...
, and the upcoming A350
Airbus A350
The Airbus A350 is a family of long-range, wide-body jet airliners under development by European aircraft manufacturer Airbus.A consortium originally comprising European aerospace companies from the UK, France, Spain and West Germany, Airbus is now fully owned by EADS and since 2001 has been known...
. It would feature, for the first time, side-stick
Side-stick
A side-stick or sidestick controller is an aircraft control column that is located on the side console of the pilot, usually on the righthand side, or outboard on a two-seat flightdeck...
control, which was implemented on the General Dynamics F-16.
During the A320 development programme, Airbus considered propfan
Propfan
A propfan was first defined as a small diameter, highly loaded multiple bladed variable pitch propulsor having swept blades with thin advanced airfoil sections, integrated with a nacelle contoured to retard the airflow through the blades thereby reducing compressibility losses and designed to...
technology, backed by Lufthansa
Lufthansa
Deutsche Lufthansa AG is the flag carrier of Germany and the largest airline in Europe in terms of overall passengers carried. The name of the company is derived from Luft , and Hansa .The airline is the world's fourth-largest airline in terms of overall passengers carried, operating...
. At the time unproven, it was essentially a fan placed outside the engine nacelle, offering speed of a turbofan at turboprop
Turboprop
A turboprop engine is a type of turbine engine which drives an aircraft propeller using a reduction gear.The gas turbine is designed specifically for this application, with almost all of its output being used to drive the propeller...
s economics; eventually, Airbus stuck with turbofans. Power on the A320 would be supplied by two CFM56-5-A1s
CFM International CFM56
The CFM International CFM56 series is a family of high-bypass turbofan aircraft engines made by CFM International , with a thrust range of . CFMI is a 50–50 joint-owned company of SNECMA, France and GE Aviation , USA. Both companies are responsible for producing components and each has its own...
rated at 25,000 lbf (112.5 kN). It was the only available engine at launch until the IAE V2500, offered by International Aero Engines, a group composed of Rolls Royce, Pratt & Whitney
Pratt & Whitney
Pratt & Whitney is a U.S.-based aerospace manufacturer with global service operations. It is a subsidiary of United Technologies Corporation . Pratt & Whitney's aircraft engines are widely used in both civil aviation and military aviation. Its headquarters are in East Hartford, Connecticut, USA...
, Japanese Aero Engines Corporation
Japanese Aero Engines Corporation
The Japanese Aero Engines Corporation is a consortium of large Japanese companies formed, in the late 1970s, as a partner to Rolls-Royce, originally to help develop the 20000 lbf RJ500 civil turbofan.Although two prototype engines were built and ground tested, the RJ500 project was...
, Fiat
Fiat
FIAT, an acronym for Fabbrica Italiana Automobili Torino , is an Italian automobile manufacturer, engine manufacturer, financial, and industrial group based in Turin in the Italian region of Piedmont. Fiat was founded in 1899 by a group of investors including Giovanni Agnelli...
and MTU Aero Engines
MTU Aero Engines
MTU Aero Engines GmbH is Germany's leading aircraft engine manufacturer. MTU develops, manufactures and provides service support for military and civil aircraft engines...
(MTU). The first V2500 variant, the V2500-A1, has a thrust output of 25000 pound-forces (111.2 kN), hence the name, and is marginally more efficient than the CFM56, with specific fuel consumption at 0.560, compared to 0.591 of the CFM56.
Production, testing and demonstration
West Germany
West Germany is the common English, but not official, name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990....
wanted the responsibility of final assembly and the associated duties. These disputes were known as "work-share arguments", driven by, apart from money, prestige. The Germans requested an increased work-share of 40%, while the British wanted the major responsibilities to be swapped around to give partners production and research and development
Research and development
The phrase research and development , according to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, refers to "creative work undertaken on a systematic basis in order to increase the stock of knowledge, including knowledge of man, culture and society, and the use of this stock of...
(R&D) experience. In the end, British work-share was increased from that of the two previous Airbuses, while virtually no changes took place for the other three major member-countries. Another contributing factor was launch aid, or subsidies, for the aerospace companies from their respective governments. France was willing to commit, while the Germans were more cautious. The UK government, on the other hand, were unwilling to provide fundings for the tooling requested by British Aerospace
British Aerospace
British Aerospace plc was a UK aircraft, munitions and defence-systems manufacturer. Its head office was in the Warwick House in the Farnborough Aerospace Centre in Farnborough, Hampshire...
(BAe). Estimated at ₤
Pound sterling
The pound sterling , commonly called the pound, is the official currency of the United Kingdom, its Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, British Antarctic Territory and Tristan da Cunha. It is subdivided into 100 pence...
250 million, it was postponed for three years until 1 March 1984, when an announcement was made about the deal between government and manufacturer. The agreement dictates that ₤50 million would be paid whether the A320 would fly or not, while the rest would be paid as a levy of each aircraft sold.
The programme was launched the following day off the back of orders for 96 aircraft from five customers. Air France
Air France
Air France , stylised as AIRFRANCE, is the French flag carrier headquartered in Tremblay-en-France, , and is one of the world's largest airlines. It is a subsidiary of the Air France-KLM Group and a founding member of the SkyTeam global airline alliance...
was the first customer for the type, having placed an order for 50 aircraft, split evenly between firm and options, between 16 A320-100s and 34 -200s. However, British Caledonian
British Caledonian
British Caledonian was a private, British independentindependent from government-owned corporations airline, operating out of Gatwick Airport in the 1970s and 1980s...
was the first to place a firm order for seven back in October 1983. Cyprus Airways
Cyprus Airways
Cyprus Airways is the national airline of Cyprus, a public limited company with its head offices located in the capital of the island, Nicosia. It operates scheduled services to 41 destinations in Europe, the Middle East and the Gulf. It flies from both airports of the island, Larnaca and Paphos,...
became the first to place order for V2500-powered A320s in November 1984. Pan Am
Pan American World Airways
Pan American World Airways, commonly known as Pan Am, was the principal and largest international air carrier in the United States from 1927 until its collapse on December 4, 1991...
also selected V2500 when it requested 16 firm orders and 34 options in January 1995, as did Inex Adria. The most significant order was to come, when Northwest Airlines
Northwest Airlines
Northwest Airlines, Inc. was a major United States airline founded in 1926 and absorbed into Delta Air Lines by a merger approved on October 29, 2008, making Delta the largest airline in the world...
placed an order for 100 A320s in October 1986, later confirmed at the 1990 Farnborough Airshow, powered by CFM56.
Dry ice
Dry ice, sometimes referred to as "Cardice" or as "card ice" , is the solid form of carbon dioxide. It is used primarily as a cooling agent. Its advantages include lower temperature than that of water ice and not leaving any residue...
and laser beams as part of a spectacular unveiling ceremony. A number of high-profile figures were present, including the Prince
Charles, Prince of Wales
Prince Charles, Prince of Wales is the heir apparent and eldest son of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. Since 1958 his major title has been His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales. In Scotland he is additionally known as The Duke of Rothesay...
and Princess of Wales
Diana, Princess of Wales
Diana, Princess of Wales was the first wife of Charles, Prince of Wales, whom she married on 29 July 1981, and an international charity and fundraising figure, as well as a preeminent celebrity of the late 20th century...
. The first flight
Maiden flight
The maiden flight of an aircraft is the first occasion on which an aircraft leaves the ground of its own accord. This is similar to a ship's maiden voyage....
came on 22 February, during which the aircraft flew for 3 hours 23 minutes. The flight marked the beginning of a flight test programme involving 1,200 airborne hours on 530 flights. European Joint Aviation Authorities
Joint Aviation Authorities
The Joint Aviation Authorities, or JAA, was an associated body of the ECAC representing the civil aviation regulatory authorities of a number of European States who had agreed to co-operate in developing and implementing common safety regulatory standards and procedures...
(JAA) certification was received on 26 February 1988. The first A320 delivery was to Air France on 26 March 1988.
On 26 June 1988, a chartered Air France Airbus A320-111 crashed
Air France Flight 296
Air France Flight 296 was a chartered flight of a new fly-by-wire Airbus A320-111 operated by Air France. On June 26, 1988, it was flying over Mulhouse-Habsheim Airport as part of an air show. The low-speed fly-by was supposed to take place at with landing gear down at an altitude of 100 feet...
into trees at the end of runway at Mulhouse-Habsheim Airport
Mulhouse-Habsheim Airport
Mulhouse-Habsheim Airport is a small airport near the town of Habsheim in France. The airport is a former military base, and is now mainly used for light aircraft...
. Three out of 130 passengers were killed. Another A320, flown by Indian Airlines, crashed
Indian Airlines Flight 605
Flight 605 was a flight on 14 February 1990 that crashed on its final approach to Bangalore airport, killing 92 people.The flight, IC-605, took off from Mumbai at 11:58 for a flight to Bangalore. At 12:25 Bangalore approach was contacted and prevailing weather at Bangalore was passed on to the crew...
landed short of the airport runway in Bangalore
Bangalore
Bengaluru , formerly called Bengaluru is the capital of the Indian state of Karnataka. Bangalore is nicknamed the Garden City and was once called a pensioner's paradise. Located on the Deccan Plateau in the south-eastern part of Karnataka, Bangalore is India's third most populous city and...
. The ensuing fire contributed to the casualty count of ninety-two, out of 146 on board. The press and media later questioned the fly-by-wire flight control system. Subsequent investigations by commission of inquiry found "no malfunction of the aircraft or its equipment which could have contributed towards a reduction in safety or an increase in the crew's workload during the final flight phase...the response of the engines was normal and in compliance with certification requirement".
As of 2009, Airbus required about eight months to build an A320. Components from various Airbus plants are transported to the final assembly plant at Hamburg Finkenwerder for the A318/A319/A321 and to Toulouse Blagnac
Toulouse Blagnac International Airport
Toulouse Blagnac Airport or Aéroport de Toulouse - Blagnac is an airport located west northwest of Toulouse, just south of Blagnac, both communes of the Haute-Garonne département in the Midi-Pyrénées région of France....
for the A320. Nearly all assemblies are moved using Airbus' A300-600ST Beluga
Airbus Beluga
-External links:*...
outsized transporters. Airbus A320s sold to Chinese airlines scheduled for delivery between 2009 and 2012 are being assembled in Tianjin
Tianjin
' is a metropolis in northern China and one of the five national central cities of the People's Republic of China. It is governed as a direct-controlled municipality, one of four such designations, and is, thus, under direct administration of the central government...
, People's Republic of China.
Stretching and shrinking
The first derivative of the A320 is the Airbus A321, also known as the Stretched A320, A320-500 and A325. Its launch came on 24 November 1988 after commitments for 183 aircraft from 10 customers were secured. The aircraft would be a minimum-changed derivative, apart from a number of minor modifications to the wing, and the fuselage stretch itself. The wing would incorporate double-slotted flapsFlap (aircraft)
Flaps are normally hinged surfaces mounted on the trailing edges of the wings of a fixed-wing aircraft to reduce the speed an aircraft can be safely flown at and to increase the angle of descent for landing without increasing air speed. They shorten takeoff and landing distances as well as...
and minor trailing edge
Trailing edge
The trailing edge of an aerodynamic surface such as a wing is its rear edge, where the airflow separated by the leading edge rejoins. Essential control surfaces are attached here to redirect the air flow and exert a controlling force by changing its momentum...
modifications, increasing the wing area from 124 m² (1,334.7 sq ft) to 128 m² (1,377.8 sq ft). The fuselage was lengthened by four plugs (two ahead and two behind the wings), giving the A321 an overall length of 6.94 metre longer than the A320. The length increase required the overwing exits of the A320 to be enlarged and repositioned to either the leading or trailing edges of the wings. Reinforced were the centre fuselage and undercarriage
Undercarriage
The undercarriage or landing gear in aviation, is the structure that supports an aircraft on the ground and allows it to taxi, takeoff and land...
to accommodate the increase in maximum takeoff weight (MTOW) of 9600 kg (21,164.4 lb), taking the MTOW to 83000 kg (182,983.7 lb).
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
, which would also produce the smaller Airbus A319 and A318. For the first time, Airbus entered the bond market
Bond market
The bond market is a financial market where participants can issue new debt, known as the primary market, or buy and sell debt securities, known as the Secondary market, usually in the form of bonds. The primary goal of the bond market is to provide a mechanism for long term funding of public and...
, through which it raised $480 million, €475 million to finance development costs. An additional $180 million, €175 million was loaned from European Investment Bank
European Investment Bank
The European Investment Bank is the European Union's long-term lending institution established in 1958 under the Treaty of Rome. A policy-driven bank, the EIB supports the EU’s priority objectives, especially European integration and the development of economically weak regions...
and private investors. The maiden flight
Maiden flight
The maiden flight of an aircraft is the first occasion on which an aircraft leaves the ground of its own accord. This is similar to a ship's maiden voyage....
of the Airbus A321 came on 11 March 1993, when the prototype
Prototype
A prototype is an early sample or model built to test a concept or process or to act as a thing to be replicated or learned from.The word prototype derives from the Greek πρωτότυπον , "primitive form", neutral of πρωτότυπος , "original, primitive", from πρῶτος , "first" and τύπος ,...
, registration F-WWIA, flew with IAE V2500 engines; the second prototype, equipped with CFM56-5B turbofans, flew in May. Lufthansa and Alitalia
Alitalia
Alitalia - Linee Aeree Italiane S.p.A. , in its later stages known as Alitalia - Linee Aeree Italiane S.p.A. in Extraordinary Administration, was the former Italian flag carrier...
were the first to order the stretched Airbuses, with 20 and 40 aircraft requested, respectively. The first of Lufthansa's V2500-A5-powered A321s arrived on 27 January 1994, while over at Alitalia, the first CFM56-5B-powered aircraft was delivered on 22 March.
The A319 is the next derivative of the baseline A320. The design is a "shrink" with its origins in the 130- to 140-seat SA1, part of the Single-Aisle studies. The SA1 was shelved as the consortium concentrated on its bigger siblings. After healthy sales of the A320/A321, Airbus turned its focus back to what was then known as the A320M-7, meaning A320 minus seven rows of seats. It would provide direct competition for the Boeing 737–500/600
Boeing 737 Next Generation
The Boeing 737 Next Generation, commonly abbreviated as Boeing 737NG, is the name given to the -600/-700/-800/-900 series of the Boeing 737 after the introduction of the -300/-400/-500 Classic series. They are short- to medium-range, narrow-body jet airliners...
. The shrink was achieved though the removal of four fuselage frames fore and three aft the wing, cutting the overal length by 3.73 metre. Consequently, the number of overwing exits were reduced from four to two. The bulk-cargo door was replaced by an aft container door, which can take in reduced height LD3-46 containers
Unit Load Device
A unit load device , is a pallet or container used to load luggage, freight, and mail on wide-body aircraft and specific narrow-body aircraft. It allows a large quantity of cargo to be bundled into a single unit. Since this leads to fewer units to load, it saves ground crews time and effort and...
. Minor software programming
Computer programming
Computer programming is the process of designing, writing, testing, debugging, and maintaining the source code of computer programs. This source code is written in one or more programming languages. The purpose of programming is to create a program that performs specific operations or exhibits a...
were made to accommodate the different handling characteristics; otherwise the aircraft is largely unchanged. Power is provided by the CFM56-5A or V2500-A5, derated to 98 kN (22,031.3 lbf), with option for 105 kN (23,604.9 lbf) thrust.
Airbus began offering the new model from 22 May 1992, with the actual launch occurring 10 June 1993; the A319's first customer is ILFC, who signed for 6 aircraft. The development cost was $275 million, €250 million. On 23 March 1995, the first A319 underwent final assembly at Airbus' German plant in Hamburg, where the A321s are assembled. It was rolled out on 24 August, with the maiden flight the following day. The certification programme would take 350 airborne hours involving two aircraft; certification for the CFM56-5B6/2-equipped variant was granted in April 1996, after which qualification for the V2524-A5 started the following month. Delivery of the first A319, to Swissair
Swissair
Swissair AG was the former national airline of Switzerland.It was formed from a merger between Balair and Ad Astra Aero , in 1931...
, took place on 25 April 1996, entering service by month's end. In January 1997, A 319 broke a record during a delivery flight by flying 3588 nautical miles (6,645 km) the great circle
Great circle
A great circle, also known as a Riemannian circle, of a sphere is the intersection of the sphere and a plane which passes through the center point of the sphere, as opposed to a general circle of a sphere where the plane is not required to pass through the center...
route to Winnipeg
Winnipeg
Winnipeg is the capital and largest city of Manitoba, Canada, and is the primary municipality of the Winnipeg Capital Region, with more than half of Manitoba's population. It is located near the longitudinal centre of North America, at the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers .The name...
, Manitoba from Hamburg, in 9 hours 5 minutes. Sales of A319 would overtake that of the A321, amassing 1,470 order compared to 932; it has proved popular with low-cost airlines such as EasyJet
EasyJet
EasyJet Airline Company Limited is a British airline headquartered at London Luton Airport. It carries more passengers than any other United Kingdom-based airline, operating domestic and international scheduled services on 500 routes between 118 European, North African, and West Asian airports...
, who has orders for 172, with 167 delivered.
Further shrinking
The A318 was born out of mid-1990 studies between Aviation Industries of ChinaAviation Industry Corporation of China
Aviation Industry Corporation of China is a Chinese state-owned company of aviation industry, both military and civilian...
(AVIC), Singapore Technologies Aerospace
ST Aerospace
Singapore Technologies Aerospace is a subsidiary of ST Engineering based in Singapore, with international offices and facilities located in key aviation hubs in Asia Pacific, Europe, the Middle East and the US...
, Alenia and Airbus on a 95- to 125-seat aircraft project. The programme was called the AE31X, and covers the 95-seat AE316 and 115- to 125-seat AE317. The former would have an overall length of31.3 metre, while the AE317 is longer by 3.2 metre, at 34.5 metre. The engines would be supplied from two BMW Rolls-Royce BR715s, CFM56-9s, or the Pratt & Whitney PW6000s; with the MTOW of 53.3 t (117,506.4 lb) for the smaller version and 58 t (127,868.1 lb) for the AE317, the thrust requirement were 77.9–84.6 kN (17,512.6–19,018.8 lbf) and 84.6–91.2 kN (19,018.8–20,502.6 lbf), respectively. Range was settled at 5200 km (2,807.8 nmi) and 5800 km (3,131.7 nmi) for the high gross weights of both variants. Both share a wingspan of 31 metre and a flight deck similar to that of the A320 family. Costing $2 billion, €1.85 billion to develop, aircraft production to take place in China.
Simultaneously, Airbus was developing Airbus A318. In early 1998, Airbus revealed its considerations of designing a 100-seat aircraft based on the A320; by September 1998, the project AE31X terminated, after which Airbus officially announced an aircraft of its own, the A318, at that year's Farnborough Airshow. The aircraft is the smallest, or "baby", of the A320 family, and therefore the smallest Airbus. Ironically, it was developed at the same time as the largest commercial aircraft in history, the Airbus A3XX (later renamed Airbus A380
Airbus A380
The Airbus A380 is a double-deck, wide-body, four-engine jet airliner manufactured by the European corporation Airbus, a subsidiary of EADS. It is the largest passenger airliner in the world. Due to its size, many airports had to modify and improve facilities to accommodate it...
). First called A319M5 in as early as March 1995, it was shorter by 0.79 metre ahead of the wing and 1.6 metre behind. These cuts reduced passenger capacity from 124 on the A319 to 107 passengers in a two-class layout. Range was 3350 kilometres (1,808.9 nmi), or 6850 kilometres (3,698.7 nmi) with upcoming sharklets.
The 107-seater was launched on 26 April 1999 with the options and orders count at 109 aircraft. After three years of design, the maiden flight
Maiden flight
The maiden flight of an aircraft is the first occasion on which an aircraft leaves the ground of its own accord. This is similar to a ship's maiden voyage....
took place at Hamburg on 15 January 2002. Tests on the lead engine, the Pratt & Whitney PW6000
Pratt & Whitney PW6000
-External links:* * * *...
, revealed worse-than-expected fuel consumption. Consequently, Pratt & Whitney abandoned the five-stage high pressure compressor (HPC) for the MTU-designed six-stage HPC. The 129 order book for the A318 shrunk to 80 largely because of switches to other A320 family members. After 17 months of flight certification, during which 850 hours and 350 flights were accumulated, JAA certification was obtained for the CFM56-powered variant on 23 May 2003. On 22 July 2003, first delivery for launch customer Frontier Airlines
Frontier Airlines
Frontier Airlines, Inc., is an American airline headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States. The carrier, which is a subsidiary and operating brand of Republic Airways Holdings, operates flights to 83 destinations throughout the United States, Mexico, and Costa Rica and maintains hubs at...
occurred, entering service before the end of the month.
A320 Enhanced
A320 Enhanced (or A320E) is the working title for a series of improvements of the A320 family. The improvements incorporate engine improvements, aerodynamic refinements, partly by adding large curved winglets, weight savings and a new cabin.In 2006, Airbus tested three styles of winglet intended to counteract the wing’s induced drag and wingtip vortices
Wingtip vortices
Wingtip vortices are tubes of circulating air that are left behind a wing as it generates lift. One wingtip vortex trails from the tip of each wing. The cores of vortices spin at very high speed and are regions of very low pressure...
more effectively than the previous wingtip fence. The first design type to be tested was developed by Airbus and was based on work done by the AWIATOR programme. The second type of winglet incorporated a more blended design and was designed by Winglet Technology LLC, a company based in Wichita, Kansas as well as the third type. Two aircraft were used in the flight test evaluation campaign – the prototype A320, F-WWBA, which had been retained by Airbus for testing, and the new , which later delivered to JetBlue Airways
JetBlue Airways
JetBlue Airways Corporation is an American low-cost airline. The company is headquartered in the Forest Hills neighborhood of the New York City borough of Queens. Its main base is John F. Kennedy International Airport, also in Queens....
and registered N636JB; the latter was fitted with both types of winglets.
Despite the anticipated efficiency gains and development work, Airbus announced that the new winglets will not be offered to customers, claiming that the weight of the modifications required would negate any aerodynamic benefits. Instead, on 17 December 2008, Airbus announced it was to begin flight testing an existing blended winglet design developed by Aviation Partners as part of an A320 modernisation programme. The aircraft used for the test programme is MSN001 , the original A320 prototype airframe, powered by CFM56 engines.
On 15 November 2009, Airbus announced future additions of Sharklets to A320s commencing in 2012 with launch customer Air New Zealand
Air New Zealand
Air New Zealand Limited is the national airline and flag carrier of New Zealand. Based in Auckland, New Zealand, the airline operates scheduled passenger flights to 26 domestic destinations and 24 international destinations in 15 countries across Asia, Europe, North America and Oceania, and is...
. These Airbus winglets, which are 2.4 metre tall and weigh 200 kilograms (440.9 lb), would reduce fuel burn by 3.5% and offer increases in payload of 500 kilograms (1,102.3 lb), or range by 100 nautical miles (185.2 km) at the original payload. This corresponds to an annual CO2
Carbon dioxide
Carbon dioxide is a naturally occurring chemical compound composed of two oxygen atoms covalently bonded to a single carbon atom...
reduction of around 700 tonnes per aircraft, saving operators US$220,000 per aircraft per year. The Sharklets are to be manufactured and distributed by Korean Air Aerospace.
The cabin was fitted to more than 600 aircraft (as of March 2009) since 2007. Airbus claims it offers better luggage storage and a quieter cabin, packaged with a more modern look and feel. Additionally, improved cabin efficiency by a new galley concept, reduced weight, improved ergonomics and food hygiene and recycling requirements. LED
Light-emitting diode
A light-emitting diode is a semiconductor light source. LEDs are used as indicator lamps in many devices and are increasingly used for other lighting...
ambience lighting is optionally available. Anytime LEDs are used for the Passenger Service Unit (PSU) and passengers can get information with touchscreen displays. Older A320 series aircraft can be updated.
New Engine Option
Airbus is working on offering a new engine for the A320 known as the New Engine Option (NEO). The choice for new engines include the CFM International LEAP-X and the Pratt & Whitney PW1100GPratt & Whitney PW1000G
|-See also:-External links:* * * * * * * *...
. Though the new engines will burn 16% less fuel, the actual fuel gain on an A320 installation will be slightly less, since 1–2% is typically lost upon installation on an existing aircraft. This means an additional range of 950 km (513 nmi), or 2 t (4,409.2 lb) of extra payload. The A320neo will also include some modifications to the wing, mainly the installation of blended winglets called "Sharklets".
Airbus' CEO said to be "comfortable" with the projections of 20% lower maintenance cost for the Pratt & Whitney's PW1000G family, compared with today's engines. Airbus is targeting 2016 for the first delivery and plans to deliver 4,000 A320neo over 15 years. Virgin America
Virgin America
Virgin America, Inc. is a United States-based low-cost airline that began service on August 8, 2007. The airline's stated aim is to provide low-fare, high-quality service for "long-haul point-to-point service between major metropolitan cities on the Eastern and West Coast seaboards." San Francisco...
became the launch customer with a firm order of 30 A320neo aircraft as a part of a 60 aircraft order on 17 January 2011. In January 2011 IndiGo
Indigo
Indigo is a color named after the purple dye derived from the plant Indigofera tinctoria and related species. The color is placed on the electromagnetic spectrum between about 420 and 450 nm in wavelength, placing it between blue and violet...
reached a tentative agreement with Airbus to order 150 A320neo aircraft along with 30 more A320s.
At the Paris Air Show
Paris Air Show
The Paris Air Show is the world's oldest and largest air show. Established in 1909, it is currently held every odd year at Le Bourget Airport in north Paris, France...
2011, Airbus announced that they had orders from Scandinavian Airlines System
Scandinavian Airlines System
Scandinavian Airlines or SAS, previously Scandinavian Airlines System, is the flag carrier of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, and the largest airline in Scandinavia....
and Air Lease
Air Lease
Air Lease Corporation is an aircraft leasing company founded in 2010 and headed by Steven Udvar-Házy. ALC hopes to capitalize on air travel growth from airlines in high-growth markets such as Asia, the Pacific Rim, Latin America, the Middle East and Eastern Europe...
respectively and also from India's low-cost carrier IndiGo
Indigo
Indigo is a color named after the purple dye derived from the plant Indigofera tinctoria and related species. The color is placed on the electromagnetic spectrum between about 420 and 450 nm in wavelength, placing it between blue and violet...
. On 23 June 2011, Airbus announced an order for 200 A320neo jets from Malaysian low-cost carrier AirAsia
AirAsia
AirAsia Berhad is a Malaysian-based low-cost airline. AirAsia is Asia's largest low-fare, no-frills airline and a pioneer of low-cost travel in Asia. AirAsia group operates scheduled domestic and international flights to over 400 destinations spanning 25 countries. Its main hub is the Low-Cost...
, the largest commercial aviation order. At the 2011 Paris Air Show, the A320neo received a combined 667 orders; it has received 1,058 orders since officially being launched in December 2010 to become the most popular civil aircraft model. American Airlines
American Airlines
American Airlines, Inc. is the world's fourth-largest airline in passenger miles transported and operating revenues. American Airlines is a subsidiary of the AMR Corporation and is headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas adjacent to its largest hub at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport...
ordered 130 NEOs on 20 July 2011, which would cause the airline to cease having an all-Boeing fleet. On 15 November 2011, Qatar Airways
Qatar Airways
Qatar Airways Company Q.C.S.C. , operating as Qatar Airways, is the flag carrier of Qatar. Headquartered in the Qatar Airways Tower in Doha, it operates a hub-and-spoke network, linking over 100 international destinations from its base in Doha, using a fleet of over 100 aircraft...
announced an order for 50 A320neo airliners with options for 30 more at the Dubai Airshow
Dubai Airshow
The Dubai Airshow is a biennial show held in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. It is organized by "Fairs & Exhibitions Ltd" since the year 1989; in cooperation with the Government of Dubai, the Department of Civil Aviation and Dubai International Airport in collaboration with the UAE Union Defense...
2011.
Design
Narrow-body aircraft
A narrow-body aircraft is an airliner with a fuselage aircraft cabin width typically of 3 to 4 metres , and airline seat arranged 2 to 6 abreast along a single aisle...
with a retractable tricycle landing gear
Undercarriage
The undercarriage or landing gear in aviation, is the structure that supports an aircraft on the ground and allows it to taxi, takeoff and land...
and are powered by two wing pylon-mounted turbofan engines.
Airframe
The Airbus A320 family are low-wing cantileverCantilever
A cantilever is a beam anchored at only one end. The beam carries the load to the support where it is resisted by moment and shear stress. Cantilever construction allows for overhanging structures without external bracing. Cantilevers can also be constructed with trusses or slabs.This is in...
monoplane
Monoplane
A monoplane is a fixed-wing aircraft with one main set of wing surfaces, in contrast to a biplane or triplane. Since the late 1930s it has been the most common form for a fixed wing aircraft.-Types of monoplane:...
s with a conventional tail unit
Empennage
The empennage , also known as the tail or tail assembly, of most aircraft gives stability to the aircraft, in a similar way to the feathers on an arrow...
with a single vertical stabilizer
Vertical stabilizer
The vertical stabilizers, vertical stabilisers, or fins, of aircraft, missiles or bombs are typically found on the aft end of the fuselage or body, and are intended to reduce aerodynamic side slip. It is analogical to a skeg on boats and ships.On aircraft, vertical stabilizers generally point upwards...
and rudder
Rudder
A rudder is a device used to steer a ship, boat, submarine, hovercraft, aircraft or other conveyance that moves through a medium . On an aircraft the rudder is used primarily to counter adverse yaw and p-factor and is not the primary control used to turn the airplane...
. Wing swept back at 25 degrees, optimised for maximum operating Mach number
Mach number
Mach number is the speed of an object moving through air, or any other fluid substance, divided by the speed of sound as it is in that substance for its particular physical conditions, including those of temperature and pressure...
0.82, built by British Aerospace (BAe). Compared to other airliners of the same class, the A320 features a wider single-aisle cabin of 155.5 inches (3.9 m) outside diameter, compared to 148 inches (3.8 m) of the Boeing 737 and 131.6 inches (3.3 m) of the Boeing 717
Boeing 717
The Boeing 717 is a twin-engine, single-aisle jet airliner, developed for the 100-seat market. The airliner was designed and marketed by McDonnell Douglas as the MD-95, a third-generation derivative of the DC-9. Capable of seating of up to 117 passengers, the 717 has maximum range of...
, and larger overhead bins. In addition, the aircraft has a cargo hold equipped with large doors to assist in expedient loading and unloading of goods.
The Airbus A320 is the first narrow body airliner to use a significant amount of the structure made from composite material
Composite material
Composite materials, often shortened to composites or called composition materials, are engineered or naturally occurring materials made from two or more constituent materials with significantly different physical or chemical properties which remain separate and distinct at the macroscopic or...
. Its tail assembly
Empennage
The empennage , also known as the tail or tail assembly, of most aircraft gives stability to the aircraft, in a similar way to the feathers on an arrow...
made virtually of such material by CASA, who also builds the elevators, main landing gear doors, and rear fuselage parts.
Flight deck and avionics
Fly-by-wire
Fly-by-wire is a system that replaces the conventional manual flight controls of an aircraft with an electronic interface. The movements of flight controls are converted to electronic signals transmitted by wires , and flight control computers determine how to move the actuators at each control...
flight control system. Its design also included a full glass cockpit
Glass cockpit
A glass cockpit is an aircraft cockpit that features electronic instrument displays, typically large LCD screens, as opposed to the traditional style of analog dials and gauges...
rather than the hybrid versions found in other previous airliners. Digital head-up display
Head-Up Display
A head-up display or heads-up display is any transparent display that presents data without requiring users to look away from their usual viewpoints...
s are available.
The A320's flight deck
Cockpit
A cockpit or flight deck is the area, usually near the front of an aircraft, from which a pilot controls the aircraft. Most modern cockpits are enclosed, except on some small aircraft, and cockpits on large airliners are also physically separated from the cabin...
is equipped with Electronic Flight Instrument System
Electronic Flight Instrument System
An electronic flight instrument system is a flight deck instrument display system in which the display technology used is electronic rather than electromechanical. EFIS normally consists of a primary flight display , multi-function display and engine indicating and crew alerting system display...
(EFIS) with side stick controllers. At the time of the aircraft's introduction, the behaviour of the fly-by-wire system (equipped with full flight envelope protection
Flight envelope protection
right|thumb| 327 px| [[China Airlines Flight 006]] damaged by going outside its [[flight envelope]] to gain control after a drop in twenty seconds of 3,000 m...
) was a new experience for many pilots. The A320 features an Electronic Centralised Aircraft Monitor (ECAM) which gives the flight crew information about all the systems of the aircraft. With the exception of the very earliest A320s, most can be upgraded to the latest avionics standards, keeping the aircraft advanced even after two decades in service.
Early A320 planes used the Intel 80186
Intel 80186
The 80188 is a version with an 8-bit external data bus, instead of 16-bit. This makes it less expensive to connect to peripherals. The 80188 is otherwise very similar to the 80186. It has a throughput of 1 million instructions per second....
and Motorola 68010
Motorola 68010
The Motorola MC68010 processor is a 16/32-bit microprocessor from Motorola, released in 1982. In line with the Motorola 68000 naming convention, it is usually just referred to as the 010 ....
, in 1988 Intel 80286
Intel 80286
The Intel 80286 , introduced on 1 February 1982, was a 16-bit x86 microprocessor with 134,000 transistors. Like its contemporary simpler cousin, the 80186, it could correctly execute most software written for the earlier Intel 8086 and 8088...
family CPUs. The flight management computer contained six CPUs, running in three logical pairs, with 2.5 megabytes of memory.
Newer Airbus feature LCD (liquid crystal display) units in the flight deck of its A318, A319, A320, and A321 flight decks instead of the original CRT (cathode ray tube
Cathode ray tube
The cathode ray tube is a vacuum tube containing an electron gun and a fluorescent screen used to view images. It has a means to accelerate and deflect the electron beam onto the fluorescent screen to create the images. The image may represent electrical waveforms , pictures , radar targets and...
) displays. These include the main displays and the backup artificial horizon, which was an analogue display prior to this. LCDs weigh less and produce less heat than CRT displays.
Engines
Three suppliers provide turbofanTurbofan
The turbofan is a type of airbreathing jet engine that is widely used for aircraft propulsion. A turbofan combines two types of engines, the turbo portion which is a conventional gas turbine engine, and the fan, a propeller-like ducted fan...
engines for the A320 series: CFM International
CFM International
CFM International is a joint venture between GE Aviation, a division of General Electric of the United States and Snecma, a division of Safran of France...
with their CFM56
CFM International CFM56
The CFM International CFM56 series is a family of high-bypass turbofan aircraft engines made by CFM International , with a thrust range of . CFMI is a 50–50 joint-owned company of SNECMA, France and GE Aviation , USA. Both companies are responsible for producing components and each has its own...
, International Aero Engines
International Aero Engines
IAE International Aero Engines AG is a Zürich-registered joint venture manufacturing company formed in 1983.- Ownership :Current shareholders are:* Pratt & Whitney of the United States * MTU Aero Engines of Germany...
, offering the V2500
International Aero Engines V2500
The IAE V2500 is a two-shaft high-bypass turbofan engine which powers the Airbus A320 family , and the McDonnell Douglas MD-90. International Aero Engines is a consortium backed by four aero-engine manufacturers, formed in 1983 to produce the engine...
and Pratt & Whitney
Pratt & Whitney
Pratt & Whitney is a U.S.-based aerospace manufacturer with global service operations. It is a subsidiary of United Technologies Corporation . Pratt & Whitney's aircraft engines are widely used in both civil aviation and military aviation. Its headquarters are in East Hartford, Connecticut, USA...
whose PW6000
Pratt & Whitney PW6000
-External links:* * * *...
engines are only available for the A318 variant.
Operational history
The Joint Aviation AuthoritiesJoint Aviation Authorities
The Joint Aviation Authorities, or JAA, was an associated body of the ECAC representing the civil aviation regulatory authorities of a number of European States who had agreed to co-operate in developing and implementing common safety regulatory standards and procedures...
(JAA) issued the type certificate
Type certificate
A Type Certificate, is awarded by aviation regulating bodies to aerospace manufacturers after it has been established that the particular design of a civil aircraft, engine, or propeller has fulfilled the regulating bodies' current prevailing airworthiness requirements for the safe conduct of...
for the A320 on 26 February 1988. After entering the market in March 1988 with Air France and Ansett, the former Australian domestic airline, Airbus then expanded the A320 family rapidly, launching the 185-seat A321 in 1989 and first delivered it in 1994; launching the 124-seat A319 in 1993 and delivering it in 1996; and launching the 107-seat A318 in 1999 with first deliveries in 2003.
Competition
The A320 family was developed to compete against the Boeing 737 Classics (−300/-400/-500) and the McDonnell Douglas MD-80/90 series, and has since faced challenges from the Boeing 737 Next GenerationBoeing 737 Next Generation
The Boeing 737 Next Generation, commonly abbreviated as Boeing 737NG, is the name given to the -600/-700/-800/-900 series of the Boeing 737 after the introduction of the -300/-400/-500 Classic series. They are short- to medium-range, narrow-body jet airliners...
(−600/-700/-800/-900) and the Boeing 717 during its two decades in service. As of 2010, as well as the Boeing 737, the A320 family faces competition from Embraer's
Embraer
Embraer S.A. is a Brazilian aerospace conglomerate that produces commercial, military, and executive aircraft and provides aeronautical services....
E-195
Embraer E-Jets
The Embraer E-Jets are a series of narrow-body, twin-engine, medium-range, jet airliners produced by Embraer, a Brazilian aerospace conglomerate that produces commercial, military, and corporate aircraft. Announced at the Paris Air Show in 1999, and entering production in 2002, the aircraft series...
(to the A318), and the CSeries
Bombardier CSeries
The Bombardier CSeries is a family of narrow-body, twin-engine, medium-range jet airliners being developed by Canadian manufacturer Bombardier Aerospace. Models are the 110-seat CS100, and the 130-seat CS300...
being developed by Bombardier
Bombardier Aerospace
Bombardier Aerospace is a division of Bombardier Inc. and is the third-largest airplane manufacturer in the world. It is headquartered in Dorval, Quebec, Canada.- History :...
to the A318/A319.
Airbus has shipped 4,858 A320 series aircraft since their certification/first delivery in early 1988, with another 3,255 on firm order (as of 31 October 2011). In comparison, Boeing
Boeing
The Boeing Company is an American multinational aerospace and defense corporation, founded in 1916 by William E. Boeing in Seattle, Washington. Boeing has expanded over the years, merging with McDonnell Douglas in 1997. Boeing Corporate headquarters has been in Chicago, Illinois since 2001...
has shipped 6,943 737
Boeing 737
The Boeing 737 is a short- to medium-range, twin-engine narrow-body jet airliner. Originally developed as a shorter, lower-cost twin-engine airliner derived from Boeing's 707 and 727, the 737 has developed into a family of nine passenger models with a capacity of 85 to 215 passengers...
s since late 1967, with 5,437 of those deliveries since March 1988, and has a further 2,191 on firm order (as of 31 October 2011). Based on figures since 1988 when they first entered direct competition, Airbus delivered on average 204 A320 series aircraft per annum, while on average 229 Boeing 737s were delivered.
Replacement airliner
Airbus was studying a future replacement for the A320 series, tentatively dubbed NSRAirbus NSR
Airbus NSR was discussed as a replacement by Airbus for the A320. Initially it was rumoured to start the design 2014 and enter service around 2018. Available information was very scarce and relates mostly to rumours of "industry insiders" and efforts by Airbus seemed low.The follow-on aircraft to...
, for "New Short-Range aircraft". The follow-on aircraft to replace the A320 was named A30X. Airbus North America President Barry Eccleston states that the earliest the aircraft could be available is 2017. In January 2010, John Leahy, Airbus's Chief Operating Officer Customers, stated that any all new single-aisle aircraft is unlikely to be constructed before 2024/2025.
Variants
| ICAO International Civil Aviation Organization The International Civil Aviation Organization , pronounced , , is a specialized agency of the United Nations. It codifies the principles and techniques of international air navigation and fosters the planning and development of international air transport to ensure safe and orderly growth... code | Model(s) |
|---|---|
| A318 | A318 |
| A319 | A319 |
| A320 | A320 |
| A321 | A321 |
The baseline A320 has given rise to a family of aircraft which share a common design but with passenger capacity ranges from 100, on the A318, to 220, on the A321. They compete with the Boeing 737
Boeing 737
The Boeing 737 is a short- to medium-range, twin-engine narrow-body jet airliner. Originally developed as a shorter, lower-cost twin-engine airliner derived from Boeing's 707 and 727, the 737 has developed into a family of nine passenger models with a capacity of 85 to 215 passengers...
, 757–200
Boeing 757
The Boeing 757 is a mid-size, narrow-body twin-engine jet airliner manufactured by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. Passenger versions of the twinjet have a capacity of 186 to 289 persons and a maximum range of , depending on variant and cabin configuration...
, and 717
Boeing 717
The Boeing 717 is a twin-engine, single-aisle jet airliner, developed for the 100-seat market. The airliner was designed and marketed by McDonnell Douglas as the MD-95, a third-generation derivative of the DC-9. Capable of seating of up to 117 passengers, the 717 has maximum range of...
. Because the four variants share the same flight deck, all have the same pilot type rating
Type rating
A type rating is an allowance to fly a certain aircraft type that requires additional training beyond the scope of initial license and aircraft class training. What aircraft require a type rating is decided by the local aviation authority...
. Today all variants are available as corporate jets. US Airways is the largest airline operator of A320 family of aircraft in North America with 232 as of January 2011.
Technically, the name "A320" only refers to the original mid-sized aircraft, but it is often informally used to indicate any of the A318/A319/A320/A321 family. All variants are able to be ETOPS
ETOPS/LROPS
ETOPS is an acronym for extended operations as re-defined by the US Federal Aviation Administration in 2007 . This rule allows twin-engined airliners to fly long-distance routes that were previously off-limits to twin-engined aircraft...
(Extended-range Twin-engine Operational Performance Standards) certified.
A320
Air Inter
Air Inter was a semi-public French domestic airline. Before its merger with Air France, the airline was headquartered in Paray-Vieille-Poste, Essonne. Earlier in its life, it was headquartered in the 1st arrondissement of Paris.Air Inter was incorporated on 12 November 1954...
(later acquired by Air France
Air France
Air France , stylised as AIRFRANCE, is the French flag carrier headquartered in Tremblay-en-France, , and is one of the world's largest airlines. It is a subsidiary of the Air France-KLM Group and a founding member of the SkyTeam global airline alliance...
) and British Airways
British Airways
British Airways is the flag carrier airline of the United Kingdom, based in Waterside, near its main hub at London Heathrow Airport. British Airways is the largest airline in the UK based on fleet size, international flights and international destinations...
(as a result of an order from British Caledonian Airways made prior to its acquisition by British Airways). The A320-200 features wingtip fences and increased fuel capacity over the A320-100, resulting in increased range; otherwise differences are minimal. Indian Airlines used their first 31 A320-200s with double-bogie main landing gear
Landing Gear
Landing Gear is Devin the Dude's fifth studio album. It was released on October 7, 2008. It was his first studio album since signing with the label Razor & Tie. It features a high-profile guest appearance from Snoop Dogg. As of October 30, 2008, the album has sold 18,906 copies.-Track...
for airfields with poor runway condition which a single-bogey main gear couldn't manage. Typical range with 150 passengers for the A320-200 is about 3,300 nautical miles (6,150 km). It is powered by two CFMI
CFM International
CFM International is a joint venture between GE Aviation, a division of General Electric of the United States and Snecma, a division of Safran of France...
CFM56-5
CFM International CFM56
The CFM International CFM56 series is a family of high-bypass turbofan aircraft engines made by CFM International , with a thrust range of . CFMI is a 50–50 joint-owned company of SNECMA, France and GE Aviation , USA. Both companies are responsible for producing components and each has its own...
s or IAE V2500s with thrust ratings between 113 to 120 kN (25,403.4 to 26,977.1 lbf). The lowest speed an A320 can fly is approximately .
A total of 2,793 of the A320 model have been delivered, and 2,552 have been ordered as of October 2011. The direct Boeing competitor is the 737–800.
A321
A319
The A319 is a shortened, minimum-change version of the A320. Also known as the A320M-7 (A320 minus seven rows of seats), it is 3.73 metre shorter than the A320; four frames fore and three frames aft were removed. This allows the number of emergency exits to be reduced to six. With virtually the same fuel capacity as the A320-200, and fewer passengers, the range with 124 passengers in a two-class configuration extends to 3350 km (1,808.9 nmi), or 6850 km (3,698.7 nmi) with Sharklets. Four propulsion options available on the A319 are the 23040 pound-forces (102.5 kN) V2522-A5 and 24800 pound-forces (110.3 kN) V2527M-A5 from IAE, or the 22000 pound-forces (97.9 kN) CFM56-5B/A and 27000 pound-forces (120.1 kN) CFM56-5B7. Although identical to those of the A320, these engines are derated because of the A319's lower MTOW.A318
The Airbus A318 is the smallest member of the Airbus A320 family. The A318 carries up to 132 passengers and has a maximum range of 3,100 nmi (5,700 km; 3,600 mi). The aircraft entered service in July 2003 with Frontier Airlines, and shares a common type rating with all other Airbus A320 family variants, allowing existing A320 family pilots to fly the aircraft without the need for further training. It is the largest commercial aircraft certified by the European Aviation Safety Agency for steep approach operations, allowing flights at airports such as London City AirportLondon City Airport
London City Airport is a single-runway airport. It principally serves the financial district of London and is located on a former Docklands site, east of the City of London, opposite the London Regatta Centre, in the London Borough of Newham in east London. It was developed by the engineering...
. Relative to other Airbus A320 family variants, the A318 has sold in only small numbers with total orders for only 80 aircraft placed at 28 February 2011.
Freighter
A programme to convert A320 and A321 aircraft into freighters is being set up by Airbus Freighter Conversion GmbH. Airframes will be converted by EADS EFWEADS EFW
EADS EFW is a subsidiary and business unit of EADS in Dresden. It is located at the Dresden Airport and became the centre of freighter aircraft conversion in the EADS group.- History :...
in Dresden
Dresden
Dresden is the capital city of the Free State of Saxony in Germany. It is situated in a valley on the River Elbe, near the Czech border. The Dresden conurbation is part of the Saxon Triangle metropolitan area....
, Germany, and Zhukovsky
Zhukovsky (city)
Zhukovsky is a city in Moscow Oblast, Russia, located on the Moskva River, southeast of Moscow. Population: The urban-type settlement of Stakhanovo was founded in 1935 from the dacha settlement Otdykh . It was named after Alexey Stakhanov - a famous Soviet miner...
, Russia. The launch customer AerCap
Cerberus Capital Management
Cerberus Capital Management, L.P. is one of the largest private equity investment firms in the United States. The firm is based in New York City, and run by -year-old financier Steve Feinberg. Former U.S...
signed a firm contract on 16 July 2008 to convert 30 of AerCap’s passenger A320/A321s into A320/A321P2F (passenger to freighter).
On 3 June 2011, Airbus however announced all partners would end the passenger to freighter programme, citing high demand for used airframes for passenger service.
Orders and deliveries
| |Deliveries | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Type | Total | Backlog | Total | 2011 | 2010 | 2009 | 2008 | 2007 | 2006 | 2005 | 2004 | 2003 | 2002 | 2001 | 2000 | 1999 | 1998 | 1997 | 1996 | 1995 | 1994 | 1993 | 1992 | 1991 | 1990 | 1989 | 1988 |
| A318 | 82 | 7 | 75 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 13 | 17 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 9 | |||||||||||||||
| A319 | 1,484 | 169 | 1,315 | 43 | 51 | 88 | 98 | 105 | 137 | 142 | 87 | 72 | 85 | 89 | 112 | 88 | 53 | 47 | 18 | ||||||||
| A320 | 5,345 | 2,552 | 2,793 | 239 | 297 | 221 | 209 | 194 | 164 | 121 | 101 | 119 | 116 | 119 | 101 | 101 | 80 | 58 | 38 | 34 | 48 | 71 | 111 | 119 | 58 | 58 | 16 |
| A321 | 1,202 | 527 | 675 | 49 | 51 | 87 | 66 | 51 | 30 | 17 | 35 | 33 | 35 | 49 | 28 | 33 | 35 | 22 | 16 | 22 | 16 | ||||||
| Total | 8,113 | 3,255 | 4,858 | 332 | 401 | 402 | 386 | 367 | 339 | 289 | 233 | 233 | 236 | 257 | 241 | 222 | 168 | 127 | 72 | 56 | 64 | 71 | 111 | 119 | 58 | 58 | 16 |
Data through end of October 2011. Updated on 8 November 2011.
Accidents and incidents
For the entire A320 family there have been 18 hull-loss accidentsAviation accidents and incidents
An aviation accident is defined in the Convention on International Civil Aviation Annex 13 as an occurrence associated with the operation of an aircraft which takes place between the time any person boards the aircraft with the intention of flight and all such persons have disembarked, in which a...
with a total of 789 fatalities as of October 2011.
Other occurrences for the A320 include 33 non-fatal incidents such as engine failure, APU
Auxiliary power unit
An auxiliary power unit is a device on a vehicle that provides energy for functions other than propulsion. They are commonly found on large aircraft, as well as some large land vehicles.-Function:...
fire, runway excursion, and minor collision near gate. There have been 50 incidents of glass cockpit
Glass cockpit
A glass cockpit is an aircraft cockpit that features electronic instrument displays, typically large LCD screens, as opposed to the traditional style of analog dials and gauges...
blackout. There have also been seven incidents of nose gear malfunction, including JetBlue Airways
JetBlue Airways
JetBlue Airways Corporation is an American low-cost airline. The company is headquartered in the Forest Hills neighborhood of the New York City borough of Queens. Its main base is John F. Kennedy International Airport, also in Queens....
Flight 292
JetBlue Airways Flight 292
JetBlue Airways Flight 292 was a scheduled flight from Bob Hope Airport in Burbank, California to John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City. On September 21, 2005, flight 292 executed an emergency landing at Los Angeles International Airport after the nose wheels jammed in an...
.
A319
- On 12 August 2010 Azerbaijan AirlinesAzerbaijan AirlinesAzerbaijan Airlines is the national flag carrier of Azerbaijan with a main base in the Heydar Aliyev International Airport, Baku, operating a network of scheduled passenger and cargo services. Member of IATA....
Flight 75, A319-111 4K-AZ04, suffered a collapse of the undercarriage when the aircraft departed the runway on landing at Atatürk International AirportAtatürk International AirportAtatürk International Airport is the major international airport in Istanbul, Turkey. Opened in 1924 and located in Yeşilköy, on the European side of the city, it is west of the city centre. In 1980, the airport was renamed to Atatürk International Airport in honor of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the...
, IstanbulIstanbulIstanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
, Turkey. The aircraft was substantially damaged but all 127 passengers and crew escaped unharmed. - On 24 September 2010 Wind Jet Flight 243, A319-132 EI-EDM, landed short of the runway and broke an undercarriage when the aircraft attempted landing at Palermo Airport, Italy. Preliminary reports name windshearWindShearThe Windshear Full Scale Rolling Road Wind Tunnel is an automotive wind tunnel in Concord, North Carolina.In January 2008 Wind Shear, a division of US machine tool builder Haas Automat-80.7ion, completed construction on one of the most advanced automotive wind tunnels in the world. The full-scale...
as one possible cause for the accident. The aircraft was seriously damaged but stopped in the grass out of the runway. About 20 passengers were injured.
A320
- On 26 June 1988 Air France Flight 296Air France Flight 296Air France Flight 296 was a chartered flight of a new fly-by-wire Airbus A320-111 operated by Air France. On June 26, 1988, it was flying over Mulhouse-Habsheim Airport as part of an air show. The low-speed fly-by was supposed to take place at with landing gear down at an altitude of 100 feet...
, an A320-111, crashed into the tops of trees beyond the runway on a demonstration flight at Mulhouse-Habsheim AirportMulhouse-Habsheim AirportMulhouse-Habsheim Airport is a small airport near the town of Habsheim in France. The airport is a former military base, and is now mainly used for light aircraft...
, France. Three passengers were killed. - On 14 February 1990 Indian Airlines Flight 605Indian Airlines Flight 605Flight 605 was a flight on 14 February 1990 that crashed on its final approach to Bangalore airport, killing 92 people.The flight, IC-605, took off from Mumbai at 11:58 for a flight to Bangalore. At 12:25 Bangalore approach was contacted and prevailing weather at Bangalore was passed on to the crew...
, an A320-231, carrying 146 people, crashed on its final approach to the Old Airport, BangaloreBangaloreBengaluru , formerly called Bengaluru is the capital of the Indian state of Karnataka. Bangalore is nicknamed the Garden City and was once called a pensioner's paradise. Located on the Deccan Plateau in the south-eastern part of Karnataka, Bangalore is India's third most populous city and...
. 88 passengers and four crew members were killed. - On 20 January 1992 Air Inter Flight 148Air Inter Flight 148Air Inter Flight 148 was a scheduled airline flight on 20 January 1992 that crashed in the Vosges Mountains, near Mont Sainte-Odile, while circling to land at Strasbourg Airport. 87 of the 96 onboard were killed....
, an A320-111, crashed into a high ridge near Mount Sainte-OdileMont Sainte-OdileMont Sainte-Odile is a 760 m peak of the Vosges Mountains in Alsace in France. The mountain is named for Saint Odile...
in the VosgesVosgesVosges is a French department, named after the local mountain range. It contains the hometown of Joan of Arc, Domrémy.-History:The Vosges department is one of the original 83 departments of France, created on February 9, 1790 during the French Revolution. It was made of territories that had been...
mountains while on final approach to Strasbourg at the end of a scheduled flight from Lyon. This accident resulted in the deaths of 87 of the aircraft's occupants (five crew members, 82 passengers). - On 14 September 1993 Lufthansa Flight 2904Lufthansa Flight 2904Lufthansa Flight 2904 was an Airbus A320-200 which overran the runway, in Okęcie International Airport on 14 September 1993. It was a flight from Frankfurt, Germany to Warsaw, Poland.-Description of the incident:...
, an A320-211, coming from Frankfurt am MainFrankfurt International AirportFrankfurt am Main Airport , or simply Frankfurt Airport, known in German as Flughafen Frankfurt am Main or Rhein-Main-Flughafen, is a major international airport located in Frankfurt, Germany, southwest of the city centre....
with 70 people, crashed into an earth wall at the end of the runway at Warsaw. A fire started in the left wing area and penetrated into the passenger cabin. The copilot and a passenger died. - On 22 March 1998 Philippine Airlines Flight 137Philippine Airlines Flight 137Philippine Airlines Flight 137 was a scheduled passenger flight from Manila's Ninoy Aquino International Airport to Bacolod City Domestic Airport.-March 22, 1998 accident:...
, an A320-214, crashed and overran the runway of Bacolod City Domestic AirportBacolod City Domestic AirportBacolod City Domestic Airport , also known as Bacolod Airport, was the airport serving the general area of Bacolod City, the capital of Negros Occidental in the Philippines...
, RPVB, in BacolodBacolod CityThe City of Bacolod , is a highly urbanized midsize Philippine city. It is the capital of the Negros Occidental province. Having a total of 499,497 inhabitants as of August 1, 2007, it is the most populous city in the Western Visayas Region. It is currently ranked as the 17th most populous city in...
, Philippines, plowing through homes near it. None of the passengers or crew died, but many were injured and three on the ground were killed.
- On 23 August 2000 Gulf Air Flight 072Gulf Air Flight 072On 23 August 2000, Gulf Air Flight 072 crashed into the Persian Gulf on approach to Bahrain International Airport from Cairo.-Flight and investigation:...
, an A320-212, crashed into the Persian GulfPersian GulfThe Persian Gulf, in Southwest Asia, is an extension of the Indian Ocean located between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula.The Persian Gulf was the focus of the 1980–1988 Iran-Iraq War, in which each side attacked the other's oil tankers...
on approach to Bahrain AirportBahrain International AirportBahrain International Airport is an international airport located in Muharraq, an island on the northern tip of Bahrain, about northeast of the capital Manama...
. All 143 passengers and crew on board lost their lives. - On 21 September 2005 JetBlue Airways Flight 292JetBlue Airways Flight 292JetBlue Airways Flight 292 was a scheduled flight from Bob Hope Airport in Burbank, California to John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City. On September 21, 2005, flight 292 executed an emergency landing at Los Angeles International Airport after the nose wheels jammed in an...
, an A320-232, executed an emergency landing at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) after the nose wheels jammed in an abnormal position. No one was injured. - On 3 May 2006 Armavia Flight 967Armavia Flight 967Armavia Flight 967 was a flight operated by Armavia, the largest international airline of Armenia on May 3, 2006, from Yerevan in Armenia to Sochi, a Black Sea coastal resort city in Russia...
, an A320-211, crashed into the Black SeaBlack SeaThe Black Sea is bounded by Europe, Anatolia and the Caucasus and is ultimately connected to the Atlantic Ocean via the Mediterranean and the Aegean seas and various straits. The Bosphorus strait connects it to the Sea of Marmara, and the strait of the Dardanelles connects that sea to the Aegean...
while attempting to conduct a go-around following its first approach to Sochi AirportAdler-Sochi International AirportSochi International Airport is an airport located in Adler District of the resort city of Sochi, on the coast of the Black Sea in the federal subject of Krasnodar Krai, Russia....
, Russia. All 113 passengers and crew on board lost their lives. The accident was a Pilot errorPilot errorPilot error is a term used to describe the cause of an accident involving an airworthy aircraft where the pilot is considered to be principally or partially responsible...
/ Controlled flight into terrainControlled flight into terrainControlled flight into terrain describes an accident in which an airworthy aircraft, under pilot control, is unintentionally flown into the ground, a mountain, water, or an obstacle. The term was coined by engineers at Boeing in the late 1970s...
accident. - On 17 July 2007 TAM Airlines Flight 3054TAM Airlines Flight 3054TAM Airlines Flight 3054 was an Airbus A320 airliner, registration PR-MBK, operating as a scheduled domestic passenger flight between Porto Alegre and São Paulo, Brazil, which crashed upon landing during rain in São Paulo on July 17, 2007...
, an A320-233, was not able to stop while landing at Congonhas International Airport in São PauloSão PauloSão Paulo is the largest city in Brazil, the largest city in the southern hemisphere and South America, and the world's seventh largest city by population. The metropolis is anchor to the São Paulo metropolitan area, ranked as the second-most populous metropolitan area in the Americas and among...
, Brazil. As of 2009, the accident was caused by pilot errorPilot errorPilot error is a term used to describe the cause of an accident involving an airworthy aircraft where the pilot is considered to be principally or partially responsible...
(by positioning the throttle out of the "idle" position) and by bad weather. All 187 passengers and crew died with 12 fatalities on the ground, totalling 199 people.
- On 30 May 2008 TACA Flight 390TACA Flight 390TACA Flight 390 was a scheduled flight on May 30, 2008, by TACA Airlines from San Salvador, El Salvador, to Miami, Florida, United States, with intermediate stops at Tegucigalpa and San Pedro Sula in Honduras...
, an A320-233, from San SalvadorSan SalvadorThe city of San Salvador the capital and largest city of El Salvador, which has been designated a Gamma World City. Its complete name is La Ciudad de Gran San Salvador...
, overran the runway on its final approach to Toncontín International AirportToncontín International AirportToncontín International Airport or Teniente Coronel Hernán Acosta Mejía Airport is a civil and military airport that serves Tegucigalpa, Honduras...
in TegucigalpaTegucigalpaTegucigalpa , and commonly referred as Tegus , is the capital of Honduras and seat of government of the Republic, along with its twin sister Comayagüela. Founded on September 29, 1578 by the Spanish, it became the country's capital on October 30, 1880 under President Marco Aurelio Soto...
, Honduras, with bad weather conditions. At least five fatalities. - On 27 November 2008 XL Airways Germany A320 Flight 888TXL Airways Germany A320 Flight 888TXL Airways Germany Flight 888T was an Airbus A320 which was seen to plunge into the Mediterranean Sea, 7 km off Saint-Cyprien on the French coast, close to the Spanish border, in November 2008. The technical flight originated from Perpignan - Rivesaltes Airport, performed an overflight of...
, a check flight of an A320-232 stalled in a low speed test and control could not be regained, causing the aircraft to crash into the sea off the southern French coast. The aircraft was on lease by XL Airways and scheduled to be returned to Air New ZealandAir New ZealandAir New Zealand Limited is the national airline and flag carrier of New Zealand. Based in Auckland, New Zealand, the airline operates scheduled passenger flights to 26 domestic destinations and 24 international destinations in 15 countries across Asia, Europe, North America and Oceania, and is...
. All seven people aboard died.
- On 15 January 2009 US Airways Flight 1549US Airways Flight 1549US Airways Flight 1549 was US Airways' scheduled domestic commercial passenger flight from LaGuardia Airport in New York City to Charlotte/Douglas International Airport, Charlotte, North Carolina...
, an A320-214, en route from New York City LaGuardia AirportLaGuardia AirportLaGuardia Airport is an airport located in the northern part of Queens County on Long Island in the City of New York. The airport is located on the waterfront of Flushing Bay and Bowery Bay, and borders the neighborhoods of Astoria, Jackson Heights and East Elmhurst. The airport was originally...
to Charlotte, North CarolinaCharlotte, North CarolinaCharlotte is the largest city in the U.S. state of North Carolina and the seat of Mecklenburg County. In 2010, Charlotte's population according to the US Census Bureau was 731,424, making it the 17th largest city in the United States based on population. The Charlotte metropolitan area had a 2009...
, ditched into the Hudson RiverHudson RiverThe Hudson is a river that flows from north to south through eastern New York. The highest official source is at Lake Tear of the Clouds, on the slopes of Mount Marcy in the Adirondack Mountains. The river itself officially begins in Henderson Lake in Newcomb, New York...
several minutes after takeoff. All 150 passengers and five crew survived, with only five serious injuries. The accident was due to a collision with a flock of birdsBird strikeA bird strike—sometimes called birdstrike, avian ingestion , bird hit, or BASH —is a collision between an airborne animal and a man-made vehicle, especially aircraft...
which disabled both engines. The entire airframe including the wings is being preserved at the Carolinas Aviation MuseumCarolinas Aviation MuseumThe Carolinas Aviation Museum is an aviation museum on the grounds of Charlotte/Douglas International Airport in Charlotte, North Carolina. The mission of the Museum is to educate the public about the importance of aviation to our society and inspire the next generation to excel academically in the...
. - On 29 August 2011 Gulf AirGulf AirGulf Air is the principal flag carrier of the Kingdom of Bahrain. Headquartered in Muharraq, adjacent to Bahrain International Airport, the airline operates scheduled services to 45 destinations in 28 countries across Africa, Asia and Europe. Its main base is Bahrain International Airport...
Flight GF 270, an A320, from Bahrain to CochinCochin International AirportCochin International Airport is an international airport located in Nedumbassery, a suburb on the outskirts of the city of Kochi about northeast of downtown Kochi, in the state of Kerala, India. It is the busiest and largest airport in the state of Kerala...
carrying 137 passengers, skidded off the runway during its landing. The heavy rain and wind during the landing is suspected to be the cause of the crash. The aircraft broke one of its wings in the incident and the nose of the plane was damaged, stalling air traffic at the Cochin International AirportCochin International AirportCochin International Airport is an international airport located in Nedumbassery, a suburb on the outskirts of the city of Kochi about northeast of downtown Kochi, in the state of Kerala, India. It is the busiest and largest airport in the state of Kerala...
for 5 hours. Several passengers were reported to have jumped from the aircraft through emergency exit doors before stairways were brought into place. Seven passengers were injured, including one who was sent to a hospital but not critically injured.
A321
- On 21 March 2003 TransAsia Airways Flight 543, an Airbus A321 (B-22603) on a flight from Taipei Songshan AirportTaipei Songshan AirportTaipei Songshan Airport or Taipei Sungshan Airport is a midsize commercial airport and military airbase located in Songshan, Taipei, Taiwan...
, landed at Tainan AirportTainan AirportTainan Airport is a commercial airport located in South District, Tainan City, Taiwan. It is shared with Republic of China Air Force Tainan AFB. In January 2011, the Civil Aeronautics Administration approved the airport to handle international flights in the future.It is the third busiest...
and collided with a truck on the runway. The truck went on the runway without noticing the incoming plane. The 175 passengers and crew were uninjured but the two people in the truck were injured. The aircraft was severely damaged in the accident and was written off. - On 28 July 2010 AirblueAirblueAirblue Limited is a private airline with its head office on the 12th floor of the Islamabad Stock Exchange Towers in Islamabad, Pakistan. It is Pakistan's second largest airline with over 20% share of the domestic market...
Flight 202Airblue Flight 202Airblue Flight 202 was a scheduled domestic passenger flight which crashed on 28 July 2010 near Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan, killing all 146 passengers and six crew on board. It is the deadliest air accident to occur in Pakistan to date...
, an Airbus A321 flying from KarachiKarachiKarachi is the largest city, main seaport and the main financial centre of Pakistan, as well as the capital of the province of Sindh. The city has an estimated population of 13 to 15 million, while the total metropolitan area has a population of over 18 million...
to Islamabad, crashed in Margalla HillsMargalla HillsThe Margalla Hills—the foothills of the Himalayas—are a series of small-elevation hills located north of Islamabad, Pakistan. Margalla Range has an area of 12,605 hectares. The hill range nestles between an elevation of 685 meters at the western end and 1,604 meters on its east.- Etymology :Two...
in Islamabad, Pakistan. It is reported that the pilot was instructed to perform a go-around due to traffic on the runway, however due to severe weather in the city, very low visibility was present. 146 passengers and 6 crew members were on board; four flight attendants, a co-pilot and a captain. Pilot Pervez Iqbal Chaudry was one of the senior pilots in Airblue with more than 35 years of experience. There were no survivors in this crash. - On 16 June 2011 Asiana AirlinesAsiana AirlinesAsiana Airlines Inc. is one of South Korea's two major airlines, along with Korean Air. Asiana has its headquarters in Asiana Town in Osoe-dong, Gangseo-gu, Seoul...
Flight 324 operated by Airbus A321-200 HL7763 between Chengdu Shuangliu International AirportChengdu Shuangliu International AirportChengdu Shuangliu International Airport is a major airport serving Chengdu, the capital city of Sichuan Province, China. It is located in the north of Shuangliu County, about southwest of downtown Chengdu....
, China and Incheon International AirportIncheon International AirportIncheon International Airport is the largest airport in South Korea, the primary airport serving the Seoul national capital area, and one of the largest and busiest airports in the world...
, South Korea was fired upon by two soldiers of the South Korean Army as it came in to land at Incheon. A total of 99 rounds were discharged at the aircraft, which was out of range and made a safe landing without sustaining any damage. The soldiers had misidentified the aircraft as belonging to the North Korean military, and were acting on orders that gave them permission to engage without reference to senior officers, following the Bombardment of YeonpyeongBombardment of YeonpyeongThe bombardment of Yeonpyeong was an artillery engagement between the North Korean military and South Korean forces stationed on Yeonpyeong Island on November 23, 2010. Following a South Korean regular artillery exercise at waters in the south, North Korean forces fired around 170 artillery shells...
in November 2010.
Specifications
| A318-100 | A319-100 / A319LR /A319CJ | A320-200 | A321-200 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cockpit crew | Two | |||
| Seating capacity Seating capacity Seating capacity refers to the number of people who can be seated in a specific space, both in terms of the physical space available, and in terms of limitations set by law. Seating capacity can be used in the description of anything ranging from an automobile that seats two to a stadium that seats... |
132 (1-class, maximum) 117 (1-class, typical) 107 (2-class, typical) |
156 (1-class, maximum) 134 (1-class, typical) 124 (2-class, typical) |
180 (1-class, maximum) 164 (1-class, typical) 150 (2-class, typical) |
220 (1-class, maximum) 199 (1-class, typical) 185 (2-class, typical) |
| Seat Pitch | 29 in (73.7 cm) & 30 in (76.2 cm) (1-class, maximum) 32 in (81.3 cm) (1-class, typical) 38 in (96.5 cm) & 32 in (81.3 cm) (2-class, typical) |
28 in (71.1 cm) & 30 in (76.2 cm) (1-class, maximum) 32 in (81.3 cm) (1-class, typical) 36 in (91.4 cm) & 32 in (81.3 cm) (2-class, typical) |
28 in (71.1 cm) & 29 in (73.7 cm) (1-class, maximum) 32 in (81.3 cm) (1-class, typical) 36 in (91.4 cm) & 32 in (81.3 cm) (2-class, typical) |
|
| Cargo capacity | 21.21 m³ (749 cu ft) | 27.62 m³ (975.4 cu ft) 4× LD3-46 |
37.41 m³ (1,321.1 cu ft) 7× LD3-46 |
51.73 m³ (1,826.8 cu ft) 10× LD3-46 |
| Length | 31.44 metre | 33.84 metre | 37.57 metre | 44.51 metre |
| Wingspan | 34.1 metre | |||
| Wing area | 122.6 m² (1,319.7 sq ft) | |||
| Wing sweepback | 25 degrees | |||
| Tail height | 12.51 metre | 11.76 metre | ||
| Cabin width | 3.7 metre | |||
| Fuselage width | 3.95 metre | |||
| Operating empty weight | 39500 kg (87,082.6 lb) | 40800 kg (89,948.6 lb) | 42600 kg (93,916.9 lb) | 48500 kg (106,924.2 lb) |
| Maximum zero-fuel weight (MZFW) | 54500 kg (120,151.9 lb) | 58500 kg (128,970.4 lb) | 62500 kg (137,788.9 lb) | 73800 kg (162,701.1 lb) |
| Maximum take-off weight Maximum Take-Off Weight The Maximum Takeoff Weight or Maximum Takeoff Mass of an aircraft is the maximum weight at which the pilot of the aircraft is allowed to attempt to take off, due to structural or other limits. The analogous term for rockets is Gross Lift-Off Mass, or GLOW... (MTOW) |
68 t (149,914.3 lb) | 75.5 t (166,449 lb) | 78 t (171,960.6 lb) | 93.5 t (206,132.2 lb) |
| Cruising speed | Mach Mach number Mach number is the speed of an object moving through air, or any other fluid substance, divided by the speed of sound as it is in that substance for its particular physical conditions, including those of temperature and pressure... 0.78 (828 km/h/511 mph at 11,000 m/36,000 ft) |
|||
| Maximum speed | Mach 0.82 (871 km/h/537 mph at 11,000 m/36,000 ft) | |||
| Maximum range, fully loaded | 3100 nmi (5,741.2 km) | 3600 nmi (6,667.2 km) LR: 5600 nmi (10,371.2 km) CJ: 6500 nmi (12,038 km) |
3200 nmi (5,926.4 km) | 3000 nmi (5,556 km) |
| Take off run at MTOW (sea level, ISA International Standard Atmosphere The International Standard Atmosphere is an atmospheric model of how the pressure, temperature, density, and viscosity of the Earth's atmosphere change over a wide range of altitudes. It has been established to provide a common reference for temperature and pressure and consists of tables of... ) |
1828 m (5,997.4 ft) | 2164 m (7,099.7 ft) | 2090 m (6,857 ft) | 2560 m (8,399 ft) |
| Maximum fuel capacity | 24210 l (51,164.9 US pt) | 24210 l (51,164.9 US pt) standard 30190 l (63,802.9 US pt) optional |
24050 l (50,826.8 US pt) standard 30030 l (63,464.8 US pt) optional |
|
| Service ceiling | 12000 m (39,370.1 ft) | |||
| Engines (×2) | Pratt & Whitney PW6000 series Pratt & Whitney PW6000 -External links:* * * *... or CFM International CFM56-5 series |
IAE V2500 series or CFM International CFM56-5 series |
||
| Thrust (×2) | 96 kilonewton | 98 kilonewton | 111 kilonewton | 133 kilonewton |
Source: Airbus, Airliners.net, Pratt & Whitney
Engines
| Aircraft Model | Date | Engines |
|---|---|---|
| A318-111 | 2003 | CFM56-5B8/P CFM International CFM56 The CFM International CFM56 series is a family of high-bypass turbofan aircraft engines made by CFM International , with a thrust range of . CFMI is a 50–50 joint-owned company of SNECMA, France and GE Aviation , USA. Both companies are responsible for producing components and each has its own... |
| A318-112 | 2003 | CFM56-5B9/P CFM International CFM56 The CFM International CFM56 series is a family of high-bypass turbofan aircraft engines made by CFM International , with a thrust range of . CFMI is a 50–50 joint-owned company of SNECMA, France and GE Aviation , USA. Both companies are responsible for producing components and each has its own... |
| A318-121 | 2007 | PW6122A Pratt & Whitney PW6000 -External links:* * * *... |
| A318-122 | 2007 | PW6124A Pratt & Whitney PW6000 -External links:* * * *... |
| A319-111 | 1996 | CFM56-5B5 or 5B5/P CFM International CFM56 The CFM International CFM56 series is a family of high-bypass turbofan aircraft engines made by CFM International , with a thrust range of . CFMI is a 50–50 joint-owned company of SNECMA, France and GE Aviation , USA. Both companies are responsible for producing components and each has its own... |
| A319-112 | 1997 | CFM56-5B6 or 5B6/P or 5B6/2P CFM International CFM56 The CFM International CFM56 series is a family of high-bypass turbofan aircraft engines made by CFM International , with a thrust range of . CFMI is a 50–50 joint-owned company of SNECMA, France and GE Aviation , USA. Both companies are responsible for producing components and each has its own... |
| A319-113 | 1997 | CFM56-5A4 or 5A4/F CFM International CFM56 The CFM International CFM56 series is a family of high-bypass turbofan aircraft engines made by CFM International , with a thrust range of . CFMI is a 50–50 joint-owned company of SNECMA, France and GE Aviation , USA. Both companies are responsible for producing components and each has its own... |
| A319-114 | 1997 | CFM56-5A5 or 5A5/F CFM International CFM56 The CFM International CFM56 series is a family of high-bypass turbofan aircraft engines made by CFM International , with a thrust range of . CFMI is a 50–50 joint-owned company of SNECMA, France and GE Aviation , USA. Both companies are responsible for producing components and each has its own... |
| A319-115 | 2002 | CFM56-5B7 or 5B7/P CFM International CFM56 The CFM International CFM56 series is a family of high-bypass turbofan aircraft engines made by CFM International , with a thrust range of . CFMI is a 50–50 joint-owned company of SNECMA, France and GE Aviation , USA. Both companies are responsible for producing components and each has its own... |
| A319-131 | 1997 | IAE Model V2522-A5 International Aero Engines V2500 The IAE V2500 is a two-shaft high-bypass turbofan engine which powers the Airbus A320 family , and the McDonnell Douglas MD-90. International Aero Engines is a consortium backed by four aero-engine manufacturers, formed in 1983 to produce the engine... |
| A319-132 | 1997 | IAE Model V2524-A5 International Aero Engines V2500 The IAE V2500 is a two-shaft high-bypass turbofan engine which powers the Airbus A320 family , and the McDonnell Douglas MD-90. International Aero Engines is a consortium backed by four aero-engine manufacturers, formed in 1983 to produce the engine... |
| A319-133 | 2002 | IAE Model V2527M-A5 International Aero Engines V2500 The IAE V2500 is a two-shaft high-bypass turbofan engine which powers the Airbus A320 family , and the McDonnell Douglas MD-90. International Aero Engines is a consortium backed by four aero-engine manufacturers, formed in 1983 to produce the engine... |
| A320-111 | 1988 | CFM56-5A1 or 5A1/F CFM International CFM56 The CFM International CFM56 series is a family of high-bypass turbofan aircraft engines made by CFM International , with a thrust range of . CFMI is a 50–50 joint-owned company of SNECMA, France and GE Aviation , USA. Both companies are responsible for producing components and each has its own... |
| A320-211 | 1988 | CFM56-5A1 or 5A1/F CFM International CFM56 The CFM International CFM56 series is a family of high-bypass turbofan aircraft engines made by CFM International , with a thrust range of . CFMI is a 50–50 joint-owned company of SNECMA, France and GE Aviation , USA. Both companies are responsible for producing components and each has its own... |
| A320-212 | 1990 | CFM56-5A3 CFM International CFM56 The CFM International CFM56 series is a family of high-bypass turbofan aircraft engines made by CFM International , with a thrust range of . CFMI is a 50–50 joint-owned company of SNECMA, France and GE Aviation , USA. Both companies are responsible for producing components and each has its own... |
| A320-214 | 1996 | CFM56-5B4 or 5B4/P or 5B4/2P CFM International CFM56 The CFM International CFM56 series is a family of high-bypass turbofan aircraft engines made by CFM International , with a thrust range of . CFMI is a 50–50 joint-owned company of SNECMA, France and GE Aviation , USA. Both companies are responsible for producing components and each has its own... |
| A320-216 | 2005 | CFM56-5B6 CFM International CFM56 The CFM International CFM56 series is a family of high-bypass turbofan aircraft engines made by CFM International , with a thrust range of . CFMI is a 50–50 joint-owned company of SNECMA, France and GE Aviation , USA. Both companies are responsible for producing components and each has its own... |
| A320-231 | 1989 | IAE Model V2500-A1 International Aero Engines V2500 The IAE V2500 is a two-shaft high-bypass turbofan engine which powers the Airbus A320 family , and the McDonnell Douglas MD-90. International Aero Engines is a consortium backed by four aero-engine manufacturers, formed in 1983 to produce the engine... |
| A320-232 | 1993 | IAE Model V2527-A5 International Aero Engines V2500 The IAE V2500 is a two-shaft high-bypass turbofan engine which powers the Airbus A320 family , and the McDonnell Douglas MD-90. International Aero Engines is a consortium backed by four aero-engine manufacturers, formed in 1983 to produce the engine... |
| A320-233 | 1995 | IAE Model V2527E-A5 International Aero Engines V2500 The IAE V2500 is a two-shaft high-bypass turbofan engine which powers the Airbus A320 family , and the McDonnell Douglas MD-90. International Aero Engines is a consortium backed by four aero-engine manufacturers, formed in 1983 to produce the engine... |
| A321-111 | 1995 | CFM56-5B1 or 5B1/P or 5B1/2P CFM International CFM56 The CFM International CFM56 series is a family of high-bypass turbofan aircraft engines made by CFM International , with a thrust range of . CFMI is a 50–50 joint-owned company of SNECMA, France and GE Aviation , USA. Both companies are responsible for producing components and each has its own... |
| A321-112 | 1995 | CFM56-5B2 or 5B2/P CFM International CFM56 The CFM International CFM56 series is a family of high-bypass turbofan aircraft engines made by CFM International , with a thrust range of . CFMI is a 50–50 joint-owned company of SNECMA, France and GE Aviation , USA. Both companies are responsible for producing components and each has its own... |
| A321-131 | 1995 | IAE Model V2530-A5 International Aero Engines V2500 The IAE V2500 is a two-shaft high-bypass turbofan engine which powers the Airbus A320 family , and the McDonnell Douglas MD-90. International Aero Engines is a consortium backed by four aero-engine manufacturers, formed in 1983 to produce the engine... |
| A321-211 | 1997 | CFM56-5B3 or 5B3/P or 5B3/2P CFM International CFM56 The CFM International CFM56 series is a family of high-bypass turbofan aircraft engines made by CFM International , with a thrust range of . CFMI is a 50–50 joint-owned company of SNECMA, France and GE Aviation , USA. Both companies are responsible for producing components and each has its own... |
| A321-212 | 2005 | CFM56-5B1 or 5B1/P or 5B1/2P CFM International CFM56 The CFM International CFM56 series is a family of high-bypass turbofan aircraft engines made by CFM International , with a thrust range of . CFMI is a 50–50 joint-owned company of SNECMA, France and GE Aviation , USA. Both companies are responsible for producing components and each has its own... |
| A321-213 | 2005 | CFM56-5B2 or 5B2/P CFM International CFM56 The CFM International CFM56 series is a family of high-bypass turbofan aircraft engines made by CFM International , with a thrust range of . CFMI is a 50–50 joint-owned company of SNECMA, France and GE Aviation , USA. Both companies are responsible for producing components and each has its own... |
| A321-231 | 1997 | IAE Model V2533-A5 International Aero Engines V2500 The IAE V2500 is a two-shaft high-bypass turbofan engine which powers the Airbus A320 family , and the McDonnell Douglas MD-90. International Aero Engines is a consortium backed by four aero-engine manufacturers, formed in 1983 to produce the engine... |
| A321-232 | 2005 | IAE Model V2530-A5 International Aero Engines V2500 The IAE V2500 is a two-shaft high-bypass turbofan engine which powers the Airbus A320 family , and the McDonnell Douglas MD-90. International Aero Engines is a consortium backed by four aero-engine manufacturers, formed in 1983 to produce the engine... |