Airbus A320 family: Difference between revisions
imported>4300streetcar Unexplained revert without additional reasoning - if you insist on this change please discuss in the talk page rather than edit warring |
imported>Ich-Du-De →Second shrink: A318: Ce, added variant number |
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| primary_user = [[American Airlines]]<!--Limit is ONE (1) "primary user" with the most A320 family aircraft in its fleet --> | | primary_user = [[American Airlines]]<!--Limit is ONE (1) "primary user" with the most A320 family aircraft in its fleet --> | ||
| more_users = {{ubl|[[China Eastern Airlines]]|[[IndiGo]]|[[EasyJet]]}}<!--Limit is THREE (3) in "more users" field, see section 'Operators'--> | | more_users = {{ubl|[[China Eastern Airlines]]|[[IndiGo]]|[[EasyJet]]}}<!--Limit is THREE (3) in "more users" field, see section 'Operators'--> | ||
| number_built = 12, | | number_built = 12,375 {{as of|2025|11|lc=y}}<ref name="Airbus_O_D_local">{{Cite web |url=https://www.airbus.com/en/products-services/commercial-aircraft/market/orders-and-deliveries |title=Airbus Orders and Deliveries |date=30 November 2025 |access-date=5 December 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190210065631/https://www.airbus.com/aircraft/market/orders-deliveries.html |archive-date=10 February 2019 |work=[[Airbus]] |format=XLS}}</ref> | ||
| construction_date = 1986{{ndash}}present | | construction_date = 1986{{ndash}}present | ||
| introduction = 18 April 1988 with [[Air France]]<ref name=Flight3sep1988>{{cite magazine| | | introduction = 18 April 1988 with [[Air France]]<ref name=Flight3sep1988>{{cite magazine|author-first1=David|author-last1=Learmount|title=A320 in service: an ordinary aeroplane|journal=Flight International|date=3 September 1988|volume=134|issue=4129|pages=132, 133|url=http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1988/1988%20-%202445.html|publisher=Reed Business Publishing|issn=0015-3710|access-date=18 November 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141129043316/http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1988/1988%20-%202445.html|archive-date=29 November 2014|url-status= live}}</ref> | ||
| first_flight = {{start date and age|1987|02|22|df=y}}<ref name=A320Maiden/> | | first_flight = {{start date and age|1987|02|22|df=y}}<ref name=A320Maiden/> | ||
| developed_into = [[Airbus A320neo family]] | | developed_into = [[Airbus A320neo family]] | ||
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The [[twinjet]] has a six-abreast economy cross-section and came with either [[CFM International CFM56|CFM56-5A]] or -5B, or [[IAE V2500]] turbofan engines, except the A318. The A318 has either two [[CFM56-5|CFM56-5B]] engines or a pair of [[Pratt & Whitney PW6000|PW6000]] engines in place of the IAE V2500. | The [[twinjet]] has a six-abreast economy cross-section and came with either [[CFM International CFM56|CFM56-5A]] or -5B, or [[IAE V2500]] turbofan engines, except the A318. The A318 has either two [[CFM56-5|CFM56-5B]] engines or a pair of [[Pratt & Whitney PW6000|PW6000]] engines in place of the IAE V2500. | ||
The family pioneered the use of digital [[fly-by-wire]] and [[side-stick]] flight controls in airliners. | The family pioneered the use of digital [[fly-by-wire]] and [[side-stick]] flight controls in airliners. | ||
Variants offer [[maximum take-off weight]]s from {{convert|68 to 93.5|t|lb}}, | Variants offer [[maximum take-off weight]]s from {{convert|68 to 93.5|t|lb}}, with a [[Range (aeronautics)|range]] of {{convert|3,100-3,750|nmi|lk=in|order=flip}}. | ||
<!--variants--> | <!--variants--> | ||
The 31.4 | The {{cvt|31.4|m}} long [[Airbus A318|A318]] typically accommodates 107 to 132 passengers. | ||
The 124-156 seat [[A319]] is 33.8 | The 124-156 seat [[A319]] is {{cvt|33.8|m}} long. | ||
The A320 is 37.6 | The A320 is {{cvt|37.6|m}} long and can accommodate 150 to 186 passengers. | ||
The 44.5 | The {{cvt|44.5|m}} [[A321]] offers 185 to 230 seats. | ||
The [[Airbus Corporate Jets]] are modified business jet versions of the standard commercial variants. | The [[Airbus Corporate Jets]] are modified business jet versions of the standard commercial variants. | ||
<!--neo--> | <!--neo--> | ||
In December 2010, Airbus announced the [[re-engine]]d [[Airbus A320neo family|A320neo]] (''new engine option''), which entered service with [[Lufthansa]] in January 2016. With more efficient turbofans and improvements including [[winglet|sharklets]], it offers up to 15% better [[fuel economy in aircraft|fuel economy]]. The previous A320 generation | In December 2010, Airbus announced the [[re-engine]]d [[Airbus A320neo family|A320neo]] (''new engine option''), which entered service with [[Lufthansa]] in January 2016. With more efficient turbofans and improvements including [[winglet|sharklets]], it offers up to 15% better [[fuel economy in aircraft|fuel economy]]. The previous A320 generation was renamed '''A320ceo''' (''current engine option''). | ||
<!-- operational history--> | <!-- operational history--> | ||
[[American Airlines]] is the largest A320 family operator with | [[American Airlines]] is the largest A320 family operator with 487 aircraft in its fleet, while [[IndiGo]] is the largest customer with 930 aircraft on order.<!--ref name=Airbus_Orders/--> A total of 19,495 A320 family aircraft had been [[List of Airbus A320 orders|ordered]] with 12,375 [[List of Airbus A320 operators|delivered]] to customers {{as of|2025|11|lc=y}}. It overtook the [[Boeing 737]] family in total orders in October 2019, and in total deliveries in September 2025.<!--ref name=Flight15nov2019--> It is also the most-utilised airliner with 11,384 units in service with more than 350 operators. The global A320 fleet had completed more than 176 million flights over 328 million block hours since its entry into service. The A320ceo initially competed with the [[737 Classic]] and the [[MD-80]], then their successors, the [[737 Next Generation]] (737NG) and the [[MD-90]] respectively, while the [[737 MAX]] is Boeing's response to the A320neo. | ||
== Development == | == Development == | ||
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<!--late 1960s and early 1970s--> | <!--late 1960s and early 1970s--> | ||
When [[Airbus]] designed the [[A300]] during the late 1960s and early 1970s, it envisaged a broad family of airliners with which to compete against [[Boeing]] and [[Douglas Aircraft Company|Douglas]] (later [[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.<ref>{{cite book|last=Wensveen|first=J.G.|title=Air Transportation: A Management Perspective|url={{Google books|Ej8Qslt1nfsC|page=63|plainurl=yes}}|location= Burlington, Vermont|publisher=Ashgate Publishing, 2007|isbn=978-0-7546-7171-8 |date=1 January 2007|page= 63}}</ref> 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.<ref name="Gunston">{{Cite book|last=Gunston|first=Bill|author-link=Bill Gunston|title=Airbus: The Complete Story|year=2009|location=Sparkford, Yeovil, Somerset, UK |publisher=Haynes Publishing|isbn=978-1-84425-585-6|pages=213–216, 222–223}}</ref> A 10th variation, conceived in 1973, later the first to be constructed, was designated the A300B10.<ref name="N&W p.18">{{Cite book|last1=Norris|first1=Guy | When [[Airbus]] designed the [[A300]] during the late 1960s and early 1970s, it envisaged a broad family of airliners with which to compete against [[Boeing]] and [[Douglas Aircraft Company|Douglas]] (later [[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.<ref>{{cite book|last=Wensveen|first=J.G.|title=Air Transportation: A Management Perspective|url={{Google books|Ej8Qslt1nfsC|page=63|plainurl=yes}}|location= Burlington, Vermont|publisher=Ashgate Publishing, 2007|isbn=978-0-7546-7171-8 |date=1 January 2007|page= 63}}</ref> 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.<ref name="Gunston">{{Cite book|last=Gunston|first=Bill|author-link=Bill Gunston|title=Airbus: The Complete Story|year=2009|location=Sparkford, Yeovil, Somerset, UK |publisher=Haynes Publishing|isbn=978-1-84425-585-6|pages=213–216, 222–223}}</ref> A 10th variation, conceived in 1973, later the first to be constructed, was designated the A300B10.<ref name="N&W p.18">{{Cite book|last1=Norris|first1=Guy |first2= Mark |last2=Wagner|title=Airbus A340 and A330|location=St. Paul, Minnesota|publisher=MBI Publishing|year=2001|isbn=978-0-7603-0889-9|page=[https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780760308899/page/18 18]|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780760308899/page/18}}</ref> 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|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 [[737-200]] and DC-9.<ref name="FG.com A320"/> Germany's MBB (''[[Messerschmitt-Bölkow-Blohm]]''), [[British Aircraft Corporation]], Sweden's [[Saab AB|Saab]] and Spain's [[EADS CASA|CASA]] worked on the ''EUROPLANE'', a 180- to 200-seat aircraft.<ref name="FG.com A320">{{cite web |url=http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1997/1997%20-%202904.html |title=A320 family |access-date=17 February 2011 |year=1997 |work=Flight International |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120622033328/http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1997/1997%20-%202904.html |archive-date=22 June 2012 |url-status = live}}</ref><ref name=NorrisWagner1999>{{Cite book|last1=Norris|first1=Guy | Plans from a number of European aircraft manufacturers called for a successor to the relatively successful [[BAC One-Eleven]], and to replace the [[737-200]] and DC-9.<ref name="FG.com A320"/> Germany's MBB (''[[Messerschmitt-Bölkow-Blohm]]''), [[British Aircraft Corporation]], Sweden's [[Saab AB|Saab]] and Spain's [[EADS CASA|CASA]] worked on the ''EUROPLANE'', a 180- to 200-seat aircraft.<ref name="FG.com A320">{{cite web |url=http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1997/1997%20-%202904.html |title=A320 family |access-date=17 February 2011 |year=1997 |work=Flight International |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120622033328/http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1997/1997%20-%202904.html |archive-date=22 June 2012 |url-status = live}}</ref><ref name=NorrisWagner1999>{{Cite book|last1=Norris|first1=Guy |first2= Mark |last2=Wagner|title=Airbus|location=St. Paul, Minnesota|publisher=MBI Publishing|year=1999|isbn=978-0-7603-0677-2|pages=[https://archive.org/details/airbus0000norr/page/38 38, 41–44, 50–55, 87–88]|url=https://archive.org/details/airbus0000norr/page/38}}</ref> It was abandoned after intruding on A310 specifications.<ref name=NorrisWagner1999/> [[VFW-Fokker]], [[Dornier Flugzeugwerke|Dornier]] and [[Hawker Siddeley]] worked on a number of 150-seat designs.<ref name="FG.com A320"/> | ||
The design within the JET study that was carried forward was the JET2 (163 passengers), which then became the Airbus S.A1/2/3 series (Single Aisle), before settling on the A320 name for its launch in 1984. Previously, Hawker Siddeley had produced a design called the HS.134 "Airbus" in 1965, an evolution of the [[Hawker Siddeley Trident|HS.121]] (formerly DH.121) ''Trident'',<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.century-of-flight.net/Aviation%20history/coming%20of%20age/Hawker-Siddeley%20Trident.htm |title= Hawker Siddeley Trident |access-date= 7 January 2010 |publisher= Century of Flight |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20090911202531/http://www.century-of-flight.net/Aviation%20history/coming%20of%20age/Hawker-Siddeley%20Trident.htm |archive-date= 11 September 2009 |url-status= dead}}</ref> which shared much of the general arrangement of the later JET3 study design. The name "Airbus" at the time referred to a [[British European Airways|BEA]] requirement, rather than to the later international programme. | The design within the JET study that was carried forward was the JET2 (163 passengers), which then became the Airbus S.A1/2/3 series (Single Aisle), before settling on the A320 name for its launch in 1984. Previously, Hawker Siddeley had produced a design called the HS.134 "Airbus" in 1965, an evolution of the [[Hawker Siddeley Trident|HS.121]] (formerly DH.121) ''Trident'',<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.century-of-flight.net/Aviation%20history/coming%20of%20age/Hawker-Siddeley%20Trident.htm |title= Hawker Siddeley Trident |access-date= 7 January 2010 |publisher= Century of Flight |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20090911202531/http://www.century-of-flight.net/Aviation%20history/coming%20of%20age/Hawker-Siddeley%20Trident.htm |archive-date= 11 September 2009 |url-status= dead}}</ref> which shared much of the general arrangement of the later JET3 study design. The name "Airbus" at the time referred to a [[British European Airways|BEA]] requirement, rather than to the later international programme. | ||
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=== Design effort === | === Design effort === | ||
<!--Joint European Transport'' (JET) program set up June 1977--> | <!--Joint European Transport'' (JET) program set up June 1977--> | ||
In June 1977 a new ''Joint European Transport'' (JET) programme was set up, established by [[British Aerospace]] (BAe), [[Aerospatiale]], [[Dornier Flugzeugwerke|Dornier]] and [[Fokker]].<ref>{{Cite book|title=The world's most powerful civilian aircraft|last=Eden, Paul E.|isbn=9781499465884|location=New York|oclc=959698377|date= 15 December 2016 |publisher=Rosen Publishing}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|last=Payne|first=Richard|title=Stuck on the Drawing Board: Unbuilt British Commercial Aircraft Since 1945|location= London, UK |publisher=The History Press Ltd|year=2004|isbn=978-0-7524-3172-7}}</ref> It was based at the then BAe (formerly [[Vickers]]) site in [[Weybridge]], [[Surrey]], UK. Although the members were all | In June 1977 a new ''Joint European Transport'' (JET) programme was set up, established by [[British Aerospace]] (BAe), [[Aerospatiale]], [[Dornier Flugzeugwerke|Dornier]] and [[Fokker]].<ref>{{Cite book|title=The world's most powerful civilian aircraft|last=Eden, Paul E.|isbn=9781499465884|location=New York|oclc=959698377|date= 15 December 2016 |publisher=Rosen Publishing}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|last=Payne|first=Richard|title=Stuck on the Drawing Board: Unbuilt British Commercial Aircraft Since 1945|location= London, UK |publisher=The History Press Ltd|year=2004|isbn=978-0-7524-3172-7}}</ref> It was based at the then BAe (formerly [[Vickers]]) site in [[Weybridge]], [[Surrey]], UK. Although the members were all Airbus' partners, they regarded the project as a separate collaboration from Airbus.<ref name="Aris"/> This project was considered the forerunner of Airbus A320, encompassing the 130- to 188-seat market, powered by two [[CFM56]]s.<ref name="FG.com A320"/> It would have a cruise speed of Mach 0.84 (faster than the Boeing 737).<ref name="FG.com A320"/> 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 the JET programme, Derek Brown.<ref name=NorrisWagner1999/> The group looked at three different variants, covering the 125- to 180-seat market, called ''SA1'', ''SA2'' and ''SA3''.<ref name="FG.com A320"/> Although unaware at the time, the consortium was producing the blueprints for the A319, A320 and A321, respectively.<ref name=NorrisWagner1999/> The single-aisle programme created divisions within Airbus about whether to design a shorter-range twinjet rather than a longer-range quadjet wanted by the West Germans, particularly [[Lufthansa]].<ref name="FG.com A320"/><ref name=Aris/> However, works proceeded, and the German carrier would eventually order the twinjet. | ||
<!--February 1981: A320 project--> | <!--February 1981: A320 project--> | ||
In February 1981 the project was re-designated A320,<ref name=NorrisWagner1999/> with efforts focused on the blueprint formerly designated 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 | In February 1981 the project was re-designated A320,<ref name=NorrisWagner1999/> with efforts focused on the blueprint formerly designated 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 {{cvt|2,850|-|1,860|nmi|km mi|order=flip}} using fuel from wing fuel tanks only.<ref name=NorrisWagner1999/> The -200 had the centre tank activated, increasing fuel capacity from {{cvt|3,429|to|5,154|impgal|L usgal|order=flip}}.<ref name="Eden">{{cite book|editor=Eden, Paul E.|title=Civil Aircraft Today|publisher=Amber Books, 2008|location=London|isbn=978-1-905704-86-6|page=[https://archive.org/details/civilaircrafttod0000unse/page/23 23–27]|year=2008|url=https://archive.org/details/civilaircrafttod0000unse/page/23}}</ref> They would measure {{cvt|36.04|and|39.24|m|ftin}} respectively.<ref name=NorrisWagner1999/> Airbus considered a fuselage diameter of "the Boeing 707 and 727, or do something better" and settled on a wider cross-section with a {{cvt|3.7|m|ftin}} internal width, compared to Boeing's {{cvt|3.45|m|ftin}}.<ref name="FG.com A320"/> Although heavier, this allowed the A320 to compete more effectively with the 737. The A320 wing went through several design stages, eventually measuring {{cvt|33.91|m|ftin}}.<ref name=Eden/> | ||
===National shares=== | ===National shares=== | ||
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[[File:F-WWAI A320-131 Airbus Industrie(prototype) FAB SEP88 (13753510323).jpg|thumb|The A320 first prototype (retrofitted with IAE V2500-A1 engines) at the 1988 [[Farnborough Airshow]]]] | [[File:F-WWAI A320-131 Airbus Industrie(prototype) FAB SEP88 (13753510323).jpg|thumb|The A320 first prototype (retrofitted with IAE V2500-A1 engines) at the 1988 [[Farnborough Airshow]]]] | ||
The programme was launched on 2 March 1984.<ref>{{cite press release |url= http://www.airbus.com/presscentre/pressreleases/press-release-detail/detail/a320-launch-and-first-delivery-of-a300-600/ |title= A320 launch and first delivery of A300-600 |publisher= Airbus |date= 2 March 1984 |url-status= dead|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20170222054414/http://www.airbus.com/presscentre/pressreleases/press-release-detail/detail/a320-launch-and-first-delivery-of-a300-600/ |archive-date= 22 February 2017 |df= dmy-all}}</ref> At the time, Airbus had 96 orders.<ref name=NW1999/>{{rp|48}} Air France was its first customer to sign a "letter of intent" for 25 A320s and options for 25 more at the 1981 [[Paris Air Show]].<ref>{{cite press release |url= http://www.airbus.com/presscentre/pressreleases/press-release-detail/detail/air-france-launch-customer-of-the-a320/ |title= Air France: launch customer of the A320 |date= 10 June 1981 |publisher= Airbus |url-status = dead|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20170222054419/http://www.airbus.com/presscentre/pressreleases/press-release-detail/detail/air-france-launch-customer-of-the-a320/ |archive-date= 22 February 2017 |df= dmy-all}}</ref> In October 1983, [[British Caledonian]] placed seven firm orders, bringing total orders to more than 80.<ref>{{cite press release |url= http://www.airbus.com/presscentre/pressreleases/press-release-detail/detail/more-than-80-orders-for-the-planned-a320/ |title= More than 80 orders for the planned A320 |date= 1 October 1983 |publisher= Airbus |url-status= dead|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20170222054431/http://www.airbus.com/presscentre/pressreleases/press-release-detail/detail/more-than-80-orders-for-the-planned-a320/ |archive-date= 22 February 2017 |df= dmy-all}}</ref> [[Cyprus Airways (1947–2015)|Cyprus Airways]] became the first customer to place an order for V2500-powered A320s in November 1984, followed by [[Pan Am]] with 16 firm orders and 34 options in January 1985, and then [[Inex Adria]].<ref name=NW1999/>{{rp|49}} One of the most significant orders occurred when [[Northwest Airlines]] placed an order for 100 A320s in October 1986, powered by [[CFM International CFM56|CFM56]] engines, later confirmed at the 1990 [[Farnborough Airshow]].<ref name=NW1999>{{cite book |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=l4fSx5HoZWAC&pg=PA48 |author= Guy Norris | The programme was launched on 2 March 1984.<ref>{{cite press release |url= http://www.airbus.com/presscentre/pressreleases/press-release-detail/detail/a320-launch-and-first-delivery-of-a300-600/ |title= A320 launch and first delivery of A300-600 |publisher= Airbus |date= 2 March 1984 |url-status= dead|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20170222054414/http://www.airbus.com/presscentre/pressreleases/press-release-detail/detail/a320-launch-and-first-delivery-of-a300-600/ |archive-date= 22 February 2017 |df= dmy-all}}</ref> At the time, Airbus had 96 orders.<ref name=NW1999/>{{rp|48}} Air France was its first customer to sign a "letter of intent" for 25 A320s and options for 25 more at the 1981 [[Paris Air Show]].<ref>{{cite press release |url= http://www.airbus.com/presscentre/pressreleases/press-release-detail/detail/air-france-launch-customer-of-the-a320/ |title= Air France: launch customer of the A320 |date= 10 June 1981 |publisher= Airbus |url-status = dead|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20170222054419/http://www.airbus.com/presscentre/pressreleases/press-release-detail/detail/air-france-launch-customer-of-the-a320/ |archive-date= 22 February 2017 |df= dmy-all}}</ref> In October 1983, [[British Caledonian]] placed seven firm orders, bringing total orders to more than 80.<ref>{{cite press release |url= http://www.airbus.com/presscentre/pressreleases/press-release-detail/detail/more-than-80-orders-for-the-planned-a320/ |title= More than 80 orders for the planned A320 |date= 1 October 1983 |publisher= Airbus |url-status= dead|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20170222054431/http://www.airbus.com/presscentre/pressreleases/press-release-detail/detail/more-than-80-orders-for-the-planned-a320/ |archive-date= 22 February 2017 |df= dmy-all}}</ref> [[Cyprus Airways (1947–2015)|Cyprus Airways]] became the first customer to place an order for V2500-powered A320s in November 1984, followed by [[Pan Am]] with 16 firm orders and 34 options in January 1985, and then [[Inex Adria]].<ref name=NW1999/>{{rp|49}} One of the most significant orders occurred when [[Northwest Airlines]] placed an order for 100 A320s in October 1986, powered by [[CFM International CFM56|CFM56]] engines, later confirmed at the 1990 [[Farnborough Airshow]].<ref name=NW1999>{{cite book |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=l4fSx5HoZWAC&pg=PA48 |author-first1= Guy |author-last1=Norris |author-first2=Mark |author-last2=Wagner |title= Airbus |publisher= MBI Publishing Company |date= 1999 |isbn= 9781610606967 |access-date= 26 May 2018 |archive-date= 27 May 2021 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20210527092125/https://books.google.com/books?id=l4fSx5HoZWAC&pg=PA48 |url-status= live}}</ref>{{rp|49–50}} | ||
<!-- Engine selection --> | <!-- Engine selection --> | ||
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[[File:Airbus A320-100 Air France (AFR) F-GFKQ - MSN 002 (10655931213).jpg|thumb|The first A320 was delivered to Air France on 28 March 1988; the early A320-100s had no [[Wingtip device#Wingtip fence|wingtip fences]].]] | [[File:Airbus A320-100 Air France (AFR) F-GFKQ - MSN 002 (10655931213).jpg|thumb|The first A320 was delivered to Air France on 28 March 1988; the early A320-100s had no [[Wingtip device#Wingtip fence|wingtip fences]].]] | ||
In the presence of then-[[French Prime Minister]] [[Jacques Chirac]] and the [[Charles, Prince of Wales|Prince]] and [[Diana, Princess of Wales|Princess of Wales]], the first A320 was rolled out of | In the presence of then-[[French Prime Minister]] [[Jacques Chirac]] and the [[Charles, Prince of Wales|Prince]] and [[Diana, Princess of Wales|Princess of Wales]], the first A320 was rolled out of final assembly line at Toulouse on 14 February 1987 and made its [[maiden flight]] on 22 February in 3 hours and 23 minutes.<ref name=A320Maiden>{{cite press release |url= http://www.airbus.com/presscentre/pressreleases/press-release-detail/detail/a320-roll-out-and-first-flight/ |title= A320 roll-out and first flight |date= 22 February 1987 |publisher= Airbus |url-status= dead|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20170222054416/http://www.airbus.com/presscentre/pressreleases/press-release-detail/detail/a320-roll-out-and-first-flight/ |archive-date= 22 February 2017 |df= dmy-all}}</ref> The flight test programme took 1,200 hours over 530 flights. European [[Joint Aviation Authorities]] (JAA) certification was awarded on 26 February 1988.<ref name=NW1999/>{{rp|50}} The first A320 was delivered to Air France on 28 March,<ref>{{cite press release |url= http://www.airbus.com/presscentre/pressreleases/press-release-detail/detail/a320-first-delivery/ |title= A320 first delivery |date= 28 March 1988 |publisher= Airbus |url-status= dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20170222054426/http://www.airbus.com/presscentre/pressreleases/press-release-detail/detail/a320-first-delivery/ |archive-date= 22 February 2017 |df= dmy-all}}</ref> and began commercial service on 8 April with a flight between [[Paris]] and [[Berlin]] via [[Düsseldorf]].<ref name="AirfranceA320EIS">{{cite press release |title= The A320 turns thirty |url= https://corporate.airfrance.com/en/news/a320-turns-thirty |publisher= [[Air France]] |date= 17 April 2018 |access-date= 11 December 2021 |archive-date= 11 December 2021 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20211211192839/https://corporate.airfrance.com/en/news/a320-turns-thirty |url-status= dead }}</ref> In 1988, the clean-sheet aircraft program cost was 5.486 billion [[French francs]].<ref>{{cite journal |author-first1= Pierre |author-last1=Muller |publisher=Fondation nationale des sciences politiques / Centre des recherches administratives |journal= Politique et Management Public |year= 1989 |url= http://www.persee.fr/web/revues/home/prescript/article/pomap_0758-1726_1989_num_7_1_2877 |title= La transformation des modes d'action de l'État à travers l'histoire du programme Airbus |volume= 7 |issue= 1 |page= 268 |doi= 10.3406/pomap.1989.2877 |language= fr |access-date= 6 September 2019 |archive-date= 24 September 2015 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20150924212139/http://www.persee.fr/web/revues/home/prescript/article/pomap_0758-1726_1989_num_7_1_2877 |url-status= live}}</ref> | ||
===Stretching the A320: A321=== | ===Stretching the A320: A321=== | ||
{{Main|Airbus A321#Development|l1 = Airbus A321, Development}} | {{Main|Airbus A321#Development|l1 = Airbus A321, Development}} | ||
[[File:Airbus A321-100 Lufthansa (DLH) D-AIRB - MSN 468 - Named Baden-Baden (3526963624).jpg|thumb|[[Lufthansa]] was the first to receive the stretched A321 on 27 January 1994.<ref name="Eden"/>|left]] | [[File:Airbus A321-100 Lufthansa (DLH) D-AIRB - MSN 468 - Named Baden-Baden (3526963624).jpg|thumb|[[Lufthansa]] was the first to receive the stretched A321 on 27 January 1994.<ref name="Eden"/>|left]] | ||
The first | The first variation of the baseline A320 was the [[Airbus A321]], also known as the ''Stretched A320'', ''A320-500'' and ''A325''.<ref name=NorrisWagner1999/><ref>{{Cite book|last1=Laming|first1=Tim and Robert Hewson|title=Airbus A320|publisher=Zenith Imprint|year=2000|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wiwFHh4sd_0C|isbn=978-0-7603-0902-5|page=23|access-date=23 September 2016|archive-date=25 July 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200725014111/https://books.google.com/books?id=wiwFHh4sd_0C|url-status=live}}</ref> Launched on 24 November 1988 after commitments for 183 aircraft from 10 customers were secured.<ref name=NorrisWagner1999/><ref name="Reed p.84"/> The aircraft was to be a minimally changed derivative, apart from minor wing modifications and a fuselage stretch. The wing would incorporate [[Flap (aircraft)|double-slotted flaps]] and minor [[trailing edge]] modifications,<ref name=NorrisWagner1999/> increasing wing area from {{cvt|124|m2}} to {{cvt|128|m2}}.<ref name="A321 described">{{cite web |author-first1= Julian |author-last1=Moxon |url= https://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1993/1993%20-%200502.html |title= A321: Taking on the 757 |date= 17 March 1993 |work= Flight International |access-date= 23 March 2017 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20170324001023/https://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1993/1993%20-%200502.html |archive-date= 24 March 2017 |url-status= live}}</ref> The fuselage was lengthened by four plugs (two ahead and two behind the wings), making the A321 {{convert|6.94|m|ftin}} longer than the A320 overall.<ref name=NorrisWagner1999/><ref name="A320 specifications"/><ref name="A321 specifications"/> The length increase required enlarged overwing exits, which were repositioned in front of and behind the wings.<ref name="Eden"/> The centre fuselage and [[Landing gear|undercarriage]] were reinforced to accommodate an increase in [[maximum takeoff weight]] of {{cvt|9,600|kg|sigfig=3}}, for a total of {{cvt|83,000|kg|sigfig=3}}.<ref name=NorrisWagner1999/> | ||
Final assembly for the A321 would be | Final assembly for the A321 would be carried out in Germany (then West Germany), a first for any Airbus.<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1990/1990%20-%200274.html |title=A321 victory for West Germany |access-date=24 February 2011 |author-last1=Sebdon|author-first1= Gilbert |date=7 February 1990 |work=Flight International |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120622044226/http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1990/1990%20-%200274.html |archive-date=22 June 2012 |url-status= live}}</ref> This came after a dispute between the French, who claimed the move would incur $150 million (€135 million) in unnecessary expenditures associated with the new plant,<ref name=NorrisWagner1999/> and the Germans, who argued that it would be more productive for Airbus in the long run. The second production line was located at [[Hamburg]], which would also subsequently 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.<ref name="Reed p.84">{{Cite book|last=Reed|first=Arthur|title=Airbus: Europe's High Flyer|location= Zürich, Switzerland |publisher=Norden Publishing House|year=1992|isbn=978-3-907150-10-8|page=84}}</ref> An additional $180 million (€175 million) was borrowed from the [[European Investment Bank]] and private investors.<ref name=NorrisWagner1999/> | ||
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.<!--ref name="Eden"/--> [[Lufthansa]] and [[Alitalia]] were the first to order the stretched Airbuses, with 20 and 40 aircraft, respectively.<!--ref name="Eden"/--> The first of Lufthansa's V2500-A5-powered A321s arrived on 27 January 1994, while Alitalia received its first CFM56-5B-powered aircraft on 22 March.<!--ref name="Eden"/--> | 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.<!--ref name="Eden"/--> [[Lufthansa]] and [[Alitalia]] were the first to order the stretched Airbuses, with 20 and 40 aircraft, respectively.<!--ref name="Eden"/--> The first of Lufthansa's V2500-A5-powered A321s arrived on 27 January 1994, while Alitalia received its first CFM56-5B-powered aircraft on 22 March.<!--ref name="Eden"/--> | ||
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[[File:14cd - Swissair Airbus A319-112; HB-IPY@ZRH;15.02.1998 (5424583398).jpg|thumb|The first A319 was delivered to [[Swissair]] on 25 April 1996.]] | [[File:14cd - Swissair Airbus A319-112; HB-IPY@ZRH;15.02.1998 (5424583398).jpg|thumb|The first A319 was delivered to [[Swissair]] on 25 April 1996.]] | ||
The A319 was the | The A319 was the second variation of the baseline A320. The design was a "shrink", with origins in the 130- to 140-seat SA1, part of the Single-Aisle studies, which had been shelved as the consortium focused on its bigger siblings.<ref name=NorrisWagner1999/> After healthy sales of the A320/A321, Airbus focused once more on what was then known as the ''A320M-7'', meaning A320 ''minus seven fuselage frames''.<ref name=Eden/> It would provide direct competition for the [[737-300]]/[[Boeing 737 Next Generation|-700]].<ref name=NorrisWagner1999/> The shrink was achieved through the removal of four fuselage frames fore and three aft of the wing, cutting the overall length by {{convert|3.73|m|ftin}}.<ref name="A320 specifications"/><ref name="Meeting demand">{{cite web |author-last1=Moxon|author-first1= Henley |url=http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1995/1995%20-%202575.html |title=Meeting demands |access-date=25 February 2011 |date=30 August 1995 |work=Flight International |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120622033315/http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1995/1995%20-%202575.html |archive-date=22 June 2012 |url-status= live}}</ref><ref name="A319 specifications"/> Consequently, the number of overwing exits was reduced from four to two. The bulk-cargo door was replaced by an aft container door, which can take in reduced height [[Unit Load Device|LD3-45 containers]].<ref name="Meeting demand"/> Minor [[Computer programming|software]] changes were made to accommodate the different handling characteristics; otherwise the aircraft was largely unchanged. Power is provided by the CFM56-5A, CFM56-5B, or V2500-A5, derated to {{cvt|98|kN|lbf|lk=in}}, with option for {{cvt|105|kN|lbf}} thrust.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1997/1997%20-%202909.html |title=A319 flight test |access-date=26 February 2011 |author-last1=Henley|author-first1= Peter |work=Flight International |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120622054556/http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1997/1997%20-%202909.html |archive-date=22 June 2012 |url-status= live}}</ref> | ||
Airbus began offering the new model from 22 May 1992, with the actual launch of the $275 million (€250 million) programme occurring on 10 June 1993;<ref name="Meeting demand"/><ref name=NorrisWagner1999/><ref name="Gunston"/> the A319's first customer was [[ILFC]], which signed for six aircraft. On 23 March 1995, the first A319 underwent final assembly at Airbus' German plant in Hamburg, where A321s were also assembled. It was rolled out on 24 August 1995, with the maiden flight taking place the following day.<ref name=Eden/> The certification programme took 350 airborne hours involving two aircraft. Certification for the CFM56-5B6/2-equipped variant was granted in April 1996, and qualification for the V2524-A5 started the following month.<ref name=NorrisWagner1999/> | Airbus began offering the new model from 22 May 1992, with the actual launch of the $275 million (€250 million) programme occurring on 10 June 1993;<ref name="Meeting demand"/><ref name=NorrisWagner1999/><ref name="Gunston"/> the A319's first customer was [[ILFC]], which signed for six aircraft. On 23 March 1995, the first A319 underwent final assembly at Airbus' German plant in Hamburg, where A321s were also assembled. It was rolled out on 24 August 1995, with the maiden flight taking place the following day.<ref name=Eden/> The certification programme took 350 airborne hours involving two aircraft. Certification for the CFM56-5B6/2-equipped variant was granted in April 1996, and qualification for the V2524-A5 started the following month.<ref name=NorrisWagner1999/> | ||
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[[File:N806FR at LAX.jpg|thumb|[[Frontier Airlines]] received the first A318 on 22 July 2003.]] | [[File:N806FR at LAX.jpg|thumb|[[Frontier Airlines]] received the first A318 on 22 July 2003.]] | ||
The A318 was born out of mid-1990 studies between [[Aviation Industry Corporation of China]] (AVIC), [[Singapore Technologies Aerospace]], [[Alenia Aeronautica|Alenia]] and Airbus on a 95- to 125-seat aircraft project. The programme was called the ''AE31X'', and covered the 95-seat AE316 and 115- to 125-seat AE317.<ref name=NorrisWagner1999/> The former would have had an overall length of {{cvt|31.3|m|ftin}}, while the AE317 was longer by {{cvt|3.2|m|ftin}}, at {{cvt|34.5|m|ftin}}.<ref name=AE31X>{{cite journal| | The A318, the fourth variant, was born out of mid-1990 studies between [[Aviation Industry Corporation of China]] (AVIC), [[Singapore Technologies Aerospace]], [[Alenia Aeronautica|Alenia]] and Airbus on a 95- to 125-seat aircraft project. The programme was called the ''AE31X'', and covered the 95-seat AE316 and 115- to 125-seat AE317.<ref name=NorrisWagner1999/> The former would have had an overall length of {{cvt|31.3|m|ftin}}, while the AE317 was longer by {{cvt|3.2|m|ftin}}, at {{cvt|34.5|m|ftin}}.<ref name=AE31X>{{cite journal|author-first1=Paul |author-last1=Lewis|url=http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1997/1997%20-%203026.html|title=Time out in asia|journal=Flight International|date=5 November 1997|volume=152|issue=4599|page=38,39|issn=0015-3710|access-date=26 February 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120622075224/http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1997/1997%20-%203026.html|archive-date=22 June 2012|url-status= live}}</ref> The engines were to be two Rolls-Royce BR715s, CFM56-9s, or the [[Pratt & Whitney PW6000]];<ref name=NorrisWagner1999/><ref name=AE31X/> with the MTOW of {{cvt|53.3|t|lb}} for the smaller version and {{cvt|58|t|lb}} for the AE317, the thrust requirement were {{cvt|77.9|-|84.6|kN|lbf}} and {{cvt|84.6|-|91.2|kN|lbf}}, respectively.<ref name=AE31X/> Range was settled at {{cvt|5,200|km|nmi mi}} and {{cvt|5,800|km|nmi mi}} for the high gross weights of both variants.<ref name=AE31X/> Both share a wingspan of {{cvt|31.0|m|ftin}}<ref name=AE31X/> and a [[cockpit|flight deck]] similar to that of the A320 family. Costing $2 billion (€1.85 billion) to develop, aircraft production was to take place in China.<ref name=NorrisWagner1999/> | ||
Simultaneously, Airbus was developing the Airbus A318. In early 1998, Airbus revealed that it was designing a 100-seat aircraft based on the A320. The AE31X project was terminated by September 1998, and Airbus officially announced the A318<ref name=NorrisWagner1999/> at that year's Farnborough Airshow.<ref name="Gunston"/> The aircraft was the smallest in Airbus's product range, and was developed coincidentally at the same time as the largest commercial aircraft in history, the [[Airbus A380]]. First called ''A319M5'' in as early as March 1995, it was shorter by {{convert|0.79|m|ftin|adj=on}} ahead of the wing and {{convert|1.6|m|ftin}} behind.<ref name="Gunston"/> These cuts reduced passenger capacity from 124 on the A319 to 107 passengers in a two-class layout.<ref name="A318 specifications"/> Range was {{convert|5700|km|nmi mi}}, or {{convert|5950|km|nmi mi}} with upcoming [[Sharklets]].<ref name="A318 specifications"/><!-- For the first time, laser welding featured prominently during final assembly, eliminating the necessity for heavy rivets and bolts.--> | Simultaneously, Airbus was developing the Airbus A318. In early 1998, Airbus revealed that it was designing a 100-seat aircraft based on the A320. The AE31X project was terminated by September 1998, and Airbus officially announced the A318<ref name=NorrisWagner1999/> at that year's Farnborough Airshow.<ref name="Gunston"/> The aircraft was the smallest in Airbus's product range, and was developed coincidentally at the same time as the largest commercial aircraft in history, the [[Airbus A380]]. First called ''A319M5'' in as early as March 1995, it was shorter by {{convert|0.79|m|ftin|adj=on}} ahead of the wing and {{convert|1.6|m|ftin}} behind.<ref name="Gunston"/> These cuts reduced passenger capacity from 124 on the A319 to 107 passengers in a two-class layout.<ref name="A318 specifications"/> Range was {{convert|5700|km|nmi mi}}, or {{convert|5950|km|nmi mi}} with upcoming [[Sharklets]].<ref name="A318 specifications"/><!-- For the first time, laser welding featured prominently during final assembly, eliminating the necessity for heavy rivets and bolts.--> | ||
The 107-seater was launched on 26 April 1999 with the options and orders count at 109 aircraft.<ref name="Gunston"/> After three years of design, the maiden flight took place at Hamburg on 15 January 2002.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://events.airbus.com/a380/first_flight/seeing/learnandplay/history.html#a318 |title=Flights that made Airbus' history |access-date=1 March 2011 |work=Airbus |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140202143413/http://events.airbus.com/a380/first_flight/seeing/learnandplay/history.html#a318 |archive-date=2 February 2014 |url-status= live}}</ref> Tests on the lead engine, the PW6000, revealed worse-than-expected fuel consumption.<ref name="Minibus">{{cite web |url=http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/2003/2003%20-%201445.html |title=The Minibus Arrives |access-date=1 March 2011 |author=Kingsley-Jones | The 107-seater was launched on 26 April 1999 with the options and orders count at 109 aircraft.<ref name="Gunston"/> After three years of design, the maiden flight took place at Hamburg on 15 January 2002.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://events.airbus.com/a380/first_flight/seeing/learnandplay/history.html#a318 |title=Flights that made Airbus' history |access-date=1 March 2011 |work=Airbus |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140202143413/http://events.airbus.com/a380/first_flight/seeing/learnandplay/history.html#a318 |archive-date=2 February 2014 |url-status= live}}</ref> Tests on the lead engine, the PW6000, revealed worse-than-expected fuel consumption.<ref name="Minibus">{{cite web |url=http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/2003/2003%20-%201445.html |title=The Minibus Arrives |access-date=1 March 2011 |author-last1=Kingsley-Jones|author-first1= Max |date=10–16 June 2003 |work=Flight International |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100227013233/http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/2003/2003%20-%201445.html |archive-date=27 February 2010 |url-status= live}}</ref> 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 shrank to 80, largely because of switches to other A320 family members.<ref name="Minibus"/> 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.<ref name="Minibus"/> On 22 July 2003, first delivery for launch customer [[Frontier Airlines]] occurred,<ref name="Gunston"/> entering service before the end of the month. | ||
=== Production === | === Production === | ||
[[File:A321 final assembly (9351765668).jpg|thumb|An Airbus A321 on final [[assembly line]] 3 in the [[Airbus Hamburg-Finkenwerder]] plant]] | [[File:A321 final assembly (9351765668).jpg|thumb|An Airbus A321 on final [[assembly line]] 3 in the [[Airbus Hamburg-Finkenwerder]] plant]] | ||
The [[Toulouse Blagnac International Airport|Toulouse Blagnac]] final assembly line builds A320s, whereas the [[Airbus Hamburg-Finkenwerder|Hamburg Finkenwerder]] final assembly line builds A318s, A319s, and A321s. The Airbus factory in [[Tianjin]], China, assembles A319s, A320s, and A321s; A320s and A321s are also assembled at the Airbus Americas factory in [[Mobile, Alabama]].<ref>{{Cite web |title= How Is An Aircraft Built > Final Assembly And Tests |publisher= Airbus |url= https://www.airbus.com/aircraft/how-is-an-aircraft-built/final-assembly-and-tests.html |access-date= 17 January 2019 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20190119121544/https://www.airbus.com/aircraft/how-is-an-aircraft-built/final-assembly-and-tests.html |archive-date= 19 January 2019 |url-status = live}}</ref> Airbus produced a total of 42 A320s per month in 2015, and expected to increase to 50 per month in 2017.<ref name=osb1>{{cite news |url= http://aviationweek.com/commercial-aviation/analysts-flag-potential-airliner-glut |title= Analysts Flag Potential Airliner Glut |work= [[Aviation Week & Space Technology]] |author= Joe Anselmo |date= 2 March 2015 |access-date= 4 March 2015 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20150304202822/http://aviationweek.com/commercial-aviation/analysts-flag-potential-airliner-glut |archive-date= 4 March 2015 |url-status = live}}</ref> | The [[Toulouse Blagnac International Airport|Toulouse Blagnac]] final assembly line builds A320s, whereas the [[Airbus Hamburg-Finkenwerder|Hamburg Finkenwerder]] final assembly line builds A318s, A319s, and A321s. The Airbus factory in [[Tianjin]], China, assembles A319s, A320s, and A321s; A320s and A321s are also assembled at the Airbus Americas factory in [[Mobile, Alabama]].<ref>{{Cite web |title= How Is An Aircraft Built > Final Assembly And Tests |publisher= Airbus |url= https://www.airbus.com/aircraft/how-is-an-aircraft-built/final-assembly-and-tests.html |access-date= 17 January 2019 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20190119121544/https://www.airbus.com/aircraft/how-is-an-aircraft-built/final-assembly-and-tests.html |archive-date= 19 January 2019 |url-status = live}}</ref> Airbus produced a total of 42 A320s per month in 2015, and expected to increase to 50 per month in 2017.<ref name=osb1>{{cite news |url= http://aviationweek.com/commercial-aviation/analysts-flag-potential-airliner-glut |title= Analysts Flag Potential Airliner Glut |work= [[Aviation Week & Space Technology]] |author-first1= Joe |author-last1=Anselmo |date= 2 March 2015 |access-date= 4 March 2015 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20150304202822/http://aviationweek.com/commercial-aviation/analysts-flag-potential-airliner-glut |archive-date= 4 March 2015 |url-status = live}}</ref> | ||
Production of parts takes place in a large number of countries around the world. For example, the centre fuselage is made in Hamburg, Germany; the horizontal stabiliser is produced in Getafe, Spain; and the rudder is produced in Harbin, China.{{citation needed|date=December 2023}} | Production of parts takes place in a large number of countries around the world. For example, the centre fuselage is made in Hamburg, Germany; the horizontal stabiliser is produced in Getafe, Spain; and the rudder is produced in Harbin, China.{{citation needed|date=December 2023}} | ||
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In September 2019, Airbus reached a milestone with the delivery of the 9000th A320-family aircraft, to Easyjet. In October 2019, Airbus inaugurated a highly automated fuselage structure assembly line for A320 Family aircraft in Hamburg, showcasing an evolution in Airbus' industrial production system.<ref>{{cite press release |url= https://www.airbus.com/newsroom/press-releases/en/2019/10/airbus-inaugurates-new-a320-structure-assembly-line-in-hamburg.html/ |title= Airbus inaugurates new A320 structure assembly line in Hamburg |date= 1 October 2019 |website= Airbus |access-date= 2 February 2020 |archive-date= 11 August 2020 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20200811142551/https://www.airbus.com/newsroom/press-releases/en/2019/10/airbus-inaugurates-new-a320-structure-assembly-line-in-hamburg.html |url-status= live}}</ref> Production rates continue to rise, and Airbus aims to reach a production rate of 63 aircraft per month by 2021, which would result in the 10,000th delivery occurring early that year.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Kaminski-Morrow |first1=David |title=A320 family embarks on approach to 10,000 deliveries |url=https://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/a320-family-embarks-on-approach-to-10000-deliveries-460900/ |work=Flightglobal.com |date=17 September 2019 |access-date=17 September 2019 |archive-date=21 September 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190921045532/https://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/a320-family-embarks-on-approach-to-10000-deliveries-460900/ |url-status=live}}</ref> | In September 2019, Airbus reached a milestone with the delivery of the 9000th A320-family aircraft, to Easyjet. In October 2019, Airbus inaugurated a highly automated fuselage structure assembly line for A320 Family aircraft in Hamburg, showcasing an evolution in Airbus' industrial production system.<ref>{{cite press release |url= https://www.airbus.com/newsroom/press-releases/en/2019/10/airbus-inaugurates-new-a320-structure-assembly-line-in-hamburg.html/ |title= Airbus inaugurates new A320 structure assembly line in Hamburg |date= 1 October 2019 |website= Airbus |access-date= 2 February 2020 |archive-date= 11 August 2020 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20200811142551/https://www.airbus.com/newsroom/press-releases/en/2019/10/airbus-inaugurates-new-a320-structure-assembly-line-in-hamburg.html |url-status= live}}</ref> Production rates continue to rise, and Airbus aims to reach a production rate of 63 aircraft per month by 2021, which would result in the 10,000th delivery occurring early that year.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Kaminski-Morrow |first1=David |title=A320 family embarks on approach to 10,000 deliveries |url=https://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/a320-family-embarks-on-approach-to-10000-deliveries-460900/ |work=Flightglobal.com |date=17 September 2019 |access-date=17 September 2019 |archive-date=21 September 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190921045532/https://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/a320-family-embarks-on-approach-to-10000-deliveries-460900/ |url-status=live}}</ref> | ||
Due to the [[impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on aviation]], demand for new jets was reduced in 2020 and Airbus cut its monthly production from 60 to 40 A320s.<ref name=Flight27oct2020>{{cite news |url= https://www.flightglobal.com/airframers/more-aircraft-production-rate-cuts-coming-perhaps-analysts-say/140826.article |title= More aircraft production rate cuts coming? Perhaps, analysts say |author= Jon Hemmerdinger |date= 27 October 2020 |work= Flightglobal |access-date= 30 October 2020 |archive-date= 31 October 2020 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20201031233706/https://www.flightglobal.com/airframers/more-aircraft-production-rate-cuts-coming-perhaps-analysts-say/140826.article |url-status= live}}</ref> In October 2020, the 500th A320 built in Tianjin, an A320neo, was delivered to [[China Southern]], twelve years after the final assembly line start in 2008.<ref>{{cite news |url= https://www.flightglobal.com/air-transport/airbus-delivers-500th-china-built-a320-to-china-southern/140881.article |title= Airbus delivers 500th China-built A320 to China Southern |author= Alfred Chua |date= 30 October 2020 |work= Flightglobal |access-date= 30 October 2020 |archive-date= 1 November 2020 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20201101002605/https://www.flightglobal.com/air-transport/airbus-delivers-500th-china-built-a320-to-china-southern/140881.article |url-status= live}}</ref> | Due to the [[impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on aviation]], demand for new jets was reduced in 2020 and Airbus cut its monthly production from 60 to 40 A320s.<ref name=Flight27oct2020>{{cite news |url= https://www.flightglobal.com/airframers/more-aircraft-production-rate-cuts-coming-perhaps-analysts-say/140826.article |title= More aircraft production rate cuts coming? Perhaps, analysts say |author-first1= Jon|author-last1= Hemmerdinger |date= 27 October 2020 |work= Flightglobal |access-date= 30 October 2020 |archive-date= 31 October 2020 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20201031233706/https://www.flightglobal.com/airframers/more-aircraft-production-rate-cuts-coming-perhaps-analysts-say/140826.article |url-status= live}}</ref> In October 2020, the 500th A320 built in Tianjin, an A320neo, was delivered to [[China Southern]], twelve years after the final assembly line start in 2008.<ref>{{cite news |url= https://www.flightglobal.com/air-transport/airbus-delivers-500th-china-built-a320-to-china-southern/140881.article |title= Airbus delivers 500th China-built A320 to China Southern |author-first1= Alfred|author-last1=Chua |date= 30 October 2020 |work= Flightglobal |access-date= 30 October 2020 |archive-date= 1 November 2020 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20201101002605/https://www.flightglobal.com/air-transport/airbus-delivers-500th-china-built-a320-to-china-southern/140881.article |url-status= live}}</ref> | ||
=== A320 Enhanced === | === A320 Enhanced === | ||
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====Sharklets==== | ====Sharklets==== | ||
[[File:Sharklet of F-WWIQ Airbus A320 ILA 2012 05.jpg|thumb|upright=0.7|Wingtip sharklet]] | [[File:Sharklet of F-WWIQ Airbus A320 ILA 2012 05.jpg|thumb|upright=0.7|Wingtip sharklet]] | ||
[[File:A320 Wingtip EasyJet.jpg|thumb|Comparison of wing tip designs on the A320 family. Left: Sharklet wing tip. Right: Wing Fence wingtip. Aircraft pictured are easyJet A320s.]] | [[File:A320 Wingtip EasyJet.jpg|thumb|Comparison of wing tip designs on the A320 family. Left: Sharklet wing tip. Right: Wing Fence wingtip. Aircraft pictured are easyJet A320s.]] | ||
In 2006, Airbus tested three styles of winglets intended to counteract the wing's [[lift-induced drag]] and [[wingtip vortices]] more effectively than the previous [[Wingtip device#Wingtip fence|wingtip fence]]. The first design type to be tested was developed by Airbus and based on work done by the {{abbr|AWIATOR|Aircraft wing advanced technology operations}} programme.<ref>{{cite web|title= Projects and Results : Aircraft wing advanced technology operations|url= http://cordis.europa.eu/project/rcn/64807_en.html|work= CORDIS|publisher= European Commission|date= 13 June 2006|access-date= 16 November 2017|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20171117003654/http://cordis.europa.eu/project/rcn/64807_en.html|archive-date= 17 November 2017|url-status = live}}</ref> The second type of winglet incorporated a more blended design and was designed by Winglet Technology, a company based in [[Wichita, Kansas]], US. Two aircraft were used in the flight test evaluation campaign – the prototype A320, which had been retained by Airbus for testing, and a new build aircraft which was fitted with both types of winglets before it was delivered to [[JetBlue]].{{citation needed|date=June 2018}} | In 2006, Airbus tested three styles of winglets intended to counteract the wing's [[lift-induced drag]] and [[wingtip vortices]] more effectively than the previous [[Wingtip device#Wingtip fence|wingtip fence]]. The first design type to be tested was developed by Airbus and based on work done by the {{abbr|AWIATOR|Aircraft wing advanced technology operations}} programme.<ref>{{cite web|title= Projects and Results : Aircraft wing advanced technology operations|url= http://cordis.europa.eu/project/rcn/64807_en.html|work= CORDIS|publisher= European Commission|date= 13 June 2006|access-date= 16 November 2017|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20171117003654/http://cordis.europa.eu/project/rcn/64807_en.html|archive-date= 17 November 2017|url-status = live}}</ref> The second type of winglet incorporated a more blended design and was designed by Winglet Technology, a company based in [[Wichita, Kansas]], US. Two aircraft were used in the flight test evaluation campaign – the prototype A320, which had been retained by Airbus for testing, and a new build aircraft which was fitted with both types of winglets before it was delivered to [[JetBlue]].{{citation needed|date=June 2018}} | ||
Despite the anticipated efficiency gains and development work, Airbus announced that those winglets would not be offered to customers, claiming that the weight of the modifications required negated any aerodynamic benefits.<ref name="fi_20061010">{{Cite news |author= Max Kingsley-Jones |title= Airbus rethinks plan to put winglets on A320 |work= [[Flight International]] |date= 10 October 2006 |url= http://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/airbus-rethinks-plan-to-put-winglets-on-a320-209738 |access-date= 18 June 2018 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20150217143052/http://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/airbus-rethinks-plan-to-put-winglets-on-a320-209738/ |archive-date= 17 February 2015 |url-status = live}}</ref> On 17 December 2008, Airbus announced it was to begin flight testing an existing blended winglet design developed by [[Aviation Partners Inc.]] as part of an A320 modernisation programme using the A320 prototype.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.airbus.com/newsroom/press-releases/en/2008/12/airbus-undertakes-blended-winglet-evaluation-on-a320.html |title= Airbus undertakes Blended-Winglet evaluation on A320 |publisher= Airbus |date= 17 December 2008 |access-date= 18 June 2018 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20180618203753/http://www.airbus.com/newsroom/press-releases/en/2008/12/airbus-undertakes-blended-winglet-evaluation-on-a320.html |archive-date= 18 June 2018 |url-status = live}}</ref> | Despite the anticipated efficiency gains and development work, Airbus announced that those winglets would not be offered to customers, claiming that the weight of the modifications required negated any aerodynamic benefits.<ref name="fi_20061010">{{Cite news |author-first1= Max |author-last1=Kingsley-Jones |title= Airbus rethinks plan to put winglets on A320 |work= [[Flight International]] |date= 10 October 2006 |url= http://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/airbus-rethinks-plan-to-put-winglets-on-a320-209738 |access-date= 18 June 2018 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20150217143052/http://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/airbus-rethinks-plan-to-put-winglets-on-a320-209738/ |archive-date= 17 February 2015 |url-status = live}}</ref> On 17 December 2008, Airbus announced it was to begin flight testing an existing blended winglet design developed by [[Aviation Partners Inc.]] as part of an A320 modernisation programme using the A320 prototype.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.airbus.com/newsroom/press-releases/en/2008/12/airbus-undertakes-blended-winglet-evaluation-on-a320.html |title= Airbus undertakes Blended-Winglet evaluation on A320 |publisher= Airbus |date= 17 December 2008 |access-date= 18 June 2018 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20180618203753/http://www.airbus.com/newsroom/press-releases/en/2008/12/airbus-undertakes-blended-winglet-evaluation-on-a320.html |archive-date= 18 June 2018 |url-status = live}}</ref> | ||
Airbus launched the [[Wingtip device#Blended winglets|''sharklet'' blended winglets]] during the November 2009 [[Dubai Airshow]]. Installation adds {{cvt|200|kg|lb}} but offers a 3.5% [[fuel economy in aircraft|fuel burn]] reduction on flights over {{cvt|2,800|km|nmi mi}},<ref>{{cite news |url= https://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/dubai-09-a320s-sharklets-to-deliver-35-lower-fuel-burn-from-2012-334945/ |title= Dubai 09: A320s sharklets to deliver 3.5% lower fuel burn from 2012 |author= Max Kingsley-Jones |date= 15 November 2009 |work= Flight International |access-date= 18 June 2018 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20180618175417/https://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/dubai-09-a320s-sharklets-to-deliver-35-lower-fuel-burn-from-2012-334945/ |archive-date= 18 June 2018 |url-status = live}}</ref> saving approximately US$220,000 and 700 t of [[Carbon dioxide|CO<sub>2</sub>]] per aircraft per year.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://uk.reuters.com/article/btscenes-us-airbus-wingtip-idUKTRE5AE0VD20091115 |title=Airbus says wingtip change to save fuel |date=15 November 2009 |work=Reuters |author=John Irish |access-date=22 February 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120619143047/http://uk.reuters.com/article/2009/11/15/btscenes-us-airbus-wingtip-idUKTRE5AE0VD20091115 |archive-date=19 June 2012 |url-status = dead}}</ref> The {{convert|2.5|m|ftin}} tall wingtip devices are manufactured by [[Korean Air]] Aerospace Division.<ref>{{cite press release |url= http://www.airbus.com/presscentre/pressreleases/press-release-detail/detail/korean-air-aerospace-to-manufacture-new-a320-family-sharklets/ |title= Korean Air Aerospace to manufacture and distribute Sharklets |publisher= Airbus |date= 31 May 2010 |access-date= 18 February 2013 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20130515173556/http://www.airbus.com/presscentre/pressreleases/press-release-detail/detail/korean-air-aerospace-to-manufacture-new-a320-family-sharklets/ |archive-date= 15 May 2013 |url-status = dead}}</ref> | Airbus launched the [[Wingtip device#Blended winglets|''sharklet'' blended winglets]] during the November 2009 [[Dubai Airshow]]. Installation adds {{cvt|200|kg|lb}} but offers a 3.5% [[fuel economy in aircraft|fuel burn]] reduction on flights over {{cvt|2,800|km|nmi mi}},<ref>{{cite news |url= https://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/dubai-09-a320s-sharklets-to-deliver-35-lower-fuel-burn-from-2012-334945/ |title= Dubai 09: A320s sharklets to deliver 3.5% lower fuel burn from 2012 |author-first1= Max|author-last1=Kingsley-Jones |date= 15 November 2009 |work= Flight International |access-date= 18 June 2018 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20180618175417/https://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/dubai-09-a320s-sharklets-to-deliver-35-lower-fuel-burn-from-2012-334945/ |archive-date= 18 June 2018 |url-status = live}}</ref> saving approximately US$220,000 and 700 t of [[Carbon dioxide|CO<sub>2</sub>]] per aircraft per year.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://uk.reuters.com/article/btscenes-us-airbus-wingtip-idUKTRE5AE0VD20091115 |title=Airbus says wingtip change to save fuel |date=15 November 2009 |work=Reuters |author-first1=John |author-last1=Irish |access-date=22 February 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120619143047/http://uk.reuters.com/article/2009/11/15/btscenes-us-airbus-wingtip-idUKTRE5AE0VD20091115 |archive-date=19 June 2012 |url-status = dead}}</ref> The {{convert|2.5|m|ftin}} tall wingtip devices are manufactured by [[Korean Air]] Aerospace Division.<ref>{{cite press release |url= http://www.airbus.com/presscentre/pressreleases/press-release-detail/detail/korean-air-aerospace-to-manufacture-new-a320-family-sharklets/ |title= Korean Air Aerospace to manufacture and distribute Sharklets |publisher= Airbus |date= 31 May 2010 |access-date= 18 February 2013 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20130515173556/http://www.airbus.com/presscentre/pressreleases/press-release-detail/detail/korean-air-aerospace-to-manufacture-new-a320-family-sharklets/ |archive-date= 15 May 2013 |url-status = dead}}</ref> | ||
In December 2011, Airbus filed suit in the [[United States District Court for the Western District of Texas|western district of Texas]] over [[Aviation Partners]]' claims of infringement of its [[patent]]s on winglet design and construction which were granted in 1993. Airbus' lawsuit | In December 2011, Airbus filed suit in the [[United States District Court for the Western District of Texas|western district of Texas]] over [[Aviation Partners]]' claims of infringement of its [[patent]]s on winglet design and construction which were granted in 1993. Airbus' lawsuit sought to reject responsibility to pay [[royalties]] to Aviation Partners for using its designs, despite work performed together with both parties to develop advanced winglets for the Airbus A320neo.<ref>{{Cite news |url= https://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/airbus-lawsuit-details-sharklet-patent-dispute-365996/ |work= Flightglobal |last= Kaminski-Morrow |first= David |date= 14 December 2011 |title= Airbus lawsuit details sharklet patent abuse |access-date= 18 June 2018 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20180618175808/https://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/airbus-lawsuit-details-sharklet-patent-dispute-365996/ |archive-date= 18 June 2018 |url-status = live}}</ref> The lawsuit was confidentially settled in 2018, with the result that Airbus paid a large but undisclosed settlement.<ref>{{cite news |last1=McIntosh |first1=Andrew |title=Airbus settles Sharklet fight with Seattle's Aviation Partners, sources say |url=https://www.bizjournals.com/seattle/news/2018/05/23/airbus-aviation-partners-sharklet-wingtip-dispute.html |website=bizjournals.com |publisher=Puget Sound Business Journal |date=23 May 2018|access-date=29 November 2025}}</ref> | ||
The first sharklet-equipped Airbus A320 was delivered to [[Indonesia AirAsia]] on 21 December 2012, offering a {{cvt|450|kg|lb}} payload and {{cvt|100|nmi}} range increases over the original aircraft specifications.<ref>{{cite press release |url= http://www.airbus.com/presscentre/pressreleases/press-release-detail/detail/airasia-becomes-first-operator-of-airbus-sharklet-equipped-a320/ |title= AirAsia becomes first operator of Airbus' Sharklet equipped A320 |date= 21 December 2012 |publisher= Airbus |access-date= 18 June 2018 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20170301053958/http://www.airbus.com/presscentre/pressreleases/press-release-detail/detail/airasia-becomes-first-operator-of-airbus-sharklet-equipped-a320/ |archive-date= 1 March 2017 |url-status = live}}</ref> | The first sharklet-equipped Airbus A320 was delivered to [[Indonesia AirAsia]] on 21 December 2012, offering a {{cvt|450|kg|lb}} payload and {{cvt|100|nmi}} range increases over the original aircraft specifications.<ref>{{cite press release |url= http://www.airbus.com/presscentre/pressreleases/press-release-detail/detail/airasia-becomes-first-operator-of-airbus-sharklet-equipped-a320/ |title= AirAsia becomes first operator of Airbus' Sharklet equipped A320 |date= 21 December 2012 |publisher= Airbus |access-date= 18 June 2018 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20170301053958/http://www.airbus.com/presscentre/pressreleases/press-release-detail/detail/airasia-becomes-first-operator-of-airbus-sharklet-equipped-a320/ |archive-date= 1 March 2017 |url-status = live}}</ref> | ||
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[[File:Airbus A320neo landing 07.jpg|thumb|Airbus A320neo with larger engines and sharklets]] | [[File:Airbus A320neo landing 07.jpg|thumb|Airbus A320neo with larger engines and sharklets]] | ||
The A320neo (''neo'' for ''new engine option'') is an incremental development launched on 1 December 2010, making its [[first flight]] on 25 September 2014 and introduced by [[Lufthansa]] on 25 January 2016. <!--Design-->[[Re-engine]]d with [[CFM International LEAP]]-1A or [[Pratt & Whitney PW1000G]] engines and with large sharklets, it was designed to be 15% more fuel efficient. <!--Variants-->Its three variants are based on the previous A319, A320 and A321. <!--orders-->Airbus received 6,031 orders by March 2018 and delivered 318 by May 2018. <!--ceo-->The original family was renamed A320ceo, for ''current engine option''. As of July 2024, [[IndiGo]] has 173 Airbus A320neos under service, making it the largest operator of this type of aircraft. | The A320neo (''neo'' for ''new engine option'') is an incremental development launched on 1 December 2010, making its [[first flight]] on 25 September 2014 and introduced by [[Lufthansa]] on 25 January 2016. <!--Design-->[[Re-engine]]d with [[CFM International LEAP]]-1A or [[Pratt & Whitney PW1000G]] engines and with large sharklets, it was designed to be 15% more fuel efficient. <!--Variants-->Its three variants are based on the previous A319, A320 and A321. <!--orders-->Airbus received 6,031 orders by March 2018 and delivered 318 by May 2018. <!--ceo-->The original family was renamed A320ceo, for ''current engine option''. As of July 2024, [[IndiGo]] has 173 Airbus A320neos under service, making it the largest operator of this type of aircraft. | ||
=== Replacement airliner === | === Replacement airliner === | ||
In 2006, Airbus was studying a future replacement for the A320 series, tentatively dubbed as ''NSR'' or "New Short-Range aircraft".<ref>{{Cite news |last= Norris |first= Guy |title= The 737 Story: Smoke and mirrors obscure 737 and Airbus A320 replacement studies |work= [[Flight International]] |date= 7 February 2006 |url= https://www.flightglobal.com/the-737-story-smoke-and-mirrors-obscure-737-and-airbus-a320-replacement-studies/65317.article}}</ref> The follow-on aircraft to replace the A320 was to be named ''A30X''. In 2007, Airbus North America President Barry Eccleston stated that the earliest the aircraft could have been available was 2017.<ref>{{cite magazine |url= https://aviationweek.com/a30x-isnt-coming-soon |title= A30X Isn't Coming Soon |magazine= [[Aviation Week and Space Technology]] |date= 5 November 2007 |volume= 167 |issue= 18 |page= 20 |url-access=registration }}</ref> In January 2010, [[John Leahy (executive)|John Leahy]], Airbus's chief operating officer-customers, stated that an all-new single-aisle aircraft was unlikely to be constructed before 2024 or 2025.<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.flightglobal.com/airbus-sees-lifespan-of-at-least-10-years-for-re-engined-a320/91405.article |title= Airbus sees lifespan of at least 10 years for re-engined A320 |work= Flight International |date= 14 January 2010 |author= Max Kingsley-Jones }}</ref> | In 2006, Airbus was studying a future replacement for the A320 series, tentatively dubbed as ''NSR'' or "New Short-Range aircraft".<ref>{{Cite news |last= Norris |first= Guy |title= The 737 Story: Smoke and mirrors obscure 737 and Airbus A320 replacement studies |work= [[Flight International]] |date= 7 February 2006 |url= https://www.flightglobal.com/the-737-story-smoke-and-mirrors-obscure-737-and-airbus-a320-replacement-studies/65317.article}}</ref> The follow-on aircraft to replace the A320 was to be named ''A30X''. In 2007, Airbus North America President Barry Eccleston stated that the earliest the aircraft could have been available was 2017.<ref>{{cite magazine |url= https://aviationweek.com/a30x-isnt-coming-soon |title= A30X Isn't Coming Soon |magazine= [[Aviation Week and Space Technology]] |date= 5 November 2007 |volume= 167 |issue= 18 |page= 20 |url-access=registration }}</ref> In January 2010, [[John Leahy (executive)|John Leahy]], Airbus's chief operating officer-customers, stated that an all-new single-aisle aircraft was unlikely to be constructed before 2024 or 2025.<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.flightglobal.com/airbus-sees-lifespan-of-at-least-10-years-for-re-engined-a320/91405.article |title= Airbus sees lifespan of at least 10 years for re-engined A320 |work= Flight International |date= 14 January 2010 |author-first1= Max |author-last1=Kingsley-Jones }}</ref> | ||
== Design == | == Design == | ||
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The Airbus A320 family are [[narrow-body aircraft]] with a retractable tricycle [[landing gear]] and powered by two wing pylon-mounted [[turbofan engine]]s. After the [[1970s energy crisis|oil price rises of the 1970s]], Airbus needed to minimise the trip fuel costs of the A320. To that end, it adopted [[Composite material|composite]] primary structures for the [[empennage]] with a [[conventional tail]] configuration, [[Center of mass|centre-of-gravity]] control using fuel, a [[glass cockpit]] with [[side-stick]] controllers and a two-crew flight deck. | The Airbus A320 family are [[narrow-body aircraft]] with a retractable tricycle [[landing gear]] and powered by two wing pylon-mounted [[turbofan engine]]s. After the [[1970s energy crisis|oil price rises of the 1970s]], Airbus needed to minimise the trip fuel costs of the A320. To that end, it adopted [[Composite material|composite]] primary structures for the [[empennage]] with a [[conventional tail]] configuration, [[Center of mass|centre-of-gravity]] control using fuel, a [[glass cockpit]] with [[side-stick]] controllers and a two-crew flight deck. | ||
Airbus claimed the 737-300 burns 35% more fuel and has a 16% higher operating cost per seat than the [[V2500]]-powered A320.<ref>{{cite magazine |url= https://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1986/1986%20-%202148.html |title= A320: fly-by-wire airliner |author= Graham Warwick |date= 30 August 1986 |magazine= Flight International}}</ref> A 150-seat A320 burns {{cvt|11,608|kg|lb}} of [[Aviation fuel|jet fuel]] over {{cvt|2,151|nmi}} (between Los Angeles and New York City), or {{cvt|2.43|L/100 km|mpgus}} per seat with a 0.8 kg/L fuel.<ref name=SEI200805>{{cite news |url= http://terrapass.com/images/blogposts/Air_Travel_Emissions_Paper.pdf |title= Carbon Offset Calculators for Air Travel |author1= Anja Kollmuss |author2=Jessica Lane |publisher= Stockholm Environment Institute |date= May 2008 |access-date= 26 November 2018 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20101231170424/http://www.terrapass.com/images/blogposts/Air_Travel_Emissions_Paper.pdf |archive-date= 31 December 2010 |url-status = dead}}</ref> Its wing is long and thin, offering better aerodynamic efficiency because of the higher [[Aspect ratio (wing)|aspect ratio]] than the competing 737 and MD-80.<!--it also feature what Airbus calls "[[wingtip fences]]".--> | Airbus claimed the 737-300 burns 35% more fuel and has a 16% higher operating cost per seat than the [[V2500]]-powered A320.<ref>{{cite magazine |url= https://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1986/1986%20-%202148.html |title= A320: fly-by-wire airliner |author-first1= Graham |author-last1=Warwick |date= 30 August 1986 |magazine= Flight International}}</ref> A 150-seat A320 burns {{cvt|11,608|kg|lb}} of [[Aviation fuel|jet fuel]] over {{cvt|2,151|nmi}} (between Los Angeles and New York City), or {{cvt|2.43|L/100 km|mpgus}} per seat with a 0.8 kg/L fuel.<ref name=SEI200805>{{cite news |url= http://terrapass.com/images/blogposts/Air_Travel_Emissions_Paper.pdf |title= Carbon Offset Calculators for Air Travel |author1= Anja Kollmuss |author2=Jessica Lane |publisher= Stockholm Environment Institute |date= May 2008 |access-date= 26 November 2018 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20101231170424/http://www.terrapass.com/images/blogposts/Air_Travel_Emissions_Paper.pdf |archive-date= 31 December 2010 |url-status = dead}}</ref> Its wing is long and thin, offering better aerodynamic efficiency because of the higher [[Aspect ratio (wing)|aspect ratio]] than the competing 737 and MD-80.<!--it also feature what Airbus calls "[[wingtip fences]]".--> | ||
=== Airframe === | === Airframe === | ||
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The A320 flight deck features a full glass cockpit, rather than the hybrid versions found in previous airliners. It is also equipped with an [[Electronic Flight Instrument System]] (EFIS) with side-stick controllers. The A320 has an [[Electronic Centralised Aircraft Monitor]] (ECAM) to give the flight crew information about all of the systems on the aircraft. The only analogue instruments were the [[Radio direction finder#Radio-magnetic indicator (RMI)|radio-magnetic indicator]] and brake pressure indicator. | The A320 flight deck features a full glass cockpit, rather than the hybrid versions found in previous airliners. It is also equipped with an [[Electronic Flight Instrument System]] (EFIS) with side-stick controllers. The A320 has an [[Electronic Centralised Aircraft Monitor]] (ECAM) to give the flight crew information about all of the systems on the aircraft. The only analogue instruments were the [[Radio direction finder#Radio-magnetic indicator (RMI)|radio-magnetic indicator]] and brake pressure indicator. | ||
Since 2003, the A320 has featured [[liquid crystal display]] (LCD) units on the flight deck instead of the original [[cathode-ray tube]] (CRT) displays. These include both main displays and the backup [[artificial horizon]], which also previously had an analogue display.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.aviationtoday.com/2003/01/01/product-focus-cockpit-displays-lcds-vs-crts/ |title=Product Focus: Cockpit Displays: LCDs vs. CRTs |author=Charlotte Adams |date=1 January 2003 |work=Avionics magazine |access-date=19 March 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170319113624/http://www.aviationtoday.com/2003/01/01/product-focus-cockpit-displays-lcds-vs-crts/ |archive-date=19 March 2017 |url-status = live}}</ref> | Since 2003, the A320 has featured [[liquid crystal display]] (LCD) units on the flight deck instead of the original [[cathode-ray tube]] (CRT) displays. These include both main displays and the backup [[artificial horizon]], which also previously had an analogue display.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.aviationtoday.com/2003/01/01/product-focus-cockpit-displays-lcds-vs-crts/ |title=Product Focus: Cockpit Displays: LCDs vs. CRTs |author-first1=Charlotte|author-last1=Adams |date=1 January 2003 |work=Avionics magazine |access-date=19 March 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170319113624/http://www.aviationtoday.com/2003/01/01/product-focus-cockpit-displays-lcds-vs-crts/ |archive-date=19 March 2017 |url-status = live}}</ref> | ||
Airbus offers an avionics upgrade for older A320 aircraft, the In-Service Enhancement Package, to keep them updated.<ref>{{cite press release |url= http://www.airbus.com/presscentre/pressreleases/press-release-detail/detail/airbus-launches-a-new-systems-enhancement-package-for-in-service-a320-family-aircraft/ |title= Airbus launches a new systems Enhancement Package for In-Service A320 Family aircraft |date= 24 September 2007 |publisher= Airbus |access-date= 22 March 2017 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20170322203405/http://www.airbus.com/presscentre/pressreleases/press-release-detail/detail/airbus-launches-a-new-systems-enhancement-package-for-in-service-a320-family-aircraft/ |archive-date= 22 March 2017 |url-status = live}}</ref> Digital [[head-up display]]s are also available.<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.thalesgroup.com/sites/default/files/asset/document/fiche_D-Huds_A4%20qxd_VF.pdf |title= Digital head-up display system |publisher= Thales |date= 2012 |access-date= 22 March 2017 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20170322203045/https://www.thalesgroup.com/sites/default/files/asset/document/fiche_D-Huds_A4%20qxd_VF.pdf |archive-date= 22 March 2017 |url-status = dead|df= dmy-all}}</ref> | Airbus offers an avionics upgrade for older A320 aircraft, the In-Service Enhancement Package, to keep them updated.<ref>{{cite press release |url= http://www.airbus.com/presscentre/pressreleases/press-release-detail/detail/airbus-launches-a-new-systems-enhancement-package-for-in-service-a320-family-aircraft/ |title= Airbus launches a new systems Enhancement Package for In-Service A320 Family aircraft |date= 24 September 2007 |publisher= Airbus |access-date= 22 March 2017 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20170322203405/http://www.airbus.com/presscentre/pressreleases/press-release-detail/detail/airbus-launches-a-new-systems-enhancement-package-for-in-service-a320-family-aircraft/ |archive-date= 22 March 2017 |url-status = live}}</ref> Digital [[head-up display]]s are also available.<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.thalesgroup.com/sites/default/files/asset/document/fiche_D-Huds_A4%20qxd_VF.pdf |title= Digital head-up display system |publisher= Thales |date= 2012 |access-date= 22 March 2017 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20170322203045/https://www.thalesgroup.com/sites/default/files/asset/document/fiche_D-Huds_A4%20qxd_VF.pdf |archive-date= 22 March 2017 |url-status = dead|df= dmy-all}}</ref> | ||
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=== Fly-by-wire === | === Fly-by-wire === | ||
The A320 is the world's first airliner with digital [[fly-by-wire]] (FBW) [[flight control system]]: input commands through the [[side-stick]] are interpreted by flight control computers and transmitted to [[flight control surface]]s within the [[flight envelope protection]]; in the 1980s the computer-controlled dynamic system of the [[Dassault Mirage 2000]] fighter cross-fertilised the Airbus team which tested FBW on an [[A300]].<ref name=FG170220>{{cite news |url= https://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/analysis-how-a320-changed-the-world-for-commercial-433809/ |title= How A320 changed the world for commercial pilots |date= 20 February 2017 |work= Flight International |author= David Learmount |access-date= 20 February 2017 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20170221110216/https://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/analysis-how-a320-changed-the-world-for-commercial-433809/ |archive-date= 21 February 2017 |url-status = live}}</ref> At its introduction, fly-by-wire and flight envelope protection was a new experience for many pilots. | The A320 is the world's first airliner with digital [[fly-by-wire]] (FBW) [[flight control system]]: input commands through the [[side-stick]] are interpreted by flight control computers and transmitted to [[flight control surface]]s within the [[flight envelope protection]]; in the 1980s the computer-controlled dynamic system of the [[Dassault Mirage 2000]] fighter cross-fertilised the Airbus team which tested FBW on an [[A300]].<ref name=FG170220>{{cite news |url= https://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/analysis-how-a320-changed-the-world-for-commercial-433809/ |title= How A320 changed the world for commercial pilots |date= 20 February 2017 |work= Flight International |author-first1= David|author-last1=Learmount |access-date= 20 February 2017 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20170221110216/https://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/analysis-how-a320-changed-the-world-for-commercial-433809/ |archive-date= 21 February 2017 |url-status = live}}</ref> At its introduction, fly-by-wire and flight envelope protection was a new experience for many pilots. | ||
All following Airbuses have similar human/machine interface and systems control philosophy to facilitate cross-type qualification with minimal training. For [[Roger Béteille]], then Airbus president, introducing fly-by-wire with flight envelope protection was one of the most difficult decisions he had ever made, explaining: "Either we were going to be first with new technologies or we could not expect to be in the market."<ref name=FG170220/> | All following Airbuses have similar human/machine interface and systems control philosophy to facilitate cross-type qualification with minimal training. For [[Roger Béteille]], then Airbus president, introducing fly-by-wire with flight envelope protection was one of the most difficult decisions he had ever made, explaining: "Either we were going to be first with new technologies or we could not expect to be in the market."<ref name=FG170220/> | ||
Early A320s used the [[Intel 80186]] and [[Motorola 68010]].<ref>{{cite book |at= 4.2 "Failure detection and redundancy" |author= Dominique Brière | Early A320s used the [[Intel 80186]] and [[Motorola 68010]].<ref>{{cite book |at= 4.2 "Failure detection and redundancy" |author-first1= Dominique |author-last1=Brière|author-first2=Pascal|author-last2=Traverse{{dash}}Aérospatiale |title= FTCS-23 the Twenty-Third International Symposium on Fault-Tolerant Computing |chapter= AIRBUS A320/A330/A340 electrical flight controls{{dash}}A family of fault-tolerant systems |date= 22–24 June 1993 |chapter-url= http://personales.upv.es/juaruiga/teaching/TFC/Material/Trabajos/AIRBUS.PDF |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20090327095042/http://personales.upv.es/juaruiga/teaching/TFC/Material/Trabajos/AIRBUS.PDF |url-status = dead|archive-date= 27 March 2009 |publisher= IEEE |doi= 10.1109/FTCS.1993.627364|isbn= 0-8186-3680-7 |s2cid= 7605243}}</ref> In 1988, the flight management computer contained six [[Intel 80286]] CPUs, running in three logical pairs, with 2.5 megabytes of memory.<ref>{{cite news |author-first1= Gilbert |author-last1=Sedbon |url= http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1988/1988%20-%200368.html |title= Keeping the Complex Simple |work= Flight International |date= 13 February 1988 |page= 44 |access-date= 5 November 2009 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20120520183434/http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1988/1988%20-%200368.html |archive-date= 20 May 2012 |url-status = live}}</ref> | ||
=== Engines === | === Engines === | ||
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The [[Joint Aviation Authorities]] (JAA) issued the [[type certificate]] for the A320 on 26 February 1988. After entering the market on 18 April 1988 with Air France, 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.<ref>[[Aviation Week & Space Technology]], 29 October 2007, p. 63</ref> | The [[Joint Aviation Authorities]] (JAA) issued the [[type certificate]] for the A320 on 26 February 1988. After entering the market on 18 April 1988 with Air France, 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.<ref>[[Aviation Week & Space Technology]], 29 October 2007, p. 63</ref> | ||
{{as of|2024|3}}, the global A320 fleet had 99.7 percent operational reliability in the last 12 months and completed more than 176 million flights over 328 million block hours since its entry into service.<ref name="A320_2022file">{{cite news |orig-date=31 | {{as of|2024|3}}, the global A320 fleet had 99.7 percent operational reliability in the last 12 months and completed more than 176 million flights over 328 million block hours since its entry into service.<ref name="A320_2022file">{{cite news |orig-date=31 October 2025 |title=A320 FAMILY: the most successful aircraft family ever |url=https://www.airbus.com/sites/g/files/jlcbta136/files/2025-11/Airbus-A320-Family-Facts-and-Figures-November-2025.pdf |publisher=Airbus}}</ref> | ||
{{Anchor|2025 software update}} | |||
After an incident where [[JetBlue#Accidents and incidents|JetBlue Flight 1230]] experienced a rapid descent when solar radiation inadvertently corrupted flight data on 30 October 2025, Airbus and EASA issued a mandatory safety notice at the end of November for over 6,000 aircraft, over half of the family's fleet. Most only required a patch reverting the flight control software for the aircraft's elevators that could be completed in three hours, while about 900 with older software needed a replacement of onboard hardware.<ref>{{cite web|access-date=2025-12-06|title=Flights disrupted after Airbus discovers intense sun radiation could impact flight control data|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c8e9d13x2z7o|date=29 November 2025|website=www.bbc.com}}</ref><ref name=GuardianNov28>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/business/2025/nov/28/airbus-issues-major-a320-recall-after-recent-mid-air-incident|archive-url=|title=Airbus issues major A320 recall after recent mid-air incident|date=28 November 2025|work=[[The Guardian]]|accessdate=28 November 2025|archivedate=}}</ref> The impact on airline operations was relatively minor; although there were some delays, most airlines were able to complete the change within three days.<ref>{{cite news|first1=Joanna|last1=Partridge|access-date=2025-12-06|title=Airbus cuts plane delivery target amid A320 fuselage problem|url=https://www.theguardian.com/business/2025/dec/03/airbus-cuts-plane-delivery-target-amid-a320-fuselage-problem|newspaper=The Guardian|date=3 December 2025|issn=0261-3077|via=The Guardian}}</ref> [[Avianca]] notably suffered bigger impacts as it had upgraded 92% of its aircraft to the software version that it had to roll back from, resulting in the airline closing ticket sales until 8 December.<ref>{{cite web|access-date=2025-12-06|title=Avianca still working through software ‘downgrades’ on two dozen A320-family jets|url=https://www.flightglobal.com/avianca-still-working-through-software-downgrades-on-two-dozen-a320-family-jets/165554.article|website=Flight Global}}</ref> The update has been cited as a contributing factor to the major [[2025 IndiGo disruption]].<ref>{{cite news|access-date=2025-12-06|title=India caps airfares as IndiGo crisis leaves hundreds stranded for fifth day|url=https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/india-air-travel-chaos-eases-indigo-crisis-still-leaves-hundreds-stranded-2025-12-06/|newspaper=Reuters}}</ref> | |||
===Competition=== | ===Competition=== | ||
{{See also|Competition between Airbus and Boeing#Single aisles: A320 vs 737}} | {{See also|Competition between Airbus and Boeing#Single aisles: A320 vs 737}} | ||
[[File:UnitedandVA 32315 (16735062459).jpg|thumb|The main competition of the A320 family (background) is the [[Boeing 737 Next Generation]] (foreground).]] | [[File:UnitedandVA 32315 (16735062459).jpg|thumb|The main competition of the A320 family (background) is the [[Boeing 737 Next Generation]] (foreground).]] | ||
[[File:737 vs a320 family deliveries per model 1967-2018.png|thumb|737 vs A320 family deliveries per model 1967–2018]] | |||
The A320 family was developed to compete with 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 Generation]] (-600/-700/-800/-900) and the [[Boeing 717|717]] during its two decades in service. As of 2010, the A320 family also faced competition from [[Embraer]]'s [[Embraer E-Jets|E-195]] (to the A318) and the CSeries being developed by [[Bombardier Aerospace|Bombardier]]<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/14/business/worldbusiness/14air.html|title=A New Bombardier Jet Draws Only Tepid Demand|work=The New York Times|date=14 July 2008|access-date=4 April 2010|first=Micheline|last=Maynard|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110619122224/http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/14/business/worldbusiness/14air.html|archive-date=19 June 2011|url-status = live}}</ref> ( | The A320 family was developed to compete with 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 Generation]] (-600/-700/-800/-900) and the [[Boeing 717|717]] during its two decades in service. As of 2010, the A320 family also faced competition from [[Embraer]]'s [[Embraer E-Jets|E-195]] (to the A318) and the CSeries being developed by [[Bombardier Aerospace|Bombardier]]<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/14/business/worldbusiness/14air.html|title=A New Bombardier Jet Draws Only Tepid Demand|work=The New York Times|date=14 July 2008|access-date=4 April 2010|first=Micheline|last=Maynard|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110619122224/http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/14/business/worldbusiness/14air.html|archive-date=19 June 2011|url-status = live}}</ref> (later [[Airbus A220]]) to the A318/A319. | ||
Airbus has delivered 8,605 A320 family aircraft since their certification/first delivery in early 1988, with another 6,056 on firm order (as of 31 December 2018).<ref name="Airbus_O_D_local"/> In comparison, Boeing has shipped 10,444 737-series aircraft since late 1967, including 8,918<ref name="Historic Boeing 1988-2018">{{cite web |title=Boeing Orders & Deliveries |url=http://www.boeing.com/commercial/#/orders-deliveries |website=Boeing.com |publisher=Boeing Press Calculations |date=31 August 2020 |access-date=11 October 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110831144553/http://www.boeing.com/commercial/#/orders-deliveries |archive-date=31 August 2011 |url-status = live}}</ref> since March 1988,<ref name=Boeing_O-D/> and has a further 4,763 on firm order (as of 31 December 2018).<ref name=Boeing_O-D/> | Airbus has delivered 8,605 A320 family aircraft since their certification/first delivery in early 1988, with another 6,056 on firm order (as of 31 December 2018).<ref name="Airbus_O_D_local"/> In comparison, Boeing has shipped 10,444 737-series aircraft since late 1967, including 8,918<ref name="Historic Boeing 1988-2018">{{cite web |title=Boeing Orders & Deliveries |url=http://www.boeing.com/commercial/#/orders-deliveries |website=Boeing.com |publisher=Boeing Press Calculations |date=31 August 2020 |access-date=11 October 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110831144553/http://www.boeing.com/commercial/#/orders-deliveries |archive-date=31 August 2011 |url-status = live}}</ref> since March 1988,<ref name=Boeing_O-D/> and has a further 4,763 on firm order (as of 31 December 2018).<ref name=Boeing_O-D/> | ||
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Airbus sold the A320 well to low-cost startups and offering a choice of engines could make them more attractive to airlines and lessors than the single-sourced 737, but CFM engines are extremely reliable.<!--<ref name=MRO29aug2018>--> | Airbus sold the A320 well to low-cost startups and offering a choice of engines could make them more attractive to airlines and lessors than the single-sourced 737, but CFM engines are extremely reliable.<!--<ref name=MRO29aug2018>--> | ||
The six-month head start of the A320neo allowed Airbus to rack up 1,000 orders before Boeing announced the MAX.<!--<ref name=MRO29aug2018>--> | The six-month head start of the A320neo allowed Airbus to rack up 1,000 orders before Boeing announced the MAX.<!--<ref name=MRO29aug2018>--> | ||
The A321 has outsold the 737-900 three to one, as the A321neo is again dominating the 737-9 MAX, to be joined by the 737-10 MAX.<ref name=MRO29aug2018>{{cite news |url= http://aviationweek.com/asset-utilization/how-a320-overtook-737-and-mro-implications |title= How The A320 Overtook The 737, And MRO Implications |date= 29 August 2018 |author= Alex Derber |work= Aviation Week Network |access-date= 4 September 2018 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20180907044152/http://aviationweek.com/asset-utilization/how-a320-overtook-737-and-mro-implications |archive-date= 7 September 2018 |url-status = live}}</ref | The A321 has outsold the 737-900 three to one, as the A321neo is again dominating the 737-9 MAX, to be joined by the 737-10 MAX.<ref name=MRO29aug2018>{{cite news |url= http://aviationweek.com/asset-utilization/how-a320-overtook-737-and-mro-implications |title= How The A320 Overtook The 737, And MRO Implications |date= 29 August 2018 |author-first1= Alex |author-last1=Derber |work= Aviation Week Network |access-date= 4 September 2018 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20180907044152/http://aviationweek.com/asset-utilization/how-a320-overtook-737-and-mro-implications |archive-date= 7 September 2018 |url-status = live}}</ref> | ||
===Maintenance=== | ===Maintenance=== | ||
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The A319 is {{cvt|3.73|m|ftin|0}} shorter than the A320.<ref name="A320 specifications"/><ref name="Meeting demand"/><ref name="A319 specifications"/> Also known as the A320M-7, it is a shortened, minimum-change version of the A320 with four frames fore of the wing and three frames aft of the wing removed. With a similar fuel capacity as the A320-200 and fewer passengers, the range with 124 passengers in a two-class configuration extends to {{cvt|6,650|km|nmi}}, or {{cvt|6,850|km|nmi}} with the "Sharklets".<ref name="A319 specifications"/> Four propulsion options available on the A319 are the {{cvt|23040-24800|lbf|kN|adj=on}} IAE V2500, or the {{cvt|22000-27000|lbf|kN|adj=on}} CFM56.<ref name="Gunston"/> Although identical to those of the A320, these engines are derated because of the A319's lower MTOW. | The A319 is {{cvt|3.73|m|ftin|0}} shorter than the A320.<ref name="A320 specifications"/><ref name="Meeting demand"/><ref name="A319 specifications"/> Also known as the A320M-7, it is a shortened, minimum-change version of the A320 with four frames fore of the wing and three frames aft of the wing removed. With a similar fuel capacity as the A320-200 and fewer passengers, the range with 124 passengers in a two-class configuration extends to {{cvt|6,650|km|nmi}}, or {{cvt|6,850|km|nmi}} with the "Sharklets".<ref name="A319 specifications"/> Four propulsion options available on the A319 are the {{cvt|23040-24800|lbf|kN|adj=on}} IAE V2500, or the {{cvt|22000-27000|lbf|kN|adj=on}} CFM56.<ref name="Gunston"/> Although identical to those of the A320, these engines are derated because of the A319's lower MTOW. | ||
The A319 was developed at the request of [[ILFC]].<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/10/business/10flyboy.html?pagewanted=2&_r=1 |title=The Real Owner of All Those Planes |access-date=4 March 2011 |author=Wayne | The A319 was developed at the request of [[ILFC]].<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/10/business/10flyboy.html?pagewanted=2&_r=1 |title=The Real Owner of All Those Planes |access-date=4 March 2011 |author-last1=Wayne|author-first1= Leslie |date=10 May 2007 |work=[[The New York Times]] |page=2 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130515194731/http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/10/business/10flyboy.html?pagewanted=2&_r=1 |archive-date=15 May 2013 |url-status = live}}</ref> The A319's launch customer, in fact, was ILFC, which had placed an order for six A319s by 1993.<ref name=NorrisWagner1999/> Anticipating further orders by Swissair and Alitalia, Airbus decided to launch the programme on 10 June 1993. Final assembly of the first A319 began on 23 March 1995<ref name=Eden/> and it was first introduced with Swissair in April 1996. The direct [[Boeing]] competitor is the [[Boeing 737-700]]. | ||
A total of 1,460 of the A319ceo model have been delivered with 24 remaining on order as of 30 September 2017.<ref name="Airbus_O_D_local"/> A 1998 A319 was $35 million new; the value was halved by 2009, and reached scrap levels by 2019.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.aircraftvaluenews.com/values-of-a319-continue-to-taper-down/ |title=Values of A319 Continue to Taper Down |author=Aircraft Value News |date=21 January 2019 |access-date=21 January 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190122043925/http://www.aircraftvaluenews.com/values-of-a319-continue-to-taper-down/ |archive-date=22 January 2019 |url-status=live}}</ref> | A total of 1,460 of the A319ceo model have been delivered with 24 remaining on order as of 30 September 2017.<ref name="Airbus_O_D_local"/> A 1998 A319 was $35 million new; the value was halved by 2009, and reached scrap levels by 2019.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.aircraftvaluenews.com/values-of-a319-continue-to-taper-down/ |title=Values of A319 Continue to Taper Down |author=Aircraft Value News |date=21 January 2019 |access-date=21 January 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190122043925/http://www.aircraftvaluenews.com/values-of-a319-continue-to-taper-down/ |archive-date=22 January 2019 |url-status=live}}</ref> | ||
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[[File:Express Freighters Australia VH-ULY Airbus A321-231(P2F) Melbourne International Airport (MEL YMML) (51814068661).jpg|alt=Airbus A321P2F of Express Freighters Australia|thumb|Airbus A321P2F of Australia Post]] | [[File:Express Freighters Australia VH-ULY Airbus A321-231(P2F) Melbourne International Airport (MEL YMML) (51814068661).jpg|alt=Airbus A321P2F of Express Freighters Australia|thumb|Airbus A321P2F of Australia Post]] | ||
A programme to convert A320 and A321 aircraft into [[Cargo aircraft|freighter]]s was set up by Airbus Freighter Conversion GmbH. Airframes were to be converted by [[Elbe Flugzeugwerke]] [[GmbH]] (EFW) in [[Dresden]], Germany, and [[Zhukovsky (city)|Zhukovsky]], Russia. Launch customer [[Cerberus Capital Management|AerCap]] signed a firm contract on 16 July 2008 to convert 30 of its passenger A320/A321s into A320/A321P2F (passenger to freighter). However, on 3 June 2011, Airbus announced all partners would end the passenger-to-freighter programme, citing high demand on used airframes for passenger service.<ref>{{cite press release |url= https://www.airbus.com/newsroom/press-releases/en/2011/06/strong-demand-for-used-airbus-a320-aircraft-drives-joint-decision-to-stop-freighter-conversion-programme.html |title= Strong demand for used Airbus A320 aircraft drives joint decision to stop freighter conversion programme |date= 3 June 2011 |publisher= Airbus}}</ref> Finally, on 17 June 2015 [[ST Aerospace]] signed agreements with Airbus and EFW for a collaboration to launch the A320/A321 passenger-to-freighter (P2F) conversion programme.<ref>{{cite press release |title= ST Aerospace, Airbus and EFW to launch A320 and A321P2F conversion programme |publisher= ST Aerospace |date= 17 June 2015 |url= https://www.stengg.com/en/newsroom/news-releases/st-engineerings-aerospace-arm-to-increase-shareholding-in-efw-to-55/ |access-date= 25 February 2020 |archive-date= 25 July 2020 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20200725010556/https://www.stengg.com/en/newsroom/news-releases/st-engineerings-aerospace-arm-to-increase-shareholding-in-efw-to-55/ |url-status= live}}</ref> | A programme to convert A320 and A321 aircraft into [[Cargo aircraft|freighter]]s was set up by Airbus Freighter Conversion GmbH. Airframes were to be converted by [[Elbe Flugzeugwerke]] [[GmbH]] (EFW) in [[Dresden]], Germany, and [[Zhukovsky (city)|Zhukovsky]], Russia. Launch customer [[Cerberus Capital Management|AerCap]] signed a firm contract on 16 July 2008 to convert 30 of its passenger A320/A321s into A320/A321P2F (passenger to freighter). However, on 3 June 2011, Airbus announced all partners would end the passenger-to-freighter programme, citing high demand on used airframes for passenger service.<ref>{{cite press release |url= https://www.airbus.com/newsroom/press-releases/en/2011/06/strong-demand-for-used-airbus-a320-aircraft-drives-joint-decision-to-stop-freighter-conversion-programme.html|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200225140319/https://www.airbus.com/newsroom/press-releases/en/2011/06/strong-demand-for-used-airbus-a320-aircraft-drives-joint-decision-to-stop-freighter-conversion-programme.html|archive-date=25 February 2020|title= Strong demand for used Airbus A320 aircraft drives joint decision to stop freighter conversion programme |date= 3 June 2011 |publisher= Airbus}}</ref> Finally, on 17 June 2015 [[ST Aerospace]] signed agreements with Airbus and EFW for a collaboration to launch the A320/A321 passenger-to-freighter (P2F) conversion programme.<ref>{{cite press release |title= ST Aerospace, Airbus and EFW to launch A320 and A321P2F conversion programme |publisher= ST Aerospace |date= 17 June 2015 |url= https://www.stengg.com/en/newsroom/news-releases/st-engineerings-aerospace-arm-to-increase-shareholding-in-efw-to-55/ |access-date= 25 February 2020 |archive-date= 25 July 2020 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20200725010556/https://www.stengg.com/en/newsroom/news-releases/st-engineerings-aerospace-arm-to-increase-shareholding-in-efw-to-55/ |url-status= live}}</ref> | ||
; A321P2F | ; A321P2F | ||
In August 2019, [[Qantas Freight|Qantas]] was announced as launch operator for the A321P2F converted freighter.<ref>{{cite news |url= https://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/qantas-to-be-launch-operator-for-a321p2f-460217/ |title= Qantas to be launch operator for A321P2F |date= 12 August 2019 |author= Ellis Taylor |work= Flightglobal |access-date= 12 August 2019 |archive-date= 12 August 2019 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20190812101008/https://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/qantas-to-be-launch-operator-for-a321p2f-460217/ |url-status= live}}</ref> [[Titan Airways]] received its first of three A321P2F in January 2021.<ref>{{cite press release|url=https://www.titan-airways.com/news/titan-airways-takes-delivery-of-first-airbus-a321-freighter/|title=Titan Airways takes delivery of first Airbus A321 freighter|website=Titan Airways|date=14 January 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.titan-airways.com/news/three-a321-freighters-joining-the-fleet/ |title=Three A321 freighters join Titan Airways fleet |date=6 January 2020 |access-date=13 January 2021 |archive-date=15 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210115122442/https://www.titan-airways.com/news/three-a321-freighters-joining-the-fleet/ |url-status=live}}</ref> | In August 2019, [[Qantas Freight|Qantas]] was announced as launch operator for the A321P2F converted freighter.<ref>{{cite news |url= https://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/qantas-to-be-launch-operator-for-a321p2f-460217/ |title= Qantas to be launch operator for A321P2F |date= 12 August 2019 |author-first1= Ellis |author-last1=Taylor |work= Flightglobal |access-date= 12 August 2019 |archive-date= 12 August 2019 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20190812101008/https://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/qantas-to-be-launch-operator-for-a321p2f-460217/ |url-status= live}}</ref> [[Titan Airways]] received its first of three A321P2F in January 2021.<ref>{{cite press release|url=https://www.titan-airways.com/news/titan-airways-takes-delivery-of-first-airbus-a321-freighter/|title=Titan Airways takes delivery of first Airbus A321 freighter|website=Titan Airways|date=14 January 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.titan-airways.com/news/three-a321-freighters-joining-the-fleet/ |title=Three A321 freighters join Titan Airways fleet |date=6 January 2020 |access-date=13 January 2021 |archive-date=15 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210115122442/https://www.titan-airways.com/news/three-a321-freighters-joining-the-fleet/ |url-status=live}}</ref> | ||
The initial converted aircraft first flew on 22 January 2020, to be delivered to Vallair, and secured EASA [[supplementary type certificate]] in February.<!--ref name=Flight25feb2020--> It was to replace older converted Boeing 757s with 14 main deck and 10 lower deck positions, carrying up to {{cvt|27.9|t|lb}} over {{cvt|2,300|nmi}}.<!--ref name=Flight25feb2020--> Airbus sees a market for 1,000 narrowbody conversions over the 2020-2040 period.<ref name=Flight25feb2020>{{cite news |url= https://www.flightglobal.com/airframers/a321-converted-freighter-secures-easa-certification/136902.article |title= A321 converted freighter secures EASA certification |author= David Kaminski-Morrow |date= 25 February 2020 |work= Flightglobal |access-date= 25 February 2020 |archive-date= 25 February 2020 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20200225101554/https://www.flightglobal.com/airframers/a321-converted-freighter-secures-easa-certification/136902.article |url-status= live}}</ref> On 27 October 2020, the first A321P2F was delivered to Qantas Airways, with windows and exit doors removed, and a large hydraulically actuated main cargo door installed.<ref name=AWM-P2F>{{cite news |url= https://airwaysmag.com/airlines/worlds-first-a321p2f-enters-service/ |title= World's first A321P2F enters service |author= Chris Buckett |date= 27 October 2020 |work= AirwaysMagazine |access-date= 28 October 2020 |archive-date= 28 October 2020 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20201028072149/https://airwaysmag.com/airlines/worlds-first-a321p2f-enters-service/ |url-status= live}}</ref> | The initial converted aircraft first flew on 22 January 2020, to be delivered to Vallair, and secured EASA [[supplementary type certificate]] in February.<!--ref name=Flight25feb2020--> It was to replace older converted Boeing 757s with 14 main deck and 10 lower deck positions, carrying up to {{cvt|27.9|t|lb}} over {{cvt|2,300|nmi}}.<!--ref name=Flight25feb2020--> Airbus sees a market for 1,000 narrowbody conversions over the 2020-2040 period.<ref name=Flight25feb2020>{{cite news |url= https://www.flightglobal.com/airframers/a321-converted-freighter-secures-easa-certification/136902.article |title= A321 converted freighter secures EASA certification |author-first1= David |author-last1=Kaminski-Morrow |date= 25 February 2020 |work= Flightglobal |access-date= 25 February 2020 |archive-date= 25 February 2020 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20200225101554/https://www.flightglobal.com/airframers/a321-converted-freighter-secures-easa-certification/136902.article |url-status= live}}</ref> On 27 October 2020, the first A321P2F was delivered to Qantas Airways, with windows and exit doors removed, and a large hydraulically actuated main cargo door installed.<ref name=AWM-P2F>{{cite news |url= https://airwaysmag.com/airlines/worlds-first-a321p2f-enters-service/ |title= World's first A321P2F enters service |author-first1= Chris |author-last1=Buckett |date= 27 October 2020 |work= AirwaysMagazine |access-date= 28 October 2020 |archive-date= 28 October 2020 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20201028072149/https://airwaysmag.com/airlines/worlds-first-a321p2f-enters-service/ |url-status= live}}</ref> | ||
; A320P2F | ; A320P2F | ||
After EFW began the first A320 conversion in March 2021, the A320P2F made its maiden three-hour flight on 8 December from Singapore.<ref>{{cite news |url= https://www.flightglobal.com/aerospace/first-a320p2f-completes-maiden-test-flight-from-singapore/146774.article |title= First A320P2F completes maiden test flight from Singapore |author= Alfred Chua |date= 9 December 2021 |work= Flightglobal}}</ref> | After EFW began the first A320 conversion in March 2021, the A320P2F made its maiden three-hour flight on 8 December from Singapore.<ref>{{cite news |url= https://www.flightglobal.com/aerospace/first-a320p2f-completes-maiden-test-flight-from-singapore/146774.article |title= First A320P2F completes maiden test flight from Singapore |author-first1= Alfred |author-last1=Chua |date= 9 December 2021 |work= Flightglobal}}</ref> | ||
The aircraft was first delivered in 2006, and its first cargo operator was to be Nairobi-based [[Astral Aviation]] from the second quarter of 2022, leased from Middle Eastern lessor Vaayu Group.<ref>{{cite news |url= https://www.flightglobal.com/singapore-2022/first-a320p2f-to-enter-service-with-african-cargo-carrier-astral-aviation/147491.article |title= First A320P2F to enter service with African cargo carrier Astral Aviation |author= Alfred Chua |date= 14 February 2022 |work= Flightglobal}}</ref> The A320P2F received its supplemental type certification at the end of March 2022.<ref>{{cite news |url= https://www.flightglobal.com/aerospace/efw-clinches-european-type-certification-for-a320p2f/148024.article |title= EFW clinches European type certification for A320P2F |author= Alfred Chua |date= 24 March 2022 |work= Flightglobal}}</ref> | The aircraft was first delivered in 2006, and its first cargo operator was to be Nairobi-based [[Astral Aviation]] from the second quarter of 2022, leased from Middle Eastern lessor Vaayu Group.<ref>{{cite news |url= https://www.flightglobal.com/singapore-2022/first-a320p2f-to-enter-service-with-african-cargo-carrier-astral-aviation/147491.article |title= First A320P2F to enter service with African cargo carrier Astral Aviation |author-first1= Alfred |author-last1=Chua |date= 14 February 2022 |work= Flightglobal}}</ref> The A320P2F received its supplemental type certification at the end of March 2022.<ref>{{cite news |url= https://www.flightglobal.com/aerospace/efw-clinches-european-type-certification-for-a320p2f/148024.article |title= EFW clinches European type certification for A320P2F |author-first1= Alfred |author-last1=Chua |date= 24 March 2022 |work= Flightglobal}}</ref> | ||
The A320P2F is suitable for express domestic as well as regional operations and can accommodate up to 27 metric tonnes over 1,900 nautical miles, offering space for 14 large containers/pallets on the main deck and 10 [[LD3]]-type containers on the lower deck.<ref name=A320_2022file /> | The A320P2F is suitable for express domestic as well as regional operations and can accommodate up to 27 metric tonnes over 1,900 nautical miles, offering space for 14 large containers/pallets on the main deck and 10 [[LD3]]-type containers on the lower deck.<ref name=A320_2022file /> | ||
=== Military variants === | === Military variants === | ||
;DRDO AEW&CS (Airborne Early Warning and Control System) | ;DRDO AEW&CS (Airborne Early Warning and Control System) | ||
In late 2020, the [[Ministry of Defence (India)|Indian Defence Ministry]] greenlit the modification of six [[Air India]] A320s into [[DRDO AEW&CS#Platforms|Netra Mk2]] [[airborne early warning and control]] aircraft for ₹10,500 [[crore]] (US${{To USD|105|India|r=2|year=2021}} billion). They were to complement two Indian-built [[DRDO AEW&CS|Netra]] and three Israeli-and-Russian-made [[EL/M-2075 Phalcon|Phalcons]] of the [[Indian Air Force]].<ref>{{cite news |url= https://www.timesnownews.com/india/article/def-min-approves-rs-10500-cr-eyes-in-the-sky-project-how-drdos-awacs-will-boost-indias-border-vigilance/696116 |work= [[Times Now]] |title= Def Min approves Rs 10,500 cr 'eyes in the sky' project: How DRDO's AWACs will boost India's border vigilance |date= 18 December 2020 |access-date= 11 January 2021 |archive-date= 12 January 2021 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20210112211514/https://www.timesnownews.com/india/article/def-min-approves-rs-10500-cr-eyes-in-the-sky-project-how-drdos-awacs-will-boost-indias-border-vigilance/696116 |url-status= live}}</ref> | In late 2020, the [[Ministry of Defence (India)|Indian Defence Ministry]] greenlit the modification of six [[Air India]] A320s into [[DRDO AEW&CS#Platforms|Netra Mk2]] [[airborne early warning and control]] aircraft for ₹10,500 [[crore]] (US${{To USD|105|India|r=2|year=2021}} billion). They were to complement two Indian-built [[DRDO AEW&CS|Netra]] and three Israeli-and-Russian-made [[EL/M-2075 Phalcon|Phalcons]] of the [[Indian Air Force]].<ref>{{cite news |url= https://www.timesnownews.com/india/article/def-min-approves-rs-10500-cr-eyes-in-the-sky-project-how-drdos-awacs-will-boost-indias-border-vigilance/696116 |work= [[Times Now]] |title= Def Min approves Rs 10,500 cr 'eyes in the sky' project: How DRDO's AWACs will boost India's border vigilance |date= 18 December 2020 |access-date= 11 January 2021 |archive-date= 12 January 2021 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20210112211514/https://www.timesnownews.com/india/article/def-min-approves-rs-10500-cr-eyes-in-the-sky-project-how-drdos-awacs-will-boost-indias-border-vigilance/696116 |url-status= live}}</ref> | ||
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<!-- This is the historical part --> | <!-- This is the historical part --> | ||
Air France, British Airways, and [[Frontier Airlines]] are the only operators to have operated all four variants of the A320ceo family.<ref name=Airbus_O_D_local/> [[Middle East Airlines]] received two milestone aircraft. The first was an A320ceo with manufacturer serial number (MSN) 5,000 on 20 January 2012.<ref name=MSN5TSD>{{Cite news |url= https://www.airbus.com/newsroom/press-releases/en/2012/01/airbus-delivers-a320-msn5000-to-middle-east-airlines.html/ |title= Airbus delivers A320 MSN5000 to Middle East Airlines |date= 20 January 2012 | work= Airbus Commercial Aircraft}}</ref> Eight years later, on 9 October 2020, the airline received MSN 10,000, an A321neo, at the celebration of its 75th anniversary.<ref name=MSN10TSD>{{Cite news |url= https://www.airbus.com/newsroom/press-releases/en/2020/10/airbus-delivers-a320-family-msn10000-to-middle-east-airlines.html/ |title= Airbus delivers A320 Family MSN10,000 to Middle East Airlines |date= 9 October 2020 |author= Zaid Al-Farah | Air France, British Airways, and [[Frontier Airlines]] are the only operators to have operated all four variants of the A320ceo family.<ref name=Airbus_O_D_local/> [[Middle East Airlines]] received two milestone aircraft. The first was an A320ceo with manufacturer serial number (MSN) 5,000 on 20 January 2012.<ref name=MSN5TSD>{{Cite news |url= https://www.airbus.com/newsroom/press-releases/en/2012/01/airbus-delivers-a320-msn5000-to-middle-east-airlines.html/ |title= Airbus delivers A320 MSN5000 to Middle East Airlines |date= 20 January 2012 | work= Airbus Commercial Aircraft}}</ref> Eight years later, on 9 October 2020, the airline received MSN 10,000, an A321neo, at the celebration of its 75th anniversary.<ref name=MSN10TSD>{{Cite news |url= https://www.airbus.com/newsroom/press-releases/en/2020/10/airbus-delivers-a320-family-msn10000-to-middle-east-airlines.html/ |title= Airbus delivers A320 Family MSN10,000 to Middle East Airlines |date= 9 October 2020 |author-first1= Zaid |author-last1=Al-Farah |author-first2= Samsana |author-last2=Ismail |publisher= Airbus Africa & Middle East |access-date= 20 October 2020 |archive-date= 31 October 2020 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20201031111655/https://www.airbus.com/newsroom/press-releases/en/2020/10/airbus-delivers-a320-family-msn10000-to-middle-east-airlines.html |url-status= live}}</ref><ref name=MSN10TSD2>{{Cite news |url= https://www.flightglobal.com/airlines/a320neo-line-adapts-to-five-digits-for-msn10000-delivery/140541.article/ |title= A320neo line adapts to five digits for MSN10000 delivery |date= 9 October 2020 |author-first1= David |author-last1=Kaminski-Morrow |work= FlightGlobal |access-date= 20 October 2020 |archive-date= 22 October 2020 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20201022095023/https://www.flightglobal.com/airlines/a320neo-line-adapts-to-five-digits-for-msn10000-delivery/140541.article/ |url-status= live}}</ref> <!-- 5th achievement: A320 family in service more than 10,000 airplanes --> | ||
In December 2022, over 10,000 A320 family aircraft were operated by more than 330 airlines, completing more than 158 million flights, or 292 million hours in the air.<ref name=Airbus_O_D_local/><ref name=A320_2022file/> | In December 2022, over 10,000 A320 family aircraft were operated by more than 330 airlines, completing more than 158 million flights, or 292 million hours in the air.<ref name=Airbus_O_D_local/><ref name=A320_2022file/> | ||
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{{See also|List of Airbus A320neo family orders and deliveries}} | {{See also|List of Airbus A320neo family orders and deliveries}} | ||
<!-- 1. paragraph: Historical part --> | <!-- 1. paragraph: Historical part --> | ||
<!-- fastest sales --> | <!-- fastest sales --> | ||
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As of 2017, there were 6,965 A320 Family aircraft in service, more than the 6,864 Boeing 737s, making it the most-operated airliner ever.<ref>{{cite web |title=WorldCensus2017.pdf |url=https://www.flightglobal.com/asset/18365 |access-date=13 January 2018 |website=Flightglobal.com}}</ref> | As of 2017, there were 6,965 A320 Family aircraft in service, more than the 6,864 Boeing 737s, making it the most-operated airliner ever.<ref>{{cite web |title=WorldCensus2017.pdf |url=https://www.flightglobal.com/asset/18365 |access-date=13 January 2018 |website=Flightglobal.com}}</ref> | ||
<!--2nd achievement:: highest-selling (most-ordered) --> | <!--2nd achievement:: highest-selling (most-ordered) --> | ||
In October 2019, the A320 family became the highest-selling airliner family with 15,193 orders, surpassing the Boeing 737's total of 15,136.<ref name=Flight15nov2019>{{Cite news |url= https://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/total-a320-orders-overtake-737s-as-max-crisis-persi-462255/ |title= A320's order total overtakes 737's as Max crisis persists |date= 15 November 2019 |author= David Kaminski-Morrow |work= Flightglobal |access-date= 16 November 2019 |archive-date= 16 November 2019 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20191116075424/https://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/total-a320-orders-overtake-737s-as-max-crisis-persi-462255/ |url-status= live}}</ref> | In October 2019, the A320 family became the highest-selling airliner family with 15,193 orders, surpassing the Boeing 737's total of 15,136.<ref name=Flight15nov2019>{{Cite news |url= https://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/total-a320-orders-overtake-737s-as-max-crisis-persi-462255/ |title= A320's order total overtakes 737's as Max crisis persists |date= 15 November 2019 |author-first1= David |author-last1=Kaminski-Morrow |work= Flightglobal |access-date= 16 November 2019 |archive-date= 16 November 2019 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20191116075424/https://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/total-a320-orders-overtake-737s-as-max-crisis-persi-462255/ |url-status= live}}</ref> | ||
<!-- 3rd achievement: 10,000th deliveries --> | <!-- 3rd achievement: 10,000th deliveries --> | ||
In August 2021, the A320 family passed the 10,000 delivery mark,<ref name=Flight17sept2021>{{Cite news |url= https://www.flightglobal.com/air-transport/airbus-a320-family-deliveries-pass-10000-mark/145363.article |title= Airbus A320-family deliveries pass 10,000 mark |date= 7 September 2021 |author= David Kaminski-Morrow |work= Flightglobal |access-date= 10 September 2021 }}</ref> 33 years after its introduction, versus 50 years for the Boeing 737, which passed the 10,000 delivery mark in March 2018.<ref name=ADN8sept2021>{{Cite news |url= https://www.airway1.com/airbus-a320-reaches-10000-aircraft-delivered/ |title= Airbus A320 reaches 10,000 aircraft delivered |date= 8 September 2021 |author= Ricardo Meier |work= Air Data News |access-date= 24 September 2021 }}</ref> | In August 2021, the A320 family passed the 10,000 delivery mark,<ref name=Flight17sept2021>{{Cite news |url= https://www.flightglobal.com/air-transport/airbus-a320-family-deliveries-pass-10000-mark/145363.article |title= Airbus A320-family deliveries pass 10,000 mark |date= 7 September 2021 |author-first1= David |author-last1=Kaminski-Morrow |work= Flightglobal |access-date= 10 September 2021 }}</ref> 33 years after its introduction, versus 50 years for the Boeing 737, which passed the 10,000 delivery mark in March 2018.<ref name=ADN8sept2021>{{Cite news |url= https://www.airway1.com/airbus-a320-reaches-10000-aircraft-delivered/ |title= Airbus A320 reaches 10,000 aircraft delivered |date= 8 September 2021 |author-first1= Ricardo|author-last1=Meier |work= Air Data News |access-date= 24 September 2021 }}</ref> | ||
<!-- 4th achievement: A320ceo last delivery --> | <!-- 4th achievement: A320ceo last delivery --> | ||
On 16 December 2021, the last member of the A320ceo family, an A321ceo (MSN 10315), was delivered from the [[Airbus Mobile]] assembly line in [[Alabama]] to [[Delta Air Lines]], registered N129DN.<ref name=A320ceoLast2021>{{Cite news |url= https://www.ch-aviation.com/portal/news/111218-worlds-last-a320ceo-family-jet-delivered-to-delta |title= World's last A320ceo Family jet delivered{{dash}}to Delta |date= 30 December 2021 |work= ch-aviation |access-date= 6 January 2022 }}</ref> | On 16 December 2021, the last member of the A320ceo family, an A321ceo (MSN 10315), was delivered from the [[Airbus Mobile]] assembly line in [[Alabama]] to [[Delta Air Lines]], registered N129DN.<ref name=A320ceoLast2021>{{Cite news |url= https://www.ch-aviation.com/portal/news/111218-worlds-last-a320ceo-family-jet-delivered-to-delta |title= World's last A320ceo Family jet delivered{{dash}}to Delta |date= 30 December 2021 |work= ch-aviation |access-date= 6 January 2022 }}</ref> | ||
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<!-- 2. paragraph: Current situation to be updated every month as per latest O&D file: most deliveries hold by 737 with decreased gap --> | <!-- 2. paragraph: Current situation to be updated every month as per latest O&D file: most deliveries hold by 737 with decreased gap --> | ||
{{as of|2025| | {{as of|2025|11}}, a total of 12,375 A320 family aircraft have been delivered, with 6 A320ceos (2 A319s and 4 A320s from two defunct airlines) remaining in the backlog. In the first eleven months of 2025, Airbus delivered 510 A320neo family aircraft, comprising 13 A319neos, 175 A320neos and 322 A321neos. The A320 family backlog remains over the 7,000 mark, of which A321s comprise 70%, and total orders have reached 19,495,<ref name="Airbus_O_D_local" /><ref name=A320_2022file /> while total orders for the competing Boeing 737 have increased slightly to 17,108 aircraft, of which 12,327 have been delivered.<ref name="Boeing_O-D">{{cite web |date=30 November 2025 |title=Boeing Orders and Deliveries (737) |url=http://www.boeing.com/commercial/#/orders-deliveries |access-date=16 December 2025 |publisher=Boeing}}</ref> | ||
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:right; font-size:96%;" | {| class="wikitable" style="text-align:right; font-size:96%;" | ||
| Line 391: | Line 388: | ||
|- | |- | ||
!A319neo | !A319neo | ||
|57|| | |57||18||39 | ||
| | |13 | ||
||9||7||6||2||–||2||–||–||– | ||9||7||6||2||–||2||–||–||– | ||
|- | |- | ||
!A320neo | !A320neo | ||
|4, | |4,077||1,772||2,305 | ||
| | |175 | ||
||232||247||246||258||253||381||284||161||68 | ||232||247||246||258||253||381||284||161||68 | ||
|- | |- | ||
!A321neo | !A321neo | ||
|7, | |7,255||5,324||1,931 | ||
| | |322 | ||
||361||317||264||199||178||168||102||20||– | ||361||317||264||199||178||168||102||20||– | ||
|- | |- | ||
!-- A320neo -- | !-- A320neo -- | ||
|'''11, | |'''11,389'''||'''7,114'''||'''4,275''' | ||
|''' | |'''510''' | ||
||'''602'''||'''571'''||'''516'''||'''459'''||'''431'''||'''551'''||'''386'''||'''181'''||'''68''' | ||'''602'''||'''571'''||'''516'''||'''459'''||'''431'''||'''551'''||'''386'''||'''181'''||'''68''' | ||
|- | |- | ||
!(A320 family) | !(A320 family) | ||
|'''(19, | |'''(19,495)'''||'''(7,120)'''||'''(12,375)''' | ||
|'''( | |'''(510)''' | ||
||'''(602)'''||'''(571)'''||'''(516)'''||'''(483)'''||'''(446)'''||'''(642)'''||'''(626)'''||'''(558)'''||'''(545)''' | ||'''(602)'''||'''(571)'''||'''(516)'''||'''(483)'''||'''(446)'''||'''(642)'''||'''(626)'''||'''(558)'''||'''(545)''' | ||
|} | |} | ||
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|'''(222)'''||'''(168)'''||'''(127)'''||'''(72)'''||'''(56)'''||'''(64)'''||'''(71)'''||'''(111)'''||'''(119)'''||'''(58)'''||'''(58)'''||'''(16)''' | |'''(222)'''||'''(168)'''||'''(127)'''||'''(72)'''||'''(56)'''||'''(64)'''||'''(71)'''||'''(111)'''||'''(119)'''||'''(58)'''||'''(58)'''||'''(16)''' | ||
|} | |} | ||
'''<small>''Data {{as of|2025| | '''<small>''Data {{as of|2025|11|lc=yes}}''</small><ref name="Airbus_O_D_local"/><ref name="Airbus_Hist_OD" />''' | ||
{{Deliveries of Airbus A320 and Boeing 737}} | |||
{{clear}} | |||
<noinclude> | |||
== Accidents and incidents == | == Accidents and incidents == | ||
{{main|List of accidents and incidents involving the Airbus A320 family}} | {{main|List of accidents and incidents involving the Airbus A320 family}} | ||
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|} | |} | ||
==Specifications | ==Specifications{{sticky header}}== | ||
{{sticky header}} | |||
{| class="wikitable sortable sticky-header" style="text-align:center; font-size:96%;background:#f8f9faff;" | {| class="wikitable sortable sticky-header" style="text-align:center; font-size:96%;background:#f8f9faff;" | ||
|+ Airbus A320 family specifications | |+ Airbus A320 family specifications | ||
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{{Commons category}} | {{Commons category}} | ||
* [https://www.airbus.com/en/products-services/commercial-aircraft/passenger-aircraft/a320-family Official Airbus website of the A320 aircraft family] | * [https://www.airbus.com/en/products-services/commercial-aircraft/passenger-aircraft/a320-family Official Airbus website of the A320 aircraft family] | ||
* {{cite news |url= https://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/analysis-three-decades-since-first-a320-delivery-447072/ |title= Analysis : Three decades since first A320 delivery |date= 26 March 2018 |author= Max Kingsley-Jones |work= Flightglobal}} | * {{cite news |url= https://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/analysis-three-decades-since-first-a320-delivery-447072/ |title= Analysis : Three decades since first A320 delivery |date= 26 March 2018 |author-first1= Max |author-last1=Kingsley-Jones |work= Flightglobal}} | ||
{{Airbus aircraft}} | {{Airbus aircraft}} | ||
Latest revision as of 03:01, 29 December 2025
Template:Short description Script error: No such module "redirect hatnote". Script error: No such module "Unsubst". Template:Use British English Template:Infobox aircraft
The Airbus A320 family is a series of narrow-body airliners developed and produced by Airbus, and is the best-selling airliner ever built. The A320 aircraft programme was launched in March 1984, first flew on 22 February 1987, and was introduced in April 1988 by Air France.[1] The first member of the family was followed by the stretched A321 (first delivered in January 1994), the shorter A319 (April 1996), and the shortest variant, the A318 (July 2003). Final assembly takes place in Toulouse in France; Hamburg in Germany; Tianjin in China since 2009; and Mobile, Alabama, in the United States since April 2016.
The twinjet has a six-abreast economy cross-section and came with either CFM56-5A or -5B, or IAE V2500 turbofan engines, except the A318. The A318 has either two CFM56-5B engines or a pair of PW6000 engines in place of the IAE V2500. The family pioneered the use of digital fly-by-wire and side-stick flight controls in airliners. Variants offer maximum take-off weights from Script error: No such module "convert"., with a range of Script error: No such module "convert".. The Template:Cvt long A318 typically accommodates 107 to 132 passengers. The 124-156 seat A319 is Template:Cvt long. The A320 is Template:Cvt long and can accommodate 150 to 186 passengers. The Template:Cvt A321 offers 185 to 230 seats. The Airbus Corporate Jets are modified business jet versions of the standard commercial variants.
In December 2010, Airbus announced the re-engined A320neo (new engine option), which entered service with Lufthansa in January 2016. With more efficient turbofans and improvements including sharklets, it offers up to 15% better fuel economy. The previous A320 generation was renamed A320ceo (current engine option).
American Airlines is the largest A320 family operator with 487 aircraft in its fleet, while IndiGo is the largest customer with 930 aircraft on order. A total of 19,495 A320 family aircraft had been ordered with 12,375 delivered to customers since November 2025[update]Template:Dated maintenance category (articles)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".. It overtook the Boeing 737 family in total orders in October 2019, and in total deliveries in September 2025. It is also the most-utilised airliner with 11,384 units in service with more than 350 operators. The global A320 fleet had completed more than 176 million flights over 328 million block hours since its entry into service. The A320ceo initially competed with the 737 Classic and the MD-80, then their successors, the 737 Next Generation (737NG) and the MD-90 respectively, while the 737 MAX is Boeing's response to the A320neo.
Development
Origins
When Airbus designed the A300 during the late 1960s and early 1970s, it envisaged a broad family of airliners with which to compete against Boeing and Douglas (later 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.[2] 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.[3] A 10th variation, conceived in 1973, later the first to be constructed, was designated the A300B10.[4] 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 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 737-200 and DC-9.[5] Germany's MBB (Messerschmitt-Bölkow-Blohm), British Aircraft Corporation, Sweden's Saab and Spain's CASA worked on the EUROPLANE, a 180- to 200-seat aircraft.[5][6] It was abandoned after intruding on A310 specifications.[6] VFW-Fokker, Dornier and Hawker Siddeley worked on a number of 150-seat designs.[5]
The design within the JET study that was carried forward was the JET2 (163 passengers), which then became the Airbus S.A1/2/3 series (Single Aisle), before settling on the A320 name for its launch in 1984. Previously, Hawker Siddeley had produced a design called the HS.134 "Airbus" in 1965, an evolution of the HS.121 (formerly DH.121) Trident,[7] which shared much of the general arrangement of the later JET3 study design. The name "Airbus" at the time referred to a BEA requirement, rather than to the later international programme.
Design effort
In June 1977 a new Joint European Transport (JET) programme was set up, established by British Aerospace (BAe), Aerospatiale, Dornier and Fokker.[8][9] It was based at the then BAe (formerly Vickers) site in Weybridge, Surrey, UK. Although the members were all Airbus' partners, they regarded the project as a separate collaboration from Airbus.[10] This project was considered the forerunner of Airbus A320, encompassing the 130- to 188-seat market, powered by two CFM56s.[5] It would have a cruise speed of Mach 0.84 (faster than the Boeing 737).[5] 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 the JET programme, Derek Brown.[6] The group looked at three different variants, covering the 125- to 180-seat market, called SA1, SA2 and SA3.[5] Although unaware at the time, the consortium was producing the blueprints for the A319, A320 and A321, respectively.[6] The single-aisle programme created divisions within Airbus about whether to design a shorter-range twinjet rather than a longer-range quadjet wanted by the West Germans, particularly Lufthansa.[5][10] However, works proceeded, and the German carrier would eventually order the twinjet.
In February 1981 the project was re-designated A320,[6] with efforts focused on the blueprint formerly designated 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 Template:Cvt using fuel from wing fuel tanks only.[6] The -200 had the centre tank activated, increasing fuel capacity from Template:Cvt.[11] They would measure Template:Cvt respectively.[6] Airbus considered a fuselage diameter of "the Boeing 707 and 727, or do something better" and settled on a wider cross-section with a Template:Cvt internal width, compared to Boeing's Template:Cvt.[5] Although heavier, this allowed the A320 to compete more effectively with the 737. The A320 wing went through several design stages, eventually measuring Template:Cvt.[11]
The UK, France and West Germany wanted responsibility over final assembly and its associated work, known as "work-share arguments". 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 experience. In the end, British work-share was increased from that of the two previous Airbuses.[10]
France was willing to commit to launch aid, or subsidies, while the Germans were more cautious.[10] The UK government was unwilling to provide funding for the tooling, requested by BAe and estimated at £250 million; it was postponed for three years.[11] On 1 March 1984, the British government and BAe agreed that £50 million would be paid, whether the A320 flew or not, while the rest would be paid as a levy on each aircraft sold.[10] In 1984, the program cost was then estimated at £2 billion ($2.8 billion) by Flight International,[12] equivalent to £Expression error: Unrecognized punctuation character "[". billion today.
Launch
The programme was launched on 2 March 1984.[13] At the time, Airbus had 96 orders.[14]Template:Rp Air France was its first customer to sign a "letter of intent" for 25 A320s and options for 25 more at the 1981 Paris Air Show.[15] In October 1983, British Caledonian placed seven firm orders, bringing total orders to more than 80.[16] Cyprus Airways became the first customer to place an order for V2500-powered A320s in November 1984, followed by Pan Am with 16 firm orders and 34 options in January 1985, and then Inex Adria.[14]Template:Rp One of the most significant orders occurred when Northwest Airlines placed an order for 100 A320s in October 1986, powered by CFM56 engines, later confirmed at the 1990 Farnborough Airshow.[14]Template:Rp
During A320 development, Airbus considered propfan technology, which was backed by Lufthansa.[10] At the time unproven, the technology essentially consisted of a fan placed outside the engine nacelle, offering turbofan speeds and turboprop economics; ultimately, Airbus stuck with turbofans.
Power on the A320 was to be supplied by two CFM56-5-A1s rated at Script error: No such module "convert"..[11] It was the only engine available until the arrival of the IAE V2500, offered by International Aero Engines, a group composed of Rolls-Royce plc, Pratt & Whitney, Japanese Aero Engine Corporation, Fiat and MTU. The first V2500 variant, the V2500-A1, has a thrust output of Script error: No such module "convert".,[17] hence the name. It is 4% more efficient than the CFM56, with cruise thrust-specific fuel consumption for the -A5 at Template:Cvt for the CFM56-5A1.[18]
Entry into service
In the presence of then-French Prime Minister Jacques Chirac and the Prince and Princess of Wales, the first A320 was rolled out of final assembly line at Toulouse on 14 February 1987 and made its maiden flight on 22 February in 3 hours and 23 minutes.[19] The flight test programme took 1,200 hours over 530 flights. European Joint Aviation Authorities (JAA) certification was awarded on 26 February 1988.[14]Template:Rp The first A320 was delivered to Air France on 28 March,[20] and began commercial service on 8 April with a flight between Paris and Berlin via Düsseldorf.[21] In 1988, the clean-sheet aircraft program cost was 5.486 billion French francs.[22]
Stretching the A320: A321
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The first variation of the baseline A320 was the Airbus A321, also known as the Stretched A320, A320-500 and A325.[6][23] Launched on 24 November 1988 after commitments for 183 aircraft from 10 customers were secured.[6][24] The aircraft was to be a minimally changed derivative, apart from minor wing modifications and a fuselage stretch. The wing would incorporate double-slotted flaps and minor trailing edge modifications,[6] increasing wing area from Template:Cvt to Template:Cvt.[25] The fuselage was lengthened by four plugs (two ahead and two behind the wings), making the A321 Script error: No such module "convert". longer than the A320 overall.[6][26][27] The length increase required enlarged overwing exits, which were repositioned in front of and behind the wings.[11] The centre fuselage and undercarriage were reinforced to accommodate an increase in maximum takeoff weight of Template:Cvt, for a total of Template:Cvt.[6]
Final assembly for the A321 would be carried out in Germany (then West Germany), a first for any Airbus.[28] This came after a dispute between the French, who claimed the move would incur $150 million (€135 million) in unnecessary expenditures associated with the new plant,[6] and the Germans, who argued that it would be more productive for Airbus in the long run. The second production line was located at Hamburg, which would also subsequently 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.[24] An additional $180 million (€175 million) was borrowed from the European Investment Bank and private investors.[6]
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, respectively. The first of Lufthansa's V2500-A5-powered A321s arrived on 27 January 1994, while Alitalia received its first CFM56-5B-powered aircraft on 22 March.
Shrinking the A320: A319
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The A319 was the second variation of the baseline A320. The design was a "shrink", with origins in the 130- to 140-seat SA1, part of the Single-Aisle studies, which had been shelved as the consortium focused on its bigger siblings.[6] After healthy sales of the A320/A321, Airbus focused once more on what was then known as the A320M-7, meaning A320 minus seven fuselage frames.[11] It would provide direct competition for the 737-300/-700.[6] The shrink was achieved through the removal of four fuselage frames fore and three aft of the wing, cutting the overall length by Script error: No such module "convert"..[26][29][30] Consequently, the number of overwing exits was reduced from four to two. The bulk-cargo door was replaced by an aft container door, which can take in reduced height LD3-45 containers.[29] Minor software changes were made to accommodate the different handling characteristics; otherwise the aircraft was largely unchanged. Power is provided by the CFM56-5A, CFM56-5B, or V2500-A5, derated to Template:Cvt, with option for Template:Cvt thrust.[31]
Airbus began offering the new model from 22 May 1992, with the actual launch of the $275 million (€250 million) programme occurring on 10 June 1993;[29][6][3] the A319's first customer was ILFC, which signed for six aircraft. On 23 March 1995, the first A319 underwent final assembly at Airbus' German plant in Hamburg, where A321s were also assembled. It was rolled out on 24 August 1995, with the maiden flight taking place the following day.[11] The certification programme took 350 airborne hours involving two aircraft. Certification for the CFM56-5B6/2-equipped variant was granted in April 1996, and qualification for the V2524-A5 started the following month.[6]
Delivery of the first A319, to Swissair, occurred on 25 April 1996; it entered service by month's end.[6] In January 1997, an A319 broke a record during a delivery flight by flying the Script error: No such module "convert". great circle route to Winnipeg, Manitoba from Hamburg in 9 hours and 5 minutes.[6] The A319 has proven popular with low-cost airlines such as EasyJet, which purchased 172 of them.[32]
Second shrink: A318
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The A318, the fourth variant, was born out of mid-1990 studies between Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC), Singapore Technologies Aerospace, Alenia and Airbus on a 95- to 125-seat aircraft project. The programme was called the AE31X, and covered the 95-seat AE316 and 115- to 125-seat AE317.[6] The former would have had an overall length of Template:Cvt, while the AE317 was longer by Template:Cvt, at Template:Cvt.[33] The engines were to be two Rolls-Royce BR715s, CFM56-9s, or the Pratt & Whitney PW6000;[6][33] with the MTOW of Template:Cvt for the smaller version and Template:Cvt for the AE317, the thrust requirement were Template:Cvt and Template:Cvt, respectively.[33] Range was settled at Template:Cvt and Template:Cvt for the high gross weights of both variants.[33] Both share a wingspan of Template:Cvt[33] and a flight deck similar to that of the A320 family. Costing $2 billion (€1.85 billion) to develop, aircraft production was to take place in China.[6]
Simultaneously, Airbus was developing the Airbus A318. In early 1998, Airbus revealed that it was designing a 100-seat aircraft based on the A320. The AE31X project was terminated by September 1998, and Airbus officially announced the A318[6] at that year's Farnborough Airshow.[3] The aircraft was the smallest in Airbus's product range, and was developed coincidentally at the same time as the largest commercial aircraft in history, the Airbus A380. First called A319M5 in as early as March 1995, it was shorter by Script error: No such module "convert". ahead of the wing and Script error: No such module "convert". behind.[3] These cuts reduced passenger capacity from 124 on the A319 to 107 passengers in a two-class layout.[34] Range was Script error: No such module "convert"., or Script error: No such module "convert". with upcoming Sharklets.[34]
The 107-seater was launched on 26 April 1999 with the options and orders count at 109 aircraft.[3] After three years of design, the maiden flight took place at Hamburg on 15 January 2002.[35] Tests on the lead engine, the PW6000, revealed worse-than-expected fuel consumption.[36] 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 shrank to 80, largely because of switches to other A320 family members.[36] 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.[36] On 22 July 2003, first delivery for launch customer Frontier Airlines occurred,[3] entering service before the end of the month.
Production
The Toulouse Blagnac final assembly line builds A320s, whereas the Hamburg Finkenwerder final assembly line builds A318s, A319s, and A321s. The Airbus factory in Tianjin, China, assembles A319s, A320s, and A321s; A320s and A321s are also assembled at the Airbus Americas factory in Mobile, Alabama.[37] Airbus produced a total of 42 A320s per month in 2015, and expected to increase to 50 per month in 2017.[38]
Production of parts takes place in a large number of countries around the world. For example, the centre fuselage is made in Hamburg, Germany; the horizontal stabiliser is produced in Getafe, Spain; and the rudder is produced in Harbin, China.Script error: No such module "Unsubst".
As Airbus targets a 60 monthly global production rate by mid-2019, the Tianjin line delivered 51 in 2016 and it could assemble six per month from four as it starts producing A320neos in 2017; 147 Airbus were delivered in 2016 in China, 20% of its production, mostly A320-family, a 47% market share as the country should become the world's largest market ahead of the US before 2027.[39]
In June 2018, along a larger and modernised delivery centre, Airbus inaugurated its fourth Hamburg production line, with two seven-axis robots to drill 80% of fuselage upper side holes and autonomous mobile tooling platforms, following Design Thinking principles.[40] By January 2019, Mobile was outputting 4.5 A320s per month, raising to five by the end of the year.[41]
In September 2019, Airbus reached a milestone with the delivery of the 9000th A320-family aircraft, to Easyjet. In October 2019, Airbus inaugurated a highly automated fuselage structure assembly line for A320 Family aircraft in Hamburg, showcasing an evolution in Airbus' industrial production system.[42] Production rates continue to rise, and Airbus aims to reach a production rate of 63 aircraft per month by 2021, which would result in the 10,000th delivery occurring early that year.[43]
Due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on aviation, demand for new jets was reduced in 2020 and Airbus cut its monthly production from 60 to 40 A320s.[44] In October 2020, the 500th A320 built in Tianjin, an A320neo, was delivered to China Southern, twelve years after the final assembly line start in 2008.[45]
A320 Enhanced
In 2006, Airbus started the A320 Enhanced (A320E) programme as a series of improvements targeting a 4–5% efficiency gain, with large winglets (2%), aerodynamic refinements (1%), weight savings and a new aircraft cabin.[46] Engine improvements that reduced fuel consumption by 1% were made to the A320 in 2007 with the CFM56 Tech Insertion[47] and in 2008 with the V2500Select (One).[48]
Sharklets
In 2006, Airbus tested three styles of winglets intended to counteract the wing's lift-induced drag and wingtip vortices more effectively than the previous wingtip fence. The first design type to be tested was developed by Airbus and based on work done by the AWIATOR programme.[49] The second type of winglet incorporated a more blended design and was designed by Winglet Technology, a company based in Wichita, Kansas, US. Two aircraft were used in the flight test evaluation campaign – the prototype A320, which had been retained by Airbus for testing, and a new build aircraft which was fitted with both types of winglets before it was delivered to JetBlue.Script error: No such module "Unsubst".
Despite the anticipated efficiency gains and development work, Airbus announced that those winglets would not be offered to customers, claiming that the weight of the modifications required negated any aerodynamic benefits.[50] On 17 December 2008, Airbus announced it was to begin flight testing an existing blended winglet design developed by Aviation Partners Inc. as part of an A320 modernisation programme using the A320 prototype.[51]
Airbus launched the sharklet blended winglets during the November 2009 Dubai Airshow. Installation adds Template:Cvt but offers a 3.5% fuel burn reduction on flights over Template:Cvt,[52] saving approximately US$220,000 and 700 t of CO2 per aircraft per year.[53] The Script error: No such module "convert". tall wingtip devices are manufactured by Korean Air Aerospace Division.[54]
In December 2011, Airbus filed suit in the western district of Texas over Aviation Partners' claims of infringement of its patents on winglet design and construction which were granted in 1993. Airbus' lawsuit sought to reject responsibility to pay royalties to Aviation Partners for using its designs, despite work performed together with both parties to develop advanced winglets for the Airbus A320neo.[55] The lawsuit was confidentially settled in 2018, with the result that Airbus paid a large but undisclosed settlement.[56]
The first sharklet-equipped Airbus A320 was delivered to Indonesia AirAsia on 21 December 2012, offering a Template:Cvt payload and Template:Cvt range increases over the original aircraft specifications.[57]
Cabin
In 2007, Airbus introduced a new enhanced, quieter cabin with better luggage storage and a more modern look and feel, and a new galley that reduced weight, increased revenue space and improved ergonomics and design for food hygiene and recycling.[58] It offered a new air purifier with filters and a catalytic converter, removing unpleasant smells from the air before it is pumped into the cabin, as well as LEDs for mood lighting and a new passenger service unit (PSU).[59]
Offering 10% more overhead bin volume, more shoulder room, a weight reduction, a new intercom and in-flight entertainment system, noise reduction and slimmer PSU, the enhanced cabin can be retrofitted.[60] The flight crew controls the cabin through touchscreen displays.[61]
Second generation (NEO: New Engine Option)
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The A320neo (neo for new engine option) is an incremental development launched on 1 December 2010, making its first flight on 25 September 2014 and introduced by Lufthansa on 25 January 2016. Re-engined with CFM International LEAP-1A or Pratt & Whitney PW1000G engines and with large sharklets, it was designed to be 15% more fuel efficient. Its three variants are based on the previous A319, A320 and A321. Airbus received 6,031 orders by March 2018 and delivered 318 by May 2018. The original family was renamed A320ceo, for current engine option. As of July 2024, IndiGo has 173 Airbus A320neos under service, making it the largest operator of this type of aircraft.
Replacement airliner
In 2006, Airbus was studying a future replacement for the A320 series, tentatively dubbed as NSR or "New Short-Range aircraft".[62] The follow-on aircraft to replace the A320 was to be named A30X. In 2007, Airbus North America President Barry Eccleston stated that the earliest the aircraft could have been available was 2017.[63] In January 2010, John Leahy, Airbus's chief operating officer-customers, stated that an all-new single-aisle aircraft was unlikely to be constructed before 2024 or 2025.[64]
Design
The Airbus A320 family are narrow-body aircraft with a retractable tricycle landing gear and powered by two wing pylon-mounted turbofan engines. After the oil price rises of the 1970s, Airbus needed to minimise the trip fuel costs of the A320. To that end, it adopted composite primary structures for the empennage with a conventional tail configuration, centre-of-gravity control using fuel, a glass cockpit with side-stick controllers and a two-crew flight deck.
Airbus claimed the 737-300 burns 35% more fuel and has a 16% higher operating cost per seat than the V2500-powered A320.[65] A 150-seat A320 burns Template:Cvt of jet fuel over Template:Cvt (between Los Angeles and New York City), or Template:Cvt per seat with a 0.8 kg/L fuel.[66] Its wing is long and thin, offering better aerodynamic efficiency because of the higher aspect ratio than the competing 737 and MD-80.
Airframe
The Airbus A320 family are low-wing cantilever monoplanes with a conventional empennage with a single vertical stabiliser and rudder. Its wing sweep is 25 degrees. Compared to other airliners of the same class, the A320 features a wider single-aisle cabin of Script error: No such module "convert". outside diameter,[26] compared to the Template:Cvt of the Boeing 737 or 757, and larger overhead bins. Its cargo hold can accommodate unit load device containers.
The A320 airframe includes composite materials and aluminium alloys to save weight and reduce the total number of parts to decrease the maintenance costs.[67] Its tail assembly is made almost entirely of such composites by CASA, which also builds the elevators, main landing gear doors, and rear fuselage parts.[6]
Flight deck
The A320 flight deck features a full glass cockpit, rather than the hybrid versions found in previous airliners. It is also equipped with an Electronic Flight Instrument System (EFIS) with side-stick controllers. The A320 has an Electronic Centralised Aircraft Monitor (ECAM) to give the flight crew information about all of the systems on the aircraft. The only analogue instruments were the radio-magnetic indicator and brake pressure indicator.
Since 2003, the A320 has featured liquid crystal display (LCD) units on the flight deck instead of the original cathode-ray tube (CRT) displays. These include both main displays and the backup artificial horizon, which also previously had an analogue display.[68]
Airbus offers an avionics upgrade for older A320 aircraft, the In-Service Enhancement Package, to keep them updated.[69] Digital head-up displays are also available.[70]
The A320 retained the dark cockpit (where an indicator is off when its system is running; useful for drawing attention to dysfunctions when an indicator is lit) from the A310, the first widebody designed to be operated without a flight engineer and influenced by Bernard Ziegler, first Airbus CEO Henri Ziegler's son.[71]
Fly-by-wire
The A320 is the world's first airliner with digital fly-by-wire (FBW) flight control system: input commands through the side-stick are interpreted by flight control computers and transmitted to flight control surfaces within the flight envelope protection; in the 1980s the computer-controlled dynamic system of the Dassault Mirage 2000 fighter cross-fertilised the Airbus team which tested FBW on an A300.[72] At its introduction, fly-by-wire and flight envelope protection was a new experience for many pilots.
All following Airbuses have similar human/machine interface and systems control philosophy to facilitate cross-type qualification with minimal training. For Roger Béteille, then Airbus president, introducing fly-by-wire with flight envelope protection was one of the most difficult decisions he had ever made, explaining: "Either we were going to be first with new technologies or we could not expect to be in the market."[72]
Early A320s used the Intel 80186 and Motorola 68010.[73] In 1988, the flight management computer contained six Intel 80286 CPUs, running in three logical pairs, with 2.5 megabytes of memory.[74]
Engines
The suppliers providing turbofan engines for the A320ceo family were CFM International with the CFM56, International Aero Engines offering its V2500, and Pratt & Whitney's PW6000 engines available only for the A318,[75] while for the A320neo family are CFM International LEAP-1A or Pratt & Whitney PW1000G engines.
-
The CFM56, with unmixed exhaust, is available on all variants.
-
The IAE V2500, with mixed exhaust, equips the larger variants.
-
The PW6000 is available on the smallest A318.
Operational history
The Joint Aviation Authorities (JAA) issued the type certificate for the A320 on 26 February 1988. After entering the market on 18 April 1988 with Air France, 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.[76]
since March 2024[update]Template:Dated maintenance category (articles)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters"., the global A320 fleet had 99.7 percent operational reliability in the last 12 months and completed more than 176 million flights over 328 million block hours since its entry into service.[77]
Script error: No such module "anchor". After an incident where JetBlue Flight 1230 experienced a rapid descent when solar radiation inadvertently corrupted flight data on 30 October 2025, Airbus and EASA issued a mandatory safety notice at the end of November for over 6,000 aircraft, over half of the family's fleet. Most only required a patch reverting the flight control software for the aircraft's elevators that could be completed in three hours, while about 900 with older software needed a replacement of onboard hardware.[78][79] The impact on airline operations was relatively minor; although there were some delays, most airlines were able to complete the change within three days.[80] Avianca notably suffered bigger impacts as it had upgraded 92% of its aircraft to the software version that it had to roll back from, resulting in the airline closing ticket sales until 8 December.[81] The update has been cited as a contributing factor to the major 2025 IndiGo disruption.[82]
Competition
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The A320 family was developed to compete with 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 Generation (-600/-700/-800/-900) and the 717 during its two decades in service. As of 2010, the A320 family also faced competition from Embraer's E-195 (to the A318) and the CSeries being developed by Bombardier[83] (later Airbus A220) to the A318/A319.
Airbus has delivered 8,605 A320 family aircraft since their certification/first delivery in early 1988, with another 6,056 on firm order (as of 31 December 2018).[32] In comparison, Boeing has shipped 10,444 737-series aircraft since late 1967, including 8,918[84] since March 1988,[85] and has a further 4,763 on firm order (as of 31 December 2018).[85]
By September 2018, there were 7,251 A320ceo family aircraft in service versus 6,757 737NGs, while Airbus expected to deliver 3,174 A320neos compared with 2,999 Boeing 737 MAX through 2022. Airbus sold the A320 well to low-cost startups and offering a choice of engines could make them more attractive to airlines and lessors than the single-sourced 737, but CFM engines are extremely reliable. The six-month head start of the A320neo allowed Airbus to rack up 1,000 orders before Boeing announced the MAX. The A321 has outsold the 737-900 three to one, as the A321neo is again dominating the 737-9 MAX, to be joined by the 737-10 MAX.[86]
Maintenance
A Checks are every 750 flight hours and structural inspections are at six- and 12-year intervals.
Variants
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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,[34] to 220, on the A321.[27] They compete with the 737, 757, and 717. Because the four A320 variants share the same flight deck, all have the same pilot type rating. Today all variants are available as corporate jets. An A319 variant known as A319LR was also developed. Military versions like A319 MPA also exist. American Airlines is the largest airline operator of the A320 family of aircraft, with 392 aircraft in service as of 30 September 2017.[32]
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 have had 180-minute ETOPS (Extended-range Twin-engine Operational Performance Standards) certification capacity since 2004 (EASA) and 2006 (FAA).[87]
A318
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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 Template:Cvt. 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 Airport. Relative to other Airbus A320 family variants, the A318 has sold in only small numbers with total orders for only 80 aircraft placed since 31 October 2015[update]Template:Dated maintenance category (articles)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".. In 2018, the A318 list price was US$77.4 million.[88]
A319
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The A319 is Template:Cvt shorter than the A320.[26][29][30] Also known as the A320M-7, it is a shortened, minimum-change version of the A320 with four frames fore of the wing and three frames aft of the wing removed. With a similar fuel capacity as the A320-200 and fewer passengers, the range with 124 passengers in a two-class configuration extends to Template:Cvt, or Template:Cvt with the "Sharklets".[30] Four propulsion options available on the A319 are the Template:Cvt IAE V2500, or the Template:Cvt CFM56.[3] Although identical to those of the A320, these engines are derated because of the A319's lower MTOW.
The A319 was developed at the request of ILFC.[90] The A319's launch customer, in fact, was ILFC, which had placed an order for six A319s by 1993.[6] Anticipating further orders by Swissair and Alitalia, Airbus decided to launch the programme on 10 June 1993. Final assembly of the first A319 began on 23 March 1995[11] and it was first introduced with Swissair in April 1996. The direct Boeing competitor is the Boeing 737-700.
A total of 1,460 of the A319ceo model have been delivered with 24 remaining on order as of 30 September 2017.[32] A 1998 A319 was $35 million new; the value was halved by 2009, and reached scrap levels by 2019.[91] In 2018, the A319 list price was US$92.3 million.[88]
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The A319CJ (rebranded the ACJ319) is the corporate jet version of the A319. It incorporates removable extra fuel tanks (up to six additional centre tanks) which are installed in the cargo compartment, and an increased service ceiling of Template:Cvt.[92] Range with eight passengers' payload and auxiliary fuel tanks (ACTs) is up to Script error: No such module "convert"..[93][94] Upon resale, the aircraft can be reconfigured as a standard A319 by removing its extra tanks and corporate cabin outfit, thus maximising its resale value. It was formerly also known as the ACJ, or Airbus Corporate Jet, while starting with 2014 it has the marketing designation ACJ319.
The aircraft seats up to 39 passengers, but may be outfitted by the customers into any configuration. Tyrolean Jet Services Mfg. GmbH & CO KG, MJET and Reliance Industries are among its users. The A319CJ competes with other ultralarge-cabin corporate jets such as the Boeing 737-700-based Boeing Business Jet (BBJ) and Embraer Lineage 1000, as well as with large-cabin and ultralong-range Gulfstream G650, Gulfstream G550 and Bombardier's Global 6000. It is powered by the same engine types as the A320. The A319CJ was used by the Escadron de Transport, d'Entraînement et de Calibration which is in charge of transportation for France's officials and also by the Flugbereitschaft of the German Air Force for transportation of Germany's officials. An ACJ serves as a presidential or official aircraft of Armenia,[95] Azerbaijan, Brazil, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Germany, Italy,[96] Malaysia, Slovakia, Thailand, Turkey, Ukraine, and Venezuela.
A320
The A320 series has two variants, the A320-100 and A320-200. Only 21 A320-100s were produced.[6] These aircraft, the first to be manufactured, were delivered to Air InterTemplate:Snd later acquired by Air FranceTemplate:Snd and British Airways as a result of an order from British Caledonian made prior to its acquisition. The primary differences from the -100 were the -200's wingtip fences and increased fuel capacity, providing increased range.
Powered by two CFM56-5s or IAE V2500s with thrust ratings of Template:Cvt, the A320's typical range with 150 passengers is Template:Cvt.[26] A total of 4,512 of the A320ceo model have been delivered, with 220 remaining on order as of 30 September 2017.[32] The closest Boeing competitor is the 737-800.[97]
In 1988, the value of a new A320 was $30 million, reaching $40 million by the end of the 1990s, a 30% increase lower than the inflation, it dipped to $37 million after 2001, then peaked to $47 million in 2008, and stabilised at $40–42 million until the transition to the A320neo.[98] In 2018, its list price was US$101.0 million.[88]
A321
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As the A320 was beginning operations in 1988, the A321 was launched as its first derivative the same year.[6] The A321 fuselage is stretched by Script error: No such module "convert"., with a Template:Cvt front plug immediately forward of wing and a Template:Cvt rear plug.[3] The A321-100 maximum takeoff weight is increased by Template:Cvt to Template:Cvt.[6] To maintain performance, double-slotted flaps were included, in addition to increasing the wing area by Template:Cvt, to Template:Cvt.[25] The maiden flight of the first of two prototypes came on 11 March 1993.[11] The A321-100 entered service in January 1994 with Lufthansa.
As the A321-100 range was less than the A320, development of the heavier and longer range A321-200 began in 1995. The higher range was achieved through higher thrust engines (V2533-A5 or CFM56-5B3), minor structural strengthening, and an increase in fuel capacity with the installation of one or two optional Template:Cvt tanks in the rear underfloor hold.[3] Its fuel capacity was increased to Template:Cvt and its maximum takeoff weight to Template:Cvt. It first flew in December 1996 and entered service with Monarch Airlines in April 1997.
The A321's closest Boeing competitors are the 737-900/900ER,[97] and the 757-200.[25] In 2018, the A321 list price was US$118.3 million.[88] A total 1,784 units of the A321ceo model have been delivered, with seven remaining on order as of 30 September 2023.[32]
Conversions
Civilian variants
Passenger-to-freighter (P2F)
A programme to convert A320 and A321 aircraft into freighters was set up by Airbus Freighter Conversion GmbH. Airframes were to be converted by Elbe Flugzeugwerke GmbH (EFW) in Dresden, Germany, and Zhukovsky, Russia. Launch customer AerCap signed a firm contract on 16 July 2008 to convert 30 of its passenger A320/A321s into A320/A321P2F (passenger to freighter). However, on 3 June 2011, Airbus announced all partners would end the passenger-to-freighter programme, citing high demand on used airframes for passenger service.[99] Finally, on 17 June 2015 ST Aerospace signed agreements with Airbus and EFW for a collaboration to launch the A320/A321 passenger-to-freighter (P2F) conversion programme.[100]
- A321P2F
In August 2019, Qantas was announced as launch operator for the A321P2F converted freighter.[101] Titan Airways received its first of three A321P2F in January 2021.[102][103]
The initial converted aircraft first flew on 22 January 2020, to be delivered to Vallair, and secured EASA supplementary type certificate in February. It was to replace older converted Boeing 757s with 14 main deck and 10 lower deck positions, carrying up to Template:Cvt over Template:Cvt. Airbus sees a market for 1,000 narrowbody conversions over the 2020-2040 period.[104] On 27 October 2020, the first A321P2F was delivered to Qantas Airways, with windows and exit doors removed, and a large hydraulically actuated main cargo door installed.[105]
- A320P2F
After EFW began the first A320 conversion in March 2021, the A320P2F made its maiden three-hour flight on 8 December from Singapore.[106] The aircraft was first delivered in 2006, and its first cargo operator was to be Nairobi-based Astral Aviation from the second quarter of 2022, leased from Middle Eastern lessor Vaayu Group.[107] The A320P2F received its supplemental type certification at the end of March 2022.[108]
The A320P2F is suitable for express domestic as well as regional operations and can accommodate up to 27 metric tonnes over 1,900 nautical miles, offering space for 14 large containers/pallets on the main deck and 10 LD3-type containers on the lower deck.[77]
Military variants
- DRDO AEW&CS (Airborne Early Warning and Control System)
In late 2020, the Indian Defence Ministry greenlit the modification of six Air India A320s into Netra Mk2 airborne early warning and control aircraft for ₹10,500 crore (US$Template:To USD billion). They were to complement two Indian-built Netra and three Israeli-and-Russian-made Phalcons of the Indian Air Force.[109]
- DRDO SCA (Signals Intelligence and Communication Jamming Aircraft)
In 2019, the DRDO's Centre for Airborne Systems (CABS) initiated a programme to fulfil an Indian Air Force requirement for signals intelligence gathering, communications jamming, electronic warfare and spoofing roles.[110]Template:Sps In 2023, at Aero India, DRDO showcased a 1:32 scale model of the SCA system, outlining its capabilities.[111]Template:Ugc DRDO plans to base the SCA system on a preowned Airbus A319 or Airbus A321. In February 2024, the Indian Defence Ministry's Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) granted Acceptance of Necessity (AoN) for the acquisition of three SCA systems initially at an estimated cost of ₹6,300 crore (US$717.14 million).[112]Template:Sps[113]
Operators
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since September 2025[update]Template:Dated maintenance category (articles)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters"., there are 11,275 A320 family aircraft in commercial service with over 375 operators. The five largest operators are American Airlines (486), China Eastern Airlines (390), IndiGo (360), easyJet (357) and China Southern Airlines (345). Aircraft in operation include 41 A318s, 1,259 A319s (1,223 ceo, 36 neo), 6,418 A320s (4,156 ceo, 2,262 neo) and 3,558 A321s (1,699 ceo, 1,859 neo) aircraft. In addition, 982 A320ceo family aircraft consisting of 39 A318s, 261 A319s, 596 A320s and 85 A321s were out of service through retirement or write-off.[32]
Air France, British Airways, and Frontier Airlines are the only operators to have operated all four variants of the A320ceo family.[32] Middle East Airlines received two milestone aircraft. The first was an A320ceo with manufacturer serial number (MSN) 5,000 on 20 January 2012.[114] Eight years later, on 9 October 2020, the airline received MSN 10,000, an A321neo, at the celebration of its 75th anniversary.[115][116] In December 2022, over 10,000 A320 family aircraft were operated by more than 330 airlines, completing more than 158 million flights, or 292 million hours in the air.[32][77]
Orders and deliveries
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Script error: No such module "Labelled list hatnote". The A320ceo family was the fastest-selling airliner from 2005 to 2007.[117] Its successor, the A320neo family, improved on this with 1,420 orders and commitments in less than a year in 2011.[118] In November 2013, the A320 family aircraft reached 10,000 orders.[119] As of 2017, there were 6,965 A320 Family aircraft in service, more than the 6,864 Boeing 737s, making it the most-operated airliner ever.[120] In October 2019, the A320 family became the highest-selling airliner family with 15,193 orders, surpassing the Boeing 737's total of 15,136.[121] In August 2021, the A320 family passed the 10,000 delivery mark,[122] 33 years after its introduction, versus 50 years for the Boeing 737, which passed the 10,000 delivery mark in March 2018.[123] On 16 December 2021, the last member of the A320ceo family, an A321ceo (MSN 10315), was delivered from the Airbus Mobile assembly line in Alabama to Delta Air Lines, registered N129DN.[124] In July 2022, total orders for the A320neo family reached 8,502, exceeding the total orders for the A320ceo family of 8,120.[32] In June 2023, total orders for the A321neo reached 5,163, surpassing total orders for the A320ceo of 4,763, and making it the most-ordered variant of the A320 family.[32][125] In July 2023, total orders for the A321neo reached 5,259, surpassing the record 5,205 orders for the Boeing 737-800, making it the most ordered variant of any airliner in history.[32][85][126] In December 2023, the A320neo family became the first of airliner generations to reach a record order of 10,000 units and an order backlog of 7,000 units.[32] In September 2025, the A320 family surpassed the Boeing 737 as the most-delivered jet aircraft and thus the best-selling airliner ever.[32][85][127]
since November 2025[update]Template:Dated maintenance category (articles)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters"., a total of 12,375 A320 family aircraft have been delivered, with 6 A320ceos (2 A319s and 4 A320s from two defunct airlines) remaining in the backlog. In the first eleven months of 2025, Airbus delivered 510 A320neo family aircraft, comprising 13 A319neos, 175 A320neos and 322 A321neos. The A320 family backlog remains over the 7,000 mark, of which A321s comprise 70%, and total orders have reached 19,495,[32][77] while total orders for the competing Boeing 737 have increased slightly to 17,108 aircraft, of which 12,327 have been delivered.[85]
| Type | Orders | Deliveries | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | Backlog | Total | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| A318 | 80 | – | 80 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| A319 | 1,486 | 2 | 1,484 | – | – | – | – | 2 | 3 | 4 | 8 | 10 | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| A320 | 4,756 | 4 | 4,752 | – | – | – | – | – | 3 | 49 | 133 | 184 | 251 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| A321 | 1,784 | – | 1,784 | – | – | – | – | 22 | 9 | 38 | 99 | 183 | 222 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| -- A320ceo -- | 8,106 | 6 | 8,100 | – | – | – | – | 24 | 15 | 91 | 240 | 377 | 477 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| A319neo | 57 | 18 | 39 | 13 | 9 | 7 | 6 | 2 | – | 2 | – | – | – | ||||||||||||||||||||
| A320neo | 4,077 | 1,772 | 2,305 | 175 | 232 | 247 | 246 | 258 | 253 | 381 | 284 | 161 | 68 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| A321neo | 7,255 | 5,324 | 1,931 | 322 | 361 | 317 | 264 | 199 | 178 | 168 | 102 | 20 | – | ||||||||||||||||||||
| -- A320neo -- | 11,389 | 7,114 | 4,275 | 510 | 602 | 571 | 516 | 459 | 431 | 551 | 386 | 181 | 68 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| (A320 family) | (19,495) | (7,120) | (12,375) | (510) | (602) | (571) | (516) | (483) | (446) | (642) | (626) | (558) | (545) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Type | Deliveries | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 2014 | 2013 | 2012 | 2011 | 2010 | 2009 | 2008 | 2007 | 2006 | 2005 | 2004 | 2003 | 2002 | 2001 | 2000 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| A318 | – | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 13 | – | 17 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 9 | – | – | – | |||||||||||||||||||
| A319 | 24 | 34 | 38 | 38 | 47 | 51 | 88 | 98 | 105 | 137 | 142 | 87 | 72 | 85 | 89 | 112 | |||||||||||||||||||
| A320 | 282 | 306 | 352 | 332 | 306 | 297 | 221 | 209 | 194 | 164 | 121 | 101 | 119 | 116 | 119 | 101 | |||||||||||||||||||
| A321 | 184 | 150 | 102 | 83 | 66 | 51 | 87 | 66 | 51 | 30 | 17 | 35 | 33 | 35 | 49 | 28 | |||||||||||||||||||
| -- A320ceo -- | 490 | 491 | 493 | 455 | 421 | 401 | 402 | 386 | 367 | 339 | 289 | 233 | 233 | 236 | 257 | 241 | |||||||||||||||||||
| -- A320neo -- | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | |||||||||||||||||||
| (A320 family) | (490) | (491) | (493) | (455) | (421) | (401) | (402) | (386) | (367) | (339) | (289) | (233) | (233) | (236) | (257) | (241) | |||||||||||||||||||
| Type | Deliveries | ||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | 1998 | 1997 | 1996 | 1995 | 1994 | 1993 | 1992 | 1991 | 1990 | 1989 | 1988 | ||||||||||
| A318 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | |||||||||
| A319 | 88 | 53 | 47 | 18 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | |||||||||
| A320 | 101 | 80 | 58 | 38 | 34 | 48 | 71 | 111 | 119 | 58 | 58 | 16 | |||||||||
| A321 | 33 | 35 | 22 | 16 | 22 | 16 | – | – | – | – | – | – | |||||||||
| -- A320ceo -- | 222 | 168 | 127 | 72 | 56 | 64 | 71 | 111 | 119 | 58 | 58 | 16 | |||||||||
| -- A320neo -- | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | |||||||||
| (A320 family) | (222) | (168) | (127) | (72) | (56) | (64) | (71) | (111) | (119) | (58) | (58) | (16) | |||||||||
Data since November 2025[update]Template:Dated maintenance category (articles)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".[32][128]
Template:Deliveries of Airbus A320 and Boeing 737
Accidents and incidents
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since June 2024[update]Template:Dated maintenance category (articles)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters"., across the entire A320 family, 180 major aviation accidents and incidents have occurred,[129] including 38 hull loss accidents (the latest being Air Busan Flight 391 on 28 January 2025),[130] resulting in a total of 1490 fatalities.[131] The A320 family has experienced 50 incidents in which several flight displays were lost.[132]
As of 2015, the Airbus A320 family had experienced 0.12 fatal hull loss accidents for every million takeoffs and 0.26 total hull loss accidents for every million takeoffs.[133]
As of 2023, the Airbus A320 family had experienced 0.095 (0.08 for A320ceo and 0.11 for A320neo) fatal hull loss accidents for every million takeoffs and 0.14 (0.17 for A320ceo and 0.11 for A320neo) total hull loss accidents for every million takeoffs.[134]
Aircraft on display
| Photograph | Registration number | Model | Build date | First flight | Last flight | Operator | Location | Status | Notes | Refs. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| File:Transfert A320.jpg | F-WWAI | Airbus A320-100 | 1987 | 22 February 1987 | 28 August 2019 | Airbus | Aeroscopia in Blagnac, France | On static display | First A320 ever built. | [135] |
| File:N106US aviation museum.jpg | N106US | Airbus A320-214 | 1999 | 15 June 1999 | 15 January 2009 | US Airways | Sullenberger Aviation Museum in Charlotte, North Carolina | On static display | Aircraft that flew US Airways Flight 1549 | [136][137][138][139][140][141] |
SpecificationsTemplate:Sticky header
Aircraft type designations
| Aircraft model | Certification date | Engines[89] |
|---|---|---|
| A318-111 | 23 May 2003 | CFM56-5B8/P |
| A318-112 | 23 May 2003 | CFM56-5B9/P |
| A318-121 | 21 December 2005 | PW6122A |
| A318-122 | 21 December 2005 | PW6124A |
| A319-111 | 10 April 1996 | CFM56-5B5 or 5B5/P |
| A319-112 | 10 April 1996 | CFM56-5B6 or 5B6/P or 5B6/2P |
| A319-113 | 31 May 1996 | CFM56-5A4 or 5A4/F |
| A319-114 | 31 May 1996 | CFM56-5A5 or 5A5/F |
| A319-115 | 30 July 1999 | CFM56-5B7 or 5B7/P |
| A319-131 | 18 December 1996 | IAE Model V2522-A5 |
| A319-132 | 18 December 1996 | IAE Model V2524-A5 |
| A319-133 | 30 July 1999 | IAE Model V2527M-A5 |
| A320-111 | 26 February 1988 | CFM56-5A1 or 5A1/F |
| A320-211 | 8 November 1988 | CFM56-5A1 or 5A1/F |
| A320-212 | 20 November 1990 | CFM56-5A3 |
| A320-214 | 10 March 1995 | CFM56-5B4 or 5B4/P or 5B4/2P |
| A320-215 | 22 June 2006 | CFM56-5B5 |
| A320-216 | 14 June 2006 | CFM56-5B6 |
| A320-231 | 20 April 1989 | IAE Model V2500-A1 |
| A320-232 | 28 September 1993 | IAE Model V2527-A5 |
| A320-233 | 12 June 1996 | IAE Model V2527E-A5 |
| A321-111 | 27 May 1995 | CFM56-5B1 or 5B1/P or 5B1/2P |
| A321-112 | 15 February 1995 | CFM56-5B2 or 5B2/P |
| A321-131 | 17 December 1993 | IAE Model V2530-A5 |
| A321-211 | 20 March 1997 | CFM56-5B3 or 5B3/P or 5B3/2P |
| A321-212 | 31 August 2001 | CFM56-5B1 or 5B1/P or 5B1/2P |
| A321-213 | 31 August 2001 | CFM56-5B2 or 5B2/P |
| A321-231 | 20 March 1997 | IAE Model V2533-A5 |
| A321-232 | 31 August 2001 | IAE Model V2530-A5 |
See also
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Related development
Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era
- Airbus A220
- Boeing 717
- Boeing 737 Classic
- Boeing 737 Next Generation
- Boeing 757
- Comac C919
- Embraer 195
- Irkut MC-21
- McDonnell Douglas MD-80
- McDonnell Douglas MD-90
- Tupolev Tu-204
Related lists
Notes
References
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- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Template:Cite video
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "Citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "Citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ a b c Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Aviation Week & Space Technology, 29 October 2007, p. 63
- ↑ a b c d Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ a b c d e Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Airbus A320 Family approved for 180 minute ETOPS by the FAA Template:Webarchive Airbus
- ↑ a b c d Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ a b c d e Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ ACJ Specifications Template:Webarchive, airbus.com
- ↑ "ACJ Analysis" Business & Commercial Aviation Magazine – July 2002, Page 44
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Template:Cite tweet
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Cite error: Script error: No such module "Namespace detect".Script error: No such module "Namespace detect".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "Citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ a b c d Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".
External links
Script error: No such module "Side box".
- Official Airbus website of the A320 aircraft family
- Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
Script error: No such module "Navbox". Template:Airbus A3xx timeline Template:Italian military aircraft