The Airbus A320 has 4 flap configurations, which are manually extended sequentially.

Each wing has 2 flap surfaces, and five slat surfaces, which are electrically controlled and
hydraulically operated. Flaps extend outward, from the trailing edge of the wing. Slats
extend downward, from the leading edge of the wing. When slats are extended, they
smoothen the airflow over the wing, even when the wing meets the airflow at high
angles, thus preventing airflow separation, which would otherwise lead to a stall. Flaps
effectively increase both the curvature and the surface area of the wing, leading to a high
lift even at a low speed, allowing the aircraft to land in a slow and controlled manner.
The flap lever selects simultaneous operation of the slats and flaps. Henry opted for
configuration FULL for landing, which extends the flaps to 40 degrees down, and the slats
to 27 degrees, both from the horizontal referenced to the wing surface. The FMS
calculated approach speed, which would be maintained by the auto flight system, for the
computed landing weight and flap configuration was 135kts. Each time the next flap
position was selected, the drag increased, and the engines surged ahead to maintain the
speed, before reducing the thrust to match the automatically targeted lower speed for
the given flap setting. It was a nice feeling to be pinned to the seat every now and then.




Airbus looks to Sharklet structure to
lay A320neo groundwork
by Jon Ostrower on November 27, 2011 in Uncategorised

Following last weeks roll-out of the first Airbus A320 fitted with Sharklets and the new
addition of its shark teeth there were a lot of questions about what modifications were
required to actually fit the new winglets to the narrowbody.
The extent of the modifications made to A320 MSN001 should provide an indication of
why a retrofit program may prove to be extremely costly for in-service pre-2012 A320s.
The flight testing had initially been slated to begin in October, though the installation of
the required structure for the Sharklets proved tedious, with additional work needed in
the original 1987-model narrowbody, which has been changed multiple times during its
life as a flight test aircraft.
To equip an already-built A320 for flight test, Airbus had to remove the wings flaps and
slats to then remove the wing skin for internal reinforcement and installation of flight test
instrumentation. While there are no changes to the wings spar configuration, the outer
spar and most ribs are strengthened with added material.
Of the ribs in the wing of an A320, Rib 27, the outer-most, has been fully redesigned to
offer compatibility with the current wing fences and the option to fit the Sharklet at a later
date. All of the ribs outboard of Rib 8 have been strengthened after Airbus re-studied the
higher bending yaw and torque loads that would come from the installation of the new
wingtip treatment.

Further, Airbus is also strengthening the aircrafts center wing box in some local areas,
though rather than make second modification for the updates to the structure for the
A320neo starting in 2015, the airframer will add all the modifications in pretty much one
pass on the first Sharklet-equipped A320, says Tom Williams, Airbus executive vice
president programmes.
So we think well have it done in a way that will take care of both Sharklet and Neo
without having to have two iterations of it, he adds of the incremental approach to the
new variants development.
Additional inboard rib and spar reinforcement for the added maximum takeoff weight and
new CFM Leap-1A and Pratt & Whitney PW1100G engines will be incorporated when the
A320neo goes into production well ahead of the October 2015 service entry with Qatar
Airways.
The strengthened Sharklet center wing box will mean higher structural weight in those
areas, though Williams says an airframe-wide weight-reduction plan of around 440lbs
(200kgs) will make the reinforcement weight neutral.
If you take a delivery of an aircraft last year (2010) and an aircraft next year (2012),
Williams said in April, Youll not be able to tell the difference between fuel burn and
performance of those aircraft; whether theyre Sharklet-ready aircraft or not. So, I think
its a pretty good incorporation of some very sound engineering work.
The new Sharklet-ready wings are expected to enter the production system in early 2012
and will be delivered to customers with wingtip fences before being modified with the
new winglets following their EASA certification late next year.
- See more at:
http://www.flightglobal.com/blogs/flightblogger/2011/11/airbus_looks_to_sharklet_struc/#sthash.TS4x
O2b4.dpuf








AIRBUS A318 AIRCRAFT HISTORY, FACTS AND
PHOTOS


The A318, also known as the "Mini-Airbus" or "baby 'bus", is the smallest member of the A320
family, and the smallest Airbus of any kind.
It originated from the AVIC and Airbus Industrie Asia cooperation program AE31X. During development, it was known as the "A319M3," thus
indicating its history as a direct derivative of the A319. "M3" indicates "minus three fuselage frames." The aircraft is six metres shorter and 14
tonnes lighter than the A320. To compensate for the reduced moment arm it has a larger vertical stabilizer, making it 80 centimetres taller than the
other A320 variants. Pilots who are trained on the other variants may fly the A318 with no further certification, since it features the same type rating
as its sister aircraft.
The A318 has a passenger capacity of 109 in a two-class configuration. It is intended to replace early Boeing 737 and Douglas DC-9 models,
though it is also a rival to the 737-600. Boeing also offered their 717 aircraft as a competitor, although it was suitable primarily for regional routes
and did not have the A318's range capabilities.

The A318 is available with a variety of different maximum take-off weights (MTOW) ranging from a 59 tonne, 2,750 km (1,500 nautical mile) base
model to a 68 tonne, 6,000 km (3,240 nautical mile) version. The lower MTOW enables it to operate regional routes economically whilst sacrificing
range and the higher MTOW allows it to complement other members of the A320 family on marginal routes. The lighter weight of the A318 gives it
an operating range 10% greater than the A320, allowing it to serve some routes that the A320 would be unable to: London-Tel Aviv, London-New
York and Singapore-Tokyo, for instance. Its main use for airlines, however, is on short, low-density hops between medium cities.
During the design process, the A318 ran into several problems. The first one was the decline in demand for new aircraft following the September
11, 2001 attacks. Another one was the new Pratt & Whitney turbofan engines, which burned more fuel than expected: by the time CFMI had a more
efficient engine ready for market, many A318 customers had already backed out, including Air China and British Airways. America West Airlines,
which had selected the Pratt & Whitney engines, amended its A318 orders, opting instead for A319 or A320 aircraft. Trans World Airlines canceled
a significant order for 50 A318 after being acquired by American Airlines, which does not operate any A320 family aircraft (although, neither did
TWA when the order was originally placed). While Airbus was hoping to market the A318 as a regional jet alternative, laws in both the U.S. and
Europe have kept it in the same class as larger aircraft for calculating landing fees and the like, so regional operators have avoided it.
It is powered by two CFM56-5 or Pratt & Whitney PW6000 with thrust ranges between 21,600 to 23,800 lb (10,800 kg)f (96 to 106 kN) thrust. Launch
customers Frontier Airlines and Air France took deliveries in 2003, with Frontier receiving their models in July of that year. The price of an A318
ranges from $39 to $45 million, and operating costs are around $3,000 for a 500 nm (926 km) flight.
While designing the A318, Airbus included a number of technology upgrades, many of which have been integrated into the rest of the A320 family.
Some are also finding their way to the A380 jumbo aircraft. These upgrades include:
A new touchscreen LCD panel at the flight attendants' stations in the cabin, to simplify access to environmental and communications controls
New cabin lighting based on LED light sources, instead of halogen and fluorescent bulbs
Electrically powered backup braking systems, improving upon the older design using reserve hydraulic pressure
The use of laser beam welding during construction, used to fasten floor stringers to the lower fuselage shell. Laser welding eliminates the need for
rivets to secure the joint, which saves weight, and is faster, saving on assembly time.
Orders for the A318 have been quite slow, but about 50% better than for its direct competitor the B737-600. Airbus had received 100 orders (May
14, 2007) for this model compared to 69 for the B737-600. The sales pace has been influenced by the strong sales of the Bombardier CRJ900 and
Embraer E-Jets series. Notable A318 customers were Air France, 18; Frontier Airlines, 10 (+ 1 order); LAN Chile, 20 orders; and Mexicana, 10
orders. In October 2006 an A318 was successfully tested at London City Airport for steep approach compatibility, which will allow operators to
serve airports constrained by noise restrictions, tall buildings or difficult terrain.

A318 Elite
On 10 November 2005 Airbus announced the A318 Elite. The Airbus A318 Elite is aimed at the medium-range market for flights of up to 4,000 nm
(7400 km) range, with a choice of two cabin layouts seating up to 14 and 18 passengers, and will be powered by CFM engines. Comlux Aviation
became the launch customer by ordering three A318 Elite aircraft.
Freighter
A programme to convert A320 and A321 aircraft into freighters is being set up by Airbus Freighter Conversion GmbH. Airframes will be converted
by EADS EFW in Dresden, Germany, and Zhukovsky, Russia . The launch customer AerCap signed a firm contract on 16 July 2008 to convert 30 of
AerCaps passenger A320/A321s into A320/A321P2F (passenger to freighter). The first aircraft will be ready in 2011 and serial production is
scheduled to begin in early 2012.
A320 Enhanced
A320 Enhanced (or A320E) is the working title for an improved version of the A320, which is planed to be delivered in 2009. The improvements will
incorporate engine improvements, an aerodynamic tidy-up, weight savings and a new cabin.
Photos of the Airbus A318 Airliner and Airbus A318 ELITE




















Civil Aircraft







Airbus is an aircraft manufacturing subsidiary of EADS, an European Aerospace Defence and Space
Company.

Airbus A300
The Airbus A300 is a short to medium range widebody aircraft. Launched in 1972 as world's first
product of the Airbus consortium of European aerospace companies, wholly owned today by EADS.
The A300 ceased production in July 2007, along with the smaller A310.

The mission requirements were given in 1966 by Frank Kolk, an American Airlines executive, for
Boeing 727 replacement on busy short to medium range routes such as US transcontinental flights.
His brief included a passenger capacity of 250 to 300 seated in a twin-aisle configuration and fitted
with two engines, with the capability of carrying full passengers without penalty from high altitude
airports like Denver. American manufacturers responded with widebody trijets, the McDonnell Douglas
DC-10 and the Lockheed L-1011 Tristar, as twinjets were banned from many routes by the FAA.
French president Charles de Gaulle resented the US domination of civil aviation and wanted a
European airliner that could compete with American designs. Concorde was part of the answer,
designed for intercontinental routes; the other was the A300, designed to meet Kolk's US domestic
requirements.

In September 1967, the British, French, and German governments signed a Memorandum of
understanding (MoU) to start development of the 300-seat Airbus A300. An earlier announcement had
been made in July 1967, but at that time the announcement had been clouded by the British
Government's support for the Airbus, which coincided with its refusal to back British Aircraft
Corporation (BAC) proposed competitor, a development of the BAC 1-11, despite a preference for the
latter expressed by British European Airways (BEA).

Another problem was the requirement for a new engine to be developed by Rolls Royce, the RB207.
In December 1968, the French and British partner companies (Sud Aviation and Hawker Siddeley)
proposed a revised configuration, the 250-seat Airbus A250. Renamed the A300B, the aircraft would
not require new engines, reducing development costs. To attract potential US customers, American
General Electric CF6-50 engines powered the A300 instead of British RB207. The British government
was upset and withdrew from the venture; however, the British from Hawker-Siddeley stayed on as a
contractor, developing the wings for the A300, which were pivotal in later version's impressive
performance from short domestic to long intercontinental flights.

In 1972 the A300 made its maiden flight. The first production model, the A300B2, entered in service in
1974. The A300 was the first airliner to use just in time manufacturing techniques. Complete aircraft
sections were manufactured by consortium partners all over Europe. These were airlifted to the final
assembly line at Toulouse-Blagnac by a fleet of Boeing 377-derived Aero Spacelines Super Guppy
aircraft.











Informations obtained : James Gibb's Civil Aircraft
Images obtained : Google Images & Flightglobal.com


AIRBUS A320
The Airbus A320 faily of short to medium range commercial passenger airliners manufactured by
Airbus, Family members include the A318, A319, A320, and A321, as well as the ACJ business jet.

First delivered in 1988, the A320 pioneered the use of digital fly-by-wire flight control system in a
commercial aircraft. With more than 3,000 aircraft of the A320 family built, it is the second best selling
jet airliner family of all time after the family's primary competition, the Boeing 737.

After the initial success of the A300, Airbus began developing a new model aimed at replacing the
world's most popular aircraft at the time, the Boeing 727. The new Airbus would be of the same size,
yet offer improved operating economics and various passenger capacities. The digital technology in
the A320 would herald a two generation technology leap over the all analogue Boeing 727 and be a
generation ahead of the Boeing 737-300/-400/-500 series. The A320 was targeted at the global fleet
replacement requirements for the 727 and early variants of the 737.

After the oil price rises in 1970s, Airbus needed to minimise the trip fuel costs of the A320. To that
end, Airbus incorporated advanced features including fly-by-wire flight control, composite primary
structures, centre of gravity control using fuel, glass cockpit (EFIS) and a two-person flight deck. The
end result was the A320 consumes 50% less fuel than the 727.

Bernard Ziegler was the initiator of the aircraft's then revolutionary fly-by-wire flights controls with
sidestick cockpit controller and full glass cockpit. He successfully convinced aviation authorities of the
concepts validity.

Components from various Airbus plants are transported to the final assembly plant at Hamburg
Finkenwerder for the A318/ A319/ A320/ A321 and to Toulouse Blagnac for the A320. Nearly all
assemblies are moved using Airbus A300-600ST 'Beluga' outsized transporters. The Airbus A320s
sold to China to be delivered between 2009 and 2012 will be assembled in the People's Republic of
China in Tianjin. The A320 family has the highest production rate ever for any commercial airliner. In
response to continuing strong demand, Airbus continues its steady production ramp-up programme
from 30 aircraft per month reached at the end of 2006, to 32 in mid of 2009, and 40 by end of 2009.

The A320 features a computerised on board maintenance system. With the exeption of the very
earliest A320s, most can be upgraded to the latest avionics standards, keeping the aircraft advanced
even after two decades in service.

The flight deck is equipped with EFIS with sidestick controllers. At the time of the aircraft's
introduction, the behaviour of the fly-by-wire system (equipped with full flight envelope protection) was
a new experience for many pilots.

Two suppliers provide turbofan engines for the A320 series: CFM International with their CFM56, and
International Aero Engines, offering the V2500.












Informations Obtained : James Gibb's Civil Aircraft
Images Obtained : Google Images & Flightglobal.com



Airbus A330
The Airbus A330 is a large capacity, wide body, medium to long range commercial passenger airliner.
It was developed at the same time as the four engined Airbus A340.

The A330's fuselage and wings are virtually identical to those of the smaller A340 variants, although it
has a different engines. The A330 basic fuselage design is inherited from the A300, as is the
nose/cockpit section and the fly-by-wire system and flight deck from the A320. Both the A330 and
A340 are assembled on the same final assembly line at Toulouse-Blagnac, France.

By the end of March 2008, a total of 921 A330's had been ordered and 533 delivered.

There are two main variants of the A330. The A330-300 was launched in 1987 with introduction into
service in 1993. The A300-200 was launched in 1995, introduced in 1998 and comes in passenger,
freighter and tanker versions.

The A330-200 was developed to compete with the Boeing 767-300ER. The A330-200 is similar to the
A340-200 or a shortened version of A330-300. With poor sales of the A340-200 (of which only 28
were built), Airbus decided to use the fuselage of the A340-200 with the wings and engines of the
A330-300. This significantly improved the economics of the plane and made the model more popular
than the four engined variant.

Its vertical fin is taller than that of the A330-300 to restore its effectiveness due to the shorter moment
arm of the shorter fuselage. It has additional fuel capacity and, like the A330-300, has a Maximum
Take Off Weight (MTOW) of 233 tonnes. Typical range with 253 passengers in a three class
configuration is 12,500 km (6,750 nautical miles).

Power is provided by two General Electric CF6-80E, Pratt & Whitney PW4000 or Rolls Royce Trent
700 engines. All engines are ETOPS-180 min rated. First customer deliveries, to ILFC/Canada 3000,
were in April 1998.

The A330-200 has sold strongly since its launch, outselling the Beoing 767-300ER by 23 to 9 in 2004.
As a result, Boeing has asked both Rolls Royce and GE to design engines that enable 787 Dreamliner
to be more 15% economical than A330-200.

Due to flagging A300-600F and A310F sales, Airbus first began marketing a freighter derivative of the
A330-200 around 2000-2001, although it was not launched at this time. The A330-200F re-emerged at
the 2006 Farnborough Air Show and received its industrial go ahead in January 2007. Entry into
service is planned for the second half of 2009.

The A330-200F is a mid-size, long haul all-cargo aircraft capable of carrying 64 tonnes over 4,000 NM
/ 7,400 km, or 69 tonnes up to 3,200 NM / 5,930 km. It introduces a new versatile main-deck cargo
loading system that will be able to accommodate both pallets and containers. Several different
arrangements will be possible on the main deck, taking up to 23 Side by Side (SBS) pallets, aimed at
the high volume, high value commodities or Single Row (SR) loading of 16 pallets (96"x96"x125" SR
pallets) and/or nine AMA containers aimed at the general cargo higher density markets.













Informations Obtained : James Gibb's Civil Aircraft
Image Obtained : Google Image & Airplane-Pictures.net


Airbus A340
The Airbus A340 seats between 261 and 380 passengers, and has a range between 6,700 and 9,000
NM. It is similar in design to the twin engined A330.

The first published studies for the A340 were as the TA11 in 1981, as shown in the November issue of
Air International Magazine (coinciding with the display of the A300 at that years's Franborough Air
Show). Concept drawings of the A320 (SA 9) and and A330 (TA 9) were also published, along with
estimated performance figures by Airbus Industry

The A340 was launched in June 1987 as a long range complement to the short range A320 and the
medium range A300. At the time, Airbus's twinjet's were at a disadvantage against aircraft such as
Boeing 747 because of the ETOPS problem as defined by the current regulations: two engined aircraft
had to stay within 60 minutes' of flying distance of a suitable diversion airport, which prevented them
from competing on long overwater routes. Furthermore, the existing ETOPS immune widebodies in the
250-300 seat range, the trijet DC-10 and L-1011, were aging, as they had been in service since the
early 1970's. The A340 was designed in parallel with the twin engined A330: both aircraft share the
same wing and similar fuselage structure, and borrow heavily from the advanced avionics and
composite structure technology developed for the A320.

Both the A330 and A340 are assembled on the same final assembly line at Toulouse-Blegnac, france.
The four engined A340is able to fly long over water routes. Because of its ETOPS-immunity, Virgin
Atlantic Airways used the motto "4 Engines 4 Long Haul," on its A340 fleet.

The A340 was originally intended to use the new superfan engines of IAE (International Aero Engines)
in the A340 but IAE decided to stop their development. The engines nacelles of the superfan engine
consisted of provisions to allow a large fan near the rear of the engine. As a result of the superfan
cancellation by IAE, the CFMI CFM-5C4 was used as the sole engine choice instead of being an
alternate choice as originally envisioned. The longer range versions, the A340-500 and 600, are
powered by Rolls Royce Trent 500 engines.

When the A340 first flew in 1991, engineers noticed that the wings were not strong enough to carry
the outboard engines at cruising speed without warping and fluttering. To alleviate this, an underwing
bulge called a plastron was developed to correct airflow problems around the engine pylons and to
add stiffness. The modified A340 began commercial service in 1993 with Lufthansa and Air France.

The A340 incorporates high technology features such as fully digital fly-by-wire flight control system. It
also uses a sidestick controller instead of normal control columns. There is one joystick to the left of
the pilot and one to the right of the co-pilot. The A340's flight deck is highly similar to the A320's, and
employs a common pilot rating with the A330. This enables A330/A340 flightcrews to fly A320 and
vice-versa with minimal extra training. This saves costs for airliners that operates both aircraft families.
The cockpit also features CRT-based glass cockpit displays on the A340-200 and A340-300 and LCD
based on - 500 and -600. Some composite primary structures are also used.














Informations Obtained : James Gibb's Civil Aircraft
Image Obtained : Google Images & Flightglobal.com



Airbus A350
The Airbus A350 is a long range, mid sized, wide body family of airliners currently under development,
designed to compete with Boeing 777 and Boeing 787. The A350 will be the first Airbus with fuselage
and wing structures made primarily of carbon fiber reinforced plastic. It is scheduled to enter in service
in 2013.

When Boeing announced its 787 Dreamliner project, it claimed the lower operating costs of this
airplane would make it a serious threat to the Airbus A330. Publicly, Airbus initially rejected this claim,
stating that the 787 was itself just a reaction to the A330, and that no response was needed to the
787.

The airlines pushed Airbus to provide a competitor, as Boeing had committed the 787 to have 20%
lower fuel consumption than today's equivalent types. Initially Airbus proposed a simple derivative of
A330, unofficially dubbed of the 'A330-200Lite', with improved aerodynamics and engines similar to
those on the 787. The airlines were not satisfied and Airbus committed 4 billion to a new design to be
called the A350. The original version of the A350 superficially resembled the A330 due to its common
fuselage cross-section and assembly. A new wing, engines and a horizontal stabilizer were to be
coupled with new composite materials and production methods applied to the fuselage to make the
A350 an almost all-new aircraft.

On 6 October 2005 full industrial launch of the program was announced with an estimated
development cost of around 3.5 billion. This version of the A350 was planned to be a 250-300 seat
twin engined wide body aircraft derived from the design of the existing A330. Under this plan, the
A350 would have modified wings and new engines while sharing the same fuselage cross section as
its predecessor. Controversially, the fuselage was to consist primarily of Al-Li rather than the CFRP
fuselage on the 787. It was to see entry into service in 2010 in two versions; the A350-800 capable of
flying 8.800 nautical miles (16,300 km) with typical passenger capacity of 253 in 3-class configuration
and the 300-seat (3-class) A350-900 with 7,500 nautical mile (13,890 km) range.

On September 2007, Airbus rolled out new design advances to a gathering of 100 representatives
from existing and potential XWB customers. The A350 XWB will be built on the technologies
developed for Airbus A380 and will have similar cockpit and fly-by-wire systems layout. Airbus claim
that 52% of the aircraft will be made out of composites, 20% Al/Al-Li, 14% titanium, 7% steel, and 7%
the balance. This compares to the Boeing 787, which consists of 50% composites, 20% aluminium,
15% titanium, 10% steel and 5% the balance. October 2008 is the Airbus internal goal to freeze the
design and Airbus expects 10% lower airframe maintenance cost and 14% lower empty seat weight
than competing aircraft.

Airbus claims that the new design provides a better cabin atmosphere with 16% humidity level during
flight cruise and typical cabin altitude at or below 6,000 ft, pressurization at 6,000 ft (1,800 m) and flow
management system that adapts cabin airflow to passenger load with draft-free air circulation.
















Informations Obtained : James Gibb's Civil Aircraft
Image Obtained : Google Image, Flightglobal.com, & AviationExplorer.com


Airbus A380
The Airbus 380 is a double-deck, wide-body, four engine airliner manufactured by the European
corporation Airbus, an EADS (European Aeronautic Defence and Space company) subsidiary. The
largest passenger airliner in the world. The A380 made its maiden flight on 27th April 2005 from
Toulouse, France, and made its first commercial flight on 25th October 2007 from Singapore to
Sydney with Singapore Airlines. The aircraft was known as the Airbus A3XX during much of its
development phase, but the nickname Superjumbo has since become associated with it.

The A380's upper deck extends along the entire length of the fuselage. This allows for a cabin with
50% more floor than the next-largest airliner, the Boeing 747-400, and provides seating for 525 people
in standard three class configuration or up to 853 people in all economy class configuration. The A380
is offered in passenger and freighter versions. The A380-800, the passenger model, is the largest
passenger airliner in the world, superseding the Boeing 747, but has a shorter fuselage than the
Airbus A340-600 which is Airbus's next biggest passenger aeroplane. The A380-800F, the freighter
model, is offered as one of the largest freighter aircraft, with a listed payload capacity exceeded only
by Antonov AN-225. The A380-800 has a design range of 15,200 kilometres (8,200 nmi), sufficient to
fly from New York to Hong Kong for example, and a cruising speed of Mach 0.85 (about 900 km/h or
560 mph at cruise altitude).

On 19 Dcember 2000, the supervisory board of newly restructured Airbus voted to launch a Euro 8.8
billion program to rebuild the A3XX, re-christened as the A380, with 55 orders from six launch
customers. The A380 designation was a break from previous Airbus families, which had progressed
sequentially from A300 to A340. It was chosen because the number 8 resembles the double-deck
cross section, and is a lucky number in some Asian countries where the aircraft was being marketed.
The aircraft's final configuration was frozen in early 2001, and manufacturing of the first A380 wing box
component started on 23rd January 2002. The development cost of the A380 had grown to Euro 11
billion when the first aircraft was completed.

Boeing, meanwhile, restructed the 747X programme several times before finally launching the 747-8
Intercontinental in November 2005 (with entry into service planned 2009). Boeing chose to develop a
derivative for the 400 to 500 seat market, instead of matching the A380's capacity.

Major structural sections of the A380 are built in France, Germany, Spain, and the United Kingdom.
Due to their size, they are brought to the assembly hall in Toulouse in France by the surface
transportation, rather than by the A300-600ST Beluga aircraft used for other Airbus models.
Components of the A380 are provided by suppliers from around the world; SAFRAN, United
Technologies, General Electric, and Goodrich.



















A318
The A318 brings all the benefits of Airbus commonality and comfort to the 100-seat market segment.
FAMILY RELATIONSHIP

The A318 is the smallest A320 Family member
The A318 extends Airbus A320 Family product line into the 100-seat commercial jetliner market
segment. Joining the A319, A320 and A321, it provides Airbus with one family of single-aisle aircraft
that covers capacities from 100 to 220 seats.
As the smallest A320 Family member, the A318s fuselage is 2.39 metres shorter than the
A319. Takeoff weight choices of up to 66 metric tonnes provide airlines with greater operating
flexibility and higher loads in operating the A318, with a maximum flight range of 2,800 km.
Designed to serve markets with frequent services on low-density routes, the A318 accommodates 107
passengers in a typical two-class cabin configuration. Airlines enjoy the benefits of Airbus technology,
including one of the newest wing designs in its size category and the application of advanced
materials in the airframe providing more efficient operations and lower fuel consumption.
WIDE CABIN COMFORT
Airlines and passengers both benefit from the A318s wide cabin, which ensures a high level of
comfort and provides large overhead bins for carry-on luggage. The cabin cross-section also offers
unrivalled cabin flexibility, ranging from four-abreast first class and five-abreast business seating to
comfortable five- and six-abreast economy class arrangements.
Unlike certain competitors, the A318 has large passenger and service doors at both the front and rear
of the aircraft, allowing galley servicing and cabin cleaning to be carried out simultaneously. These
larger doors speed passenger flow as well as the servicing.

INTELLIGENT DESIGN

The advanced systems designed into the A318 begin with Airbus fly-by-wire flight controls and a
state-of-the-art cockpit, which is shared with all of the other A320 Family aircraft. This enables A318
pilots to fly any other A320 Family jetliner with a single type rating, allowing airlines to schedule the
aircraft best matched to passenger bookings on a per-flight basis. Pilots rated on the A318 also can
transition more easily to the other fly-by-wire members of Airbus product line due to their high degree
of commonality.
Also incorporated in the A318 is Airbus digital cabin management system, which controls the
operating of cabin lighting, pre-recorded messages, emergency evacuation signalling and other cabin-
related tasks. It can verify the quantity of potable water onboard and allow a preselect of the quantity
to be loaded, while the systems digital databus allows the functioning of all passenger service units to
be checked from one point.
STEEP APPROACH CAPABILITY
Airbus A318 is the largest commercial aircraft certified to land at steeper-than-usual gradients, making
it ideal for operations at such constrained locations as downtown airports translating to significant
cost and time savings for business travellers.
Since 2009, British Airways is operating A318s with steep approach capability from the in-close
London City Airport to New York's JFK International Airport. These aircraft are equipped for premium
service with seats that convert into full lie-flat beds, along with OnAir connectivity for passengers.


Airbus A318
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A318

Role Narrow-body jet airliner
National origin Multi-national
Manufacturer Airbus
First flight 15 January 2002
Introduction 2003 with Frontier Airlines
Status In service
Primary users Air France
Avianca
Avianca Brazil
Produced 2002present
Number built 79 as of June 2013
[1]

Unit cost US$70.1 million, 53 million (2013)
[2]

Developed from Airbus A320
The Airbus A318 is the smallest member of the Airbus A320 family of short- to medium-range, narrow-
body, commercial passenger jet airliners manufactured by Airbus Industrie.
[Note 1]
The A318 carries up to 132
passengers and has a maximum range of 3,100 nmi (5,700 km; 3,600 mi).
[3]
Final assembly of the aircraft
takes place in Toulouse, France.
The aircraft 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.
[4]

The A318 entered service in July 2003 with Frontier Airlines. Relative to other Airbus A320 family variants, it
has sold in only small numbers with total orders for only 81 aircraft placed as of 30 November 2012 and
after 2 subsequent cancellations and one final delivery in H1 2013 the order book is now empty with 79
Aircraft delivered.
[5][1]

Contents
[hide]
1 Development
o 1.1 Background
o 1.2 Design phase
o 1.3 Further developments
2 Design
o 2.1 Steep approach capability
3 Operational history
4 Operators
o 4.1 Orders and deliveries
5 Specifications
o 5.1 Engines
6 See also
7 References
8 External links
Development[edit]
Background[edit]
The first member of the A320 family was the A320 which was launched in March 1984 and first flew on 22
February 1987.
[6]
The family was soon extended to include the A321 (first delivered 1994), the A319 (1996),
and the A318 (2003). The A320 family pioneered the use of digital fly-by-wire flight control systems, as well
as side stick controls, in commercial aircraft.
The A318 was born out of mid-1990s studies between Aviation Industries 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.
[7]
The former was to have
an overall length of 31.3 metres (102 ft 8 in), while the AE317 would be longer by 3.2 metres (10 ft 6 in), at
34.5 metres (113 ft 2 in).
[8]
The engines would be supplied from two BMW Rolls-Royce BR715s, CFM56-9s,
or Pratt & Whitney PW6000s;
[7][8]
with a maximum take-off weight (MTOW) of 53.3 tonnes (118,000 lb) for
the smaller version and 58 tonnes (128,000 lb) for the AE317. The thrust requirements were 77.984.6
kilonewtons (17,50019,000 lbf) and 84.691.2 kilonewtons (19,00020,500 lbf), respectively.
[8]
Range was
settled at 5,200 kilometres (2,800 nmi) and 5,800 kilometres (3,100 nmi) for the high gross weight versions
of both variants.
[8]
Both would share a wingspan of 31.0 metres (101 ft 8 in)
[8]
and a flight deck similar to that
of the A320 family. Costing $2 billion to develop, aircraft production was to take place in China.
[7]

Design phase[edit]
The aircraft was first named A319M5 in as early as March 1995, as an A319 derivative with fuselage
shortening of 0.79 metres (2 ft 7 in) ahead of the wing and 1.6 metres (5 ft 3 in) behind.
[9]
The final proposal
was for a 107-passenger two-class layout, and a range of 3,350 kilometres (1,810 nmi), or 6,850 kilometres
(3,700 nmi) with upcoming Sharklets.
[3]
The aircraft's production took advantage of laser welding,
eliminating the necessity for heavy rivets and bolts. Overall, the A318 is over six metres shorter and around
3 t (6,600 lb) lighter than the A320. To compensate for the reduced moment arm it has a larger vertical
stabiliser, making it 75 centimetres (30 in) taller than the other A320 variants. Pilots who are trained on the
other variants may fly the A318 with no further certification, since it features a common flight deck and the
same type rating as its sister aircraft.
The A318 is available with a variety of different maximum take-off weights (MTOW) ranging from a 59
tonne, 2,750 km (1,500 nautical mile) base model to a 68 tonne, 6,000 km (3,240 nmi) version. The lower
MTOW enables it to operate regional routes economically while sacrificing range and the higher MTOW
allows it to complement other members of the A320 family on marginal routes. The lighter weight of the
A318 gives it an operating range 10% greater than the A320, allowing it to serve some routes that the A320
would be unable to: London - New York,PerthAuckland and SingaporeTokyo, for instance. Its main use
for airlines, however, is on short, low-density hops between medium-sized cities.
During the design process, the A318 encountered several problems. The first one was the decline in
demand for new aircraft following the September 11 attacks. Another was the new Pratt &
Whitney turbofan engines, which burned more fuel than expected; by the time CFM International (CFM) had
a more efficient engine ready for market, many A318 customers had already backed out, including Air
China and British Airways. America West Airlines, which had selected the Pratt & Whitney engines,
amended its A318 orders, opting instead for A319 or A320 aircraft. Trans World Airlines cancelled a
significant order for fifty A318s after being acquired by American Airlines, which does not operate any A320
family aircraft (although neither did TWA when the order was originally placed). While Airbus was hoping to
market the A318 as a regional jet alternative, laws in both the U.S. and Europe have kept it in the same
class as larger aircraft for calculating charges such as landing fees, limiting the type's market potential.
The aircraft is powered by two CFM56-5 or Pratt & Whitney PW6000 engines with thrust ratings of between
96 and 106 kilonewtons (21,600 and 23,800 lbf). Launch customers Frontier Airlines and Air France took
deliveries in 2003, with Frontier receiving its aircraft in July of that year. The list price of an A318 ranges
from $56 to $62 million,
[10]
and operating costs are between $2,500 and $3,000 for each flight hour.
[11]

Orders for the A318 have been relatively slow, but better than for its direct competitor the Boeing 737600.
At 30 September 2011, Airbus had received 81 orders for this model compared to 69 for the 737-
600.
[5][12]
The sales pace has been influenced by the strong sales of the Bombardier CRJ900 and Embraer
E-Jets series. The biggest A318 customers are Air France with 18; Frontier Airlines, 10 (+ 1 order); Avianca,
10, LAN Airlines, 20 orders; and Mexicana, 10 orders.
Further developments[edit]
On 10 November 2005 Airbus announced the A318 Elite. The Airbus A318 Elite is aimed at the medium -
range market for flights of up to 4,000 nm (7,400 km) range, with a choice of two cabin layouts seating up to
18 passengers, and powered by CFM engines. Comlux Aviation became the launch customer by ordering
three A318 Elite aircraft.
In September 2010, Airbus confirmed that from 2013 the Airbus A318 would become available
with Sharklets, wingtip devices which reduce lift-induced drag and improve efficiency through reduced fuel
consumption.
[13]
The optional devices, which will also be available on other Airbus A320 family models and
are manufactured by Korean Air Aerospace Division, will increase the range of the aircraft to 5,930 km
(3,200 nm) an increase of 185 km over a standard A318 with 107 seats in a two-class configuration.
[13]

Design[edit]
The Airbus A318 is a small, narrow-body (single-aisle) aircraft with a retractable tricycle landing gear and is
powered by two wing pylon-mounted turbofan engines. It is a low-wing cantilevermonoplane with a
conventional tail unit having a single vertical stabilizer and rudder. Two suppliers provide turbofan engines
for the A318: CFM with its CFM56 and Pratt & Whitney with the PW6000 engine.
Steep approach capability[edit]


An Airbus A318 of British Airways at London City Airport
In March 2006 the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) certificated a modified control software
enhancement to the Airbus A318 designed to allow the aircraft to perform steep approaches.
[14]
The aircraft
is the largest commercial aircraft certified by EASA for steep approach operations.
[4]
The software modifies
the control laws of the aircraft when the steep approach function is selected by the crew, by automatically
deploying some of thespoiler panels to provide additional drag when the aircraft is in the landing
configuration.
[14]
It also provides alternative aural alerts to the crew and modifies spoiler deployment
automatically below 120 feet (37 m) on landing.
[14]
The A318 steep approach procedure allows the aircraft to
perform approaches at descent angles of up to 5.5, as opposed to the standard 3 for a normal approach.
[4]

A test flight was conducted in May 2006 at London City Airport where the aircraft proved its steep approach
and short runway performance, and its compatibility with the limited manoeuvring and parking space at the
airport.
[14]
Subsequently in September 2009 Airbus delivered the first A318 with steep approach capability to
British Airways, which as of 2012 operates two such aircraft on flights from London City to New York
Kennedy Airport, via a refueling stop at Shannon (on the outbound leg only). This stopover is necessary as
the aircraft would be unable to depart London City Airport with the amount of fuel needed to cross the
Atlantic, given the short runway length at London City Airport. They are operated in a 32-seat all business
class configuration as flights BA001-4, the flight numbers previously used by Concorde on flights to New
York.
[15]

Operational history[edit]
The maiden flight of the Airbus A318 took place at Toulouse on 15 January 2002, and the first customer
delivery was on 22 July 2003 to Frontier Airlines.
[16]

Operators[edit]
See also: List of Airbus A320 operators


The Airbus A318, in Airbus's corporate livery at the FIDAE 2006 air show onSantiago de Chile International Airport.


A TAROM A318 landing at Frankfurt


Saudi Red Crescent Airbus A318 at Luis Muoz Marn International Airport.
Apart from private and executive operators, airline operators include:
[5]

Country Airline Number Delivered
France
Air France 18
Colombia
Avianca 10
Brazil
Avianca Brazil 10
United Kingdom British Airways Limited 2
Romania
TAROM 4
Totals 6 49
Orders and deliveries[edit]
See also: List of Airbus A320 orders

Orders Deliveries
Type Total Backlog Total 2011 2010 2009 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004 2003

A318 79 3 79 2 2 6 13 17 8 9 10 9

Data through end of November 2012. Updated on 9 December 2012.
[5][1]

Specifications[edit]
Airbus A318

A318-100
Cockpit crew Two
Seating capacity
132 (1-class, maximum)
117 (1-class, typical)
107 (2-class, typical)

Cargo capacity 21.21 m
3
(749 cu ft)

Length 31.44 m (103 ft 2 in)

Wingspan 34.10 m (111 ft 11 in)

Wing area 122.6 m
2
(1,320 sq ft)

Wing sweepback 25 degrees

Tail height 12.51 m (41 ft 1 in)

Cabin width 3.70 m (12 ft 2 in)

Fuselage width 3.95 m (13 ft 0 in)

Operating empty weight 39,500 kg (87,100 lb)

Maximum zero-fuel weight (MZFW) 54,500 kg (120,200 lb)

Maximum take-off weight (MTOW) 68.0 t (149,900 lb)

Cruising speed Mach 0.78 (828 km/h/511 mph at 11,000 m/36,000 ft)

Maximum speed Mach 0.82 (871 km/h/537 mph at 11,000 m/36,000 ft)

Maximum range, fully loaded 3,100 nmi (5,700 km; 3,600 mi)

Take off run at MTOW (sea level, ISA) 1,828 m (5,997 ft)

Maximum fuel capacity 24,210 L (5,330 imp gal; 6,400 US gal)

Service ceiling 12,000 m (39,000 ft)

Engines (2)
Pratt & Whitney PW6000 series or
CFM International CFM56-5 series

Thrust (2) 96106 kN (22,00024,000 lb
f
)

Source: Airbus,
[3][17]
Airliners.net
[18]

Engines[edit]
Aircraft Model Date Engines
A318-111 2003 CFM56-5B8/P
Aircraft Model Date Engines
A318-112 2003 CFM56-5B9/P
A318-121 2007 PW6122A
A318-122 2007 PW6124A



Airbus A320 family
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
"A320" redirects here. For other uses, see A320 (disambiguation).
"A319" and "A321" redirect here. For the British roads, see A319 road and A321 road.
A320 family
A318/A319/A320/A321

Lufthansa A320-211
Role Narrow-body jet airliner
National origin Multi-national
[1]

Manufacturer Airbus
First flight 22 February 1987
Introduction 28 March 1988 with Air France
Status In service
Primary users US Airways
EasyJet
China Southern Airlines
China Eastern Airlines
Produced 1988present
Number built 5,755 as of October 2013
[2]

Unit cost A318: US$70.1 million, 52 million (2013)
[3]

A319: US$83.6 million, 62 million (2013)
[3]

A320: US$91.5 million, 68 million (2013)
[3]

A321: US$107.3 million, 79 million (2013)
[3]

Variants Airbus A318
Developed into Airbus A320neo family
The Airbus A320 family consists of short- to medium-range, narrow-body, commercial passenger jet
airliners manufactured by Airbus. The family includes the A318, A319, A320 and A321, and the ACJ business jet. The
A320s are also named A320ceo (current engine option) after the introduction of the A320neo.
[4]
Final assembly of the
family in Europe takes place in Toulouse, France, and Hamburg, Germany. Starting in 2009, a plant in Tianjin, China,
has also been producing aircraft for Chinese airlines.
[5]
In April 2013, Airbus started construction of a new production
facility for the A319, A320, and A321 variants in Mobile, Alabama.
[6]
The aircraft family can accommodate up to 220
passengers and has a range of 3,100 to 12,000 km (1,700 to 6,500 nmi), depending on model.
The first member of the A320 familythe A320was launched in March 1984, first flew on 22 February 1987, and
was first delivered in 1988. The family was soon extended to include the A321 (first delivered 1994), the A319 (1996),
and the A318 (2003). The A320 family pioneered the use of digital fly-by-wire flight control systems, as well as side-
stick controls, in commercial aircraft. There has been a continuous improvement process since introduction.
In December 2010, Airbus officially launched the new generation of the A320 family with the A320neo "New Engine
Option".
[7]
The new generation offers a choice of the CFM International LEAP-X or Pratt & Whitney PW1000G,
combined with airframe improvements and the addition of winglets, named Sharklets by Airbus. The aircraft will
deliver fuel savings of up to 15%. Virgin America will be the launch customer for the aircraft in spring of 2016. As of
December 2011, a total of 1,196 A320neo family aircraft have been ordered by 21 airlines making it the fastest ever
selling commercial aircraft.
[8]

As of July 2013, a total of 5,677 Airbus A320 family aircraft have been delivered, of which 5,481 are in service. In
addition, another 4,135 airliners are on firm order. It ranked as the world's fastest-selling jet airliner family according
to records from 2005 to 2007, and as the best-selling single-generation aircraft programme.
[9][10]
The A320 family has
proved popular with airlines, specifically low-cost carriers(LCC). British LCC EasyJet purchased A319s, and A320s,
to replace its Boeing 737 fleet. The family competes directly with the Boeing 737, 717, 757 and the McDonnell
Douglas MD-80.
Contents
[hide]
1 Development
o 1.1 Origins
o 1.2 Design effort
o 1.3 Production and testing
o 1.4 The family grows
o 1.5 Shrinking the A320
o 1.6 Second shrink
o 1.7 A320 Enhanced family
o 1.8 New Engine Option: A320neo
2 Design
o 2.1 Airframe
o 2.2 Flight deck and avionics
o 2.3 Engines
3 Operational history
o 3.1 Competition
o 3.2 Replacement airliner
4 Variants
o 4.1 Overview
o 4.2 A320
o 4.3 A321
o 4.4 A319
4.4.1 A319CJ
o 4.5 A318
o 4.6 Freighter
5 Operators
6 Orders and deliveries
7 Accidents and incidents
8 Specifications
o 8.1 Engines
9 See also
10 References
11 External links
Development[edit]
Origins[edit]
When Airbus designed the Airbus A300 during the late 1960s and early 1970s, it envisaged a broad family of airliners
with which to compete against Boeing and Douglas, two established US aerospace manufacturers. From the moment
of formation, Airbus had begun studies into derivatives of the Airbus A300B in support of this long term goal.
[11]
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.
[12]
A 10th variation, conceived in 1973, later the first to be constructed, was
designated the A300B10.
[13]
It was a smaller aircraft which would be developed into the long-range Airbus A310.
Airbus then focused its efforts on the single-aisle market, which was dominated by the Boeing 737 and McDonnell
Douglas DC-9.


Air Inter A320-100 in 1991, one of the few A320-100s
Plans from a number of European aircraft manufacturers called for a successor to the relatively successful BAC One-
Eleven, and to replace the Boeing 737-200 and DC-9.
[14]
Germany's MBB (Messerschmitt-Blkow-Blohm), British
Aircraft Corporation, Sweden's Saab and CASA worked on theEUROPLANE, a 180- to 200-seat aircraft.
[14][15]
It was
abandoned after intruding on A310 specifications.
[16]
VFW-Fokker, Dornier and Hawker Siddeleyworked on a number
of 150-seat designs.
[14]

Alongside BAe (who at the time were not part of Airbus) were MBB, Fokker-VFW and Arospatiale. 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.
The Hawker Siddeley team had previously produced a design called the HS.134 "Airbus" in 1965, an evolution of
the HS.121 (formerly DH.121)Trident,
[17]
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[edit]
A new programme was initiated subsequently, called Joint European Transport (JET). This was set up in June
1977,
[18]
and was based at the then British Aerospace (formerly Vickers) site inWeybridge, Surrey, UK. Although the
members were all of Airbus' partners, they regarded the project as a separate collaboration from Airbus.
[19]
This project
was considered the forerunner of Airbus A320, encompassing the 130- to 188-seat market, powered by
two CFM56s.
[14]
It would have a cruise speed of Mach 0.84 (faster than Boeing 737).
[14]
The programme was later
transferred to Airbus, leading up to the creation of the Single-Aisle (SA) studies in 1980, led by former leader of JET
programme, Derek Brown.
[20]
The group looked at three different variants, covering the 125- to 180-seat market,
called SA1, SA2 and SA3.
[14]
Although unaware at the time, the consortium was producing the blueprints for the A319,
A320 and A321, respectively.
[21]
The single-aisle programme created divisions within Airbus about whether to design
a shorter-range twinjet than a longer-range quadjet wanted by the West Germans,
particularly Lufthansa.
[14][22]
However, works proceeded, and the German carrier would eventually order the twinjet.
In February 1981, the project was re-designated A320,
[21]
with efforts focused on the former SA2. During the year,
Airbus worked with Delta Air Lines on a 150-seat aircraft envisioned and required by the airline. The A320 would
carry 150 passengers 1,860 nautical miles (3,440 km) using fuel from wing fuel tanks only.
[21]
The Dash 200 had more
fuel through the activation of centre fuel tank, increasing fuel capacity from 3,429 imperial gallons (15,590 L) to
5,154 imp gal (23,430 L),
[23]
enabling flights with a distance of 2,850 nmi (5,280 km).
[21]
The aircraft would measure
118 feet 3 inches (36.04 m) and 128 feet 9 inches (39.24 m), respectively.
[21]
Airbus then had to decide on a cross-
section for the A320. It considered a fuselage diameter of "the Boeing 707 and 727, or do something better".
[14]
It
eventually settled on a wider diameter, with the internal width at 3.7 m (12 ft 2 in),
[14]
compared to 3.45 m
(11 ft 4 in)
[14]
of the Boeing aircraft. Although heavier, this specification allowed the aircraft to compete more
effectively with the 737. The A320 wing went through several stages of design, finally settling on 33.91 m (111 ft
3 in).
[23]
It is long and thin, offering better aerodynamic efficiency because of the higher aspect ratio than the
competition, namely the 737 and MD-80.


The cockpit of the A321 is similar to that of the A318, A319 and A320. This layout would be incorporated into
the A330, A340,A350 and A380. This 'commonality' enables pilots to quickly transition among these aircraft. Note the side-
stick controller and digital fly-by-wire technology, a first for commercial aircraft.
With the A320, Airbus made a controversial decision. For the first time, digital fly-by-wire (FBW) flight control
system would be incorporated into a commercial airliner,
[24]
although it was previously successfully proven on military
fighter aircraft,
[24]
such as the Vought F-8 Crusader. Aside from associated reduction in weight and cost, this system
would provide flight envelope protection.
[25]
The pilot, in essence, places inputs into the flight control computer, which
interprets these actions and moves the flight control surfaces. FBW also allows Airbus to make flying characteristics
similar to later models,
[26]
such as the Airbus A330, A340, A380, and the upcoming A350. It would feature side-
stick control for the first time on a commercial aircraft. Bernard Ziegler, son of the former Airbus CEO, Henri Ziegler,
was the initiator of the aircraft's revolutionary fly-by-wire flight controls with side-stick cockpit controller and full
glass cockpit. He successfully convinced aviation authorities of the concept's validity.
[27]

During the A320 development programme, Airbus considered propfan technology, backed by Lufthansa.
[28]
At the
time unproven, it was essentially a fan placed outside the engine nacelle, offering speed of a turbofan
at turboprops economics; eventually, Airbus stuck with turbofans. Power on the A320 would be supplied by
two CFM56-5-A1s rated at 25,000 lbf (112.5 kN).
[23]
It was the only available engine at launch until the IAE V2500,
offered byInternational Aero Engines, a group composed of Rolls-Royce, Pratt & Whitney, Japanese Aero Engines
Corporation, Fiat and MTU Aero Engines(MTU). The first V2500 variant, the V2500-A1, has a thrust output of
25,000 pounds-force (110 kN),
[29]
hence the name, and is marginally more efficient than the CFM56, with specific fuel
consumption at 0.560, compared to 0.591 of the CFM56.
[30]

Production and testing[edit]


The horizontal stabilizer of the A320 is produced in Spain. Other A320 parts are manufactured at various sites throughout Europe
and the world.
Production of the A320 was postponed for a number of reasons. From the start, the UK, France and West
Germany wanted the responsibility of final assembly and the associated duties. These disputes were known as "work-
share arguments",
[31]
driven by, apart from money, prestige.
[31]
The Germans requested an increased work-share of
40%,
[31]
while the British wanted the major responsibilities to be swapped around to give partners production
and research and development (R&D) experience.
[31]
In the end, British work-share was increased from that of the two
previous Airbuses,
[31]
while virtually no changes took place for the other three major member-countries. Another
contributing factor was launch aid, or subsidies, for the aerospace companies from their respective governments.
France was willing to commit, while the Germans were more cautious.
[32]
The UK government, on the other hand,
were unwilling to provide funding for the tooling requested by British Aerospace (BAe). Estimated at250 million, it
was postponed for three years until 1 March 1984,
[23]
when an announcement was made about the deal between
government and manufacturer. The agreement dictates that 50 million would be paid whether the A320 would fly or
not, while the rest would be paid as a levy of each aircraft sold.
[33]

The programme was launched the following day
[34]
off the back of orders for 96 aircraft from five customers. Air
France was the first customer for the type, having placed an order for 50 aircraft, split evenly between firm and
options, between 16 A320-100s and 34 -200s.
[24]
However, British Caledonian was the first to place a firm order for
seven back in October 1983.
[35]
Cyprus Airways became the first to place order for V2500-powered A320s in
November 1984.
[36]
Pan Am also selected V2500 when it requested 16 firm orders and 34 options in January 1985, as
did Inex Adria.
[35]
The most significant order was to come, when Northwest Airlines placed an order for 100 A320s in
October 1986, later confirmed at the 1990 Farnborough Airshow, powered by CFM56.
[37]



An Airbus Beluga unloading A320-family aircraft parts at Finkenwerder, northern Germany.
The first Airbus A320 was rolled out on 14 February 1987 amid dry ice and laser beams as part of a spectacular
unveiling ceremony.
[38][39]
A number of high-profile figures were present, including the Prince and Princess of
Wales.
[40]
The first flight came on 22 February,
[39]
during which the aircraft flew for 3 hours 23 minutes.
[34]
The flight
marked the beginning of a flight test programme involving 1,200 airborne hours on 530 flights.
[38]
European Joint
Aviation Authorities (JAA) certification was received on 26 February 1988.
[38]
The first A320 delivery was to Air
France on 26 March 1988.
[38]

On 26 June 1988, a chartered Air France Airbus A320-111 (F-GFKC)
[41]
crashed into trees at the end of runway
at Mulhouse-Habsheim Airport. Three out of 130 passengers were killed.
[41]
Another A320, flown by Indian
Airlines, crashed landed short of the airport runway in Bangalore. The ensuing fire contributed to the casualty count of
ninety-two, out of 146 on board.
[42]
The press and media later questioned the fly-by-wire flight control
system.
[41]
Subsequent investigations by commission of inquiry found "no malfunction of the aircraft or its equipment
which could have contributed towards a reduction in safety or an increase in the crew's workload during the final flight
phase ... the response of the engines was normal and in compliance with certification requirement".
[41]



Airbus A32X family
As of 2009, Airbus required about eight months to build an A320.
[43]
Components from various Airbus plants are
transported to the final assembly plant at Hamburg Finkenwerder for the A318/A319/A321
[44]
and to Toulouse
Blagnac for the A320. Nearly all assemblies are moved using Airbus' A300-600ST Beluga outsized transporters.
Airbus A320s sold to Chinese airlines scheduled for delivery between 2009 and 2012 are being assembled inTianjin,
China.
[45]

The family grows[edit]
The first derivative of the A320 is the Airbus A321, also known as the Stretched A320, A320-500 and A325.
[38][46]
Its
launch came on 24 November 1988 after commitments for 183 aircraft from 10 customers were secured.
[38][47]
The
aircraft would be a minimum-changed derivative, apart from a number of minor modifications to the wing, and the
fuselage stretch itself. The wing would incorporate double-slotted flaps and minor trailing
edgemodifications,
[48]
increasing the wing area from 124 m
2
(1,330 sq ft) to 128 m
2
(1,380 sq ft).
[49]
The fuselage was
lengthened by four plugs (two ahead and two behind the wings), giving the A321 an overall length of 6.94 metres
(22 ft 9 in) longer than the A320.
[48][50][51]
The length increase required the overwing exits of the A320 to be enlarged
and repositioned in front of and behind the wings.
[52]
The centre fuselage and undercarriage were reinforced to
accommodate the increase in maximum takeoff weight (MTOW) of 9,600 kg (21,200 lb), taking the MTOW to
83,000 kg (183,000 lb).
[48]



Alitalia was the second to receive the stretched A321, after Lufthansa.
[52]

Final assembly for the A321 would be, as a first for any Airbus, carried out in Germany (then West Germany).
[53]
This
came after a dispute between the French, who claimed the move would incur $150 million, 135 million in
unnecessary expenditure associated with the new plant,
[54]
and the Germans, arguing it would be more productive for
Airbus in the long run. The second production line was located at Hamburg, which would also produce the smaller
Airbus A319 and A318. For the first time, Airbus entered the bond market, through which it raised $480 million, 475
million to finance development costs.
[41]
An additional $180 million, 175 million was loaned from European
Investment Bank and private investors.
[55]

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.
[52]
Lufthansa
and Alitalia were the first to order the stretched Airbuses, with 20 and 40 aircraft requested, respectively.
[52]
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.
[52]

Shrinking the A320[edit]
The A319 is the next derivative of the baseline A320. The design is a "shrink" with its origins in the 130- to 140-seat
SA1, part of the Single-Aisle studies.
[54]
The SA1 was shelved as the consortium concentrated on its bigger siblings.
After healthy sales of the A320/A321, Airbus re-focused on what was then known as the A320M-7, meaning
A320 minus seven fuselage frames.
[56]
It would provide direct competition for the Boeing 737-300/-700.
[54]
The shrink
was achieved though the removal of four fuselage frames fore and three aft the wing, cutting the overal length by 3.73
metres (12 ft 3 in).
[50][57][58]
Consequently, the number of overwing exits were reduced from four to two. The bulk-
cargo door was replaced by an aft container door, which can take in reduced height LD3-46
containers.
[57]
Minor software programming were made to accommodate the different handling characteristics;
otherwise the aircraft is largely unchanged. Power is provided by the CFM56-5A or V2500-A5, derated to
98 kN (22,000 lbf), with option for 105 kN (24,000 lbf) thrust.
[59]



A US Airways A319 in America Westheritage livery. The A319's wingspan is longer than the aircraft's overall length.
Airbus began offering the new model from 22 May 1992, with the actual launch of the programme $275 million (250
million) occurring 10 June 1993;
[57][60][61]
the A319's first customer is ILFC, who signed for six aircraft. On 23 March
1995, the first A319 underwent final assembly at Airbus' German plant in Hamburg, where the A321s are assembled.
It was rolled out on 24 August, with the maiden flight the following day.
[62]
The certification programme would take
350 airborne hours involving two aircraft; certification for the CFM56-5B6/2-equipped variant was granted in April
1996, after which qualification for the V2524-A5 started the following month.
[63]

Delivery of the first A319, to Swissair, took place on 25 April 1996, entering service by month's end.
[63]
In January
1997, an A319 broke a record during a delivery flight by flying 3,588 nautical miles (6,645 km) the great circle route
to Winnipeg, Manitoba from Hamburg, in 9 hours 5 minutes.
[63]
Sales of the A319 would overtake that of the A321,
amassing 1,470 order compared to 932;
[2]
it has proved popular with low-cost airlines such as EasyJet, who has orders
for 172, with 172 delivered.
[2]

Second shrink[edit]
Main article: Airbus A318 Development
The A318 was born out of mid-1990 studies between Aviation Industries 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.
[64]
The former would have had an overall length of 31.3 m
(102 ft 8 in), while the AE317 was longer by 3.2 m (10 ft 6 in), at 34.5 m (113 ft 2 in).
[65]
The engines were to be
supplied from two Rolls-Royce BR715s, CFM56-9s, or the Pratt & Whitney PW6000s;
[64][65]
with the MTOW of 53.3 t
(118,000 lb) for the smaller version and 58 t (128,000 lb) for the AE317, the thrust requirement were 77.984.6 kN
(17,50019,000 lbf) and 84.691.2 kN (19,00020,500 lbf), respectively.
[65]
Range was settled at 5,200 km
(2,800 nmi) and 5,800 km (3,100 nmi) for the high gross weights of both variants.
[65]
Both share a wingspan of 31.0 m
(101 ft 8 in)
[65]
and a flight deck similar to that of the A320 family. Costing $2 billion (1.85 billion) to develop,
aircraft production to take place in China.
[64]



A British Airways A318 at London City Airport
Simultaneously, Airbus was developing Airbus A318. In early 1998, Airbus revealed its considerations of designing a
100-seat aircraft based on the A320. The AE31X project was terminated by September 1998, after which Airbus
officially announced an aircraft of its own, the A318,
[66]
at that year's Farnborough Airshow.
[67]
The aircraft is the
smallest product of Airbus's product range, and was developed ironically 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 0.79-metre
(2 ft 7 in) ahead of the wing and 1.6 metres (5 ft 3 in) behind.
[67]
These cuts reduced passenger capacity from 124 on
the A319 to 107 passengers in a two-class layout.
[68]
Range was 5,700 kilometres (3,100 nmi), or 5,950 kilometres
(3,210 nmi) with upcoming sharklets.
[68]

The 107-seater was launched on 26 April 1999 with the options and orders count at 109 aircraft.
[67]
After three years of
design, the maiden flight took place at Hamburg on 15 January 2002.
[69]
Tests on the lead engine, the Pratt & Whitney
PW6000, revealed worse-than-expected fuel consumption.
[70]
Consequently, Pratt & Whitney abandoned the five-stage
high pressure compressor (HPC) for the MTU-designed six-stage HPC. The 129 order book for the A318 shrunk to 80
largely because of switches to other A320 family members.
[70]
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.
[70]
On 22 July 2003, first delivery for launch customer Frontier Airlines occurred,
[71]
entering service before
the end of the month.
A320 Enhanced family[edit]


Airbus A320 Enhanced (A320E) with Sharklets at ILA 2012
A320 Enhanced family (or A320E family) is the working title for a series of improvements to the A320 family. The
improvements include engine improvements, aerodynamic refinements such as adding large
curved winglets (Sharklets), weight savings, and a new cabin design.
[72][73]

In 2006, Airbus tested three styles of winglet intended to counteract the wing's induced drag and wingtip vortices more
effectively than the previous wingtip fence. The first design type to be tested was developed by Airbus and was based
on work done by the AWIATOR programme. The second type of winglet incorporated a more blended design and was
designed by Winglet Technology, a company based in Wichita, Kansas. Two aircraft were used in the flight test
evaluation campaign the prototype A320, which have 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 Airways.
Despite the anticipated efficiency gains and development work, Airbus announced that the new winglets will not be
offered to customers, claiming that the weight of the modifications required would negate any aerodynamic
benefits.
[74]
Instead, on 17 December 2008, Airbus announced it was to begin flight testing an existing blended winglet
design developed by Aviation Partners as part of an A320 modernisation programme using the A320 prototype.
[75]



Virgin America Airbus A320 Enhanced economy class Cabin with light-emitting diode (LED) lighting
On 15 November 2009, Airbus announced future additions of Sharklets
[76]
to A320s beginning in 2012 with Air New
Zealand.
[77]
These Airbus winglets, which are 2.4 metres (7 ft 10 in) tall and weigh 200 kilograms (440 lb),
[78]
would
reduce fuel burn by 4% and offer increases in payload of 500 kg (1,100 lb), or range by 110 nmi (204 km) at the
original payload.
[79]
This corresponds to an annual CO
2
reduction of around 700 t (690 long tons) per aircraft,
[76]
saving
operators US$220,000 per aircraft per year.
[80]
The Sharklets are to be manufactured and distributed by Korean Air
Aerospace Division.
[81]

The cabin was fitted to more than 600 aircraft (as of March 2009) since 2007. Airbus claims it offers better luggage
storage and a quieter cabin, packaged with a more modern look and feel. Additionally, improved cabin efficiency by a
new galley concept, reduced weight, improved ergonomics and food hygiene and recycling
requirements.
[82]
LED ambience lighting is optionally available. Anytime LEDs are used for the Passenger Service
Unit (PSU)
[83]
and passengers can get information with touchscreen displays.
[84]
Older A320 series aircraft can be
updated.
[85]

New Engine Option: A320neo[edit]
Main article: Airbus A320neo family
Airbus is working on offering a new engine for the A320 known as the new engine option (neo).
[86][87][88]
The choice
for new engines include the CFM International LEAP-1A and the Pratt & Whitney PW1100G.
[86]
Though the new
engines will burn 16% less fuel, the actual fuel gain on an A320 installation will be slightly less, since 12% is
typically lost upon installation on an existing aircraft. This means an additional range of 950 km (510 nmi), or 2 t
(4,400 lb) of extra payload.
[89]
The A320neo will also include some modifications to the wing, mainly the installation
of blended winglets called "Sharklets".
[90]



CGI representation of the future Airbus A320neo
Airbus' CEO said to be "comfortable" with the projections of 20% lower maintenance cost for the Pratt & Whitney's
PW1000G family, compared with today's engines.
[86]
Airbus is targeting 2016 for the first delivery and plans to deliver
4,000 A320neo over 15 years. Virgin America became the launch customer with a firm order of 30 A320neo aircraft as
a part of a 60 aircraft order on 17 January 2011.
[91]
In January 2011 IndiGoreached a tentative agreement with Airbus
to order 150 A320neo aircraft along with 30 more A320s.
[92][93]

At the 2011 Paris Air Show, Airbus announced firm orders from GECAS, Scandinavian Airlines System, TransAsia
Airways, LAN Airlines andGoAir
[94]
along with major orders from Indian low-cost carrier IndiGo for 150
aircraft
[95]
and Malaysian low-cost carrier AirAsia for 200 A320neo, the largest commercial aviation order at the
time.
[96]
In total the A320neo received a combined 667 commitments worth US$60.9 billion.
[97]
American
Airlines ordered its first Airbus aircraft with an order for 130 A320neo airliners on 20 July 2011. By the end of 2011,
Airbus had received 1,196 firm orders for the A320neo family making it the fastest selling commercial aircraft in
history.
[8]
On 15 March 2013, it was reported that Turkish Airlines had placed a firm order for 82 A320 aircraft with
35 options; the firm order has 25 A321, four A320neo, and 53 A321neo airliners.
[98]

Design[edit]


Planform view of an Iberia A320 at takeoff
The Airbus A320 family are narrow-body (single-aisle) aircraft with a retractable tricycle landing gear and are
powered by two wing pylon-mountedturbofan engines.
Airframe[edit]
The Airbus A320 family are low-wing cantilever monoplanes with a conventional tail unit with a single vertical
stabilizer and rudder. Wing swept back at 25 degrees, optimised for maximum operating Mach number 0.82,
[50]
built
by British Aerospace (BAe). Compared to other airliners of the same class, the A320 features a wider single-aisle
cabin of 155.5 inches (3.95 m) outside diameter, compared to 148 inches (3.8 m) of the Boeing 737 and 131.6 inches
(3.34 m) of the Boeing 717, and larger overhead bins. In addition, the aircraft has a cargo hold equipped with large
doors to assist in expedient loading and unloading of goods.
[citation needed]

The Airbus A320 is the first narrow body airliner to use a significant amount of the structure made from composite
material. Its tail assembly made almost entirely of such material by CASA,
[99]
who also builds the elevators, main
landing gear doors, and rear fuselage parts.
[99]

Flight deck and avionics[edit]


The Airbus A320 family was the first commercial airliner to feature a full glass cockpit and digital fly-by-wire flight control system.
The only analogue instruments are the RMI (backup ADI on earlier models, replaced by digital ISIS on later models) and brake
pressure indicator.
The A320 was the first civil airliner to include a full digital fly-by-wire flight control system. Its design also included a
full glass cockpit rather than the hybrid versions found in previous airliners. Digital head-up displays are available.
[100]

The A320's flight deck is equipped with Electronic Flight Instrument System (EFIS) with side-stick controllers. At the
time of the aircraft's introduction, the behaviour of the fly-by-wire system (equipped with full flight envelope
protection) was a new experience for many pilots. The A320 features anElectronic Centralised Aircraft
Monitor (ECAM) which gives the flight crew information about all the systems of the aircraft. With the exception of
the very earliest A320s, most can be upgraded to the latest avionics standards, keeping the aircraft advanced even after
two decades in service.
[citation needed]

Early A320 planes used the Intel 80186 and Motorola 68010,
[101]
in 1988 Intel 80286 family CPUs. The flight
management computer contained six CPUs, running in three logical pairs, with 2.5 megabytes of memory.
[102]

Newer
[when?]
Airbus feature LCD (liquid crystal display) units in the flight deck of its A318, A319, A320, and A321
flight decks instead of the original CRT (cathode ray tube) displays. These include the main displays and the
backup artificial horizon, which was an analogue display prior to this. LCDs weigh less and produce less heat than
CRT displays.
[citation needed]



A319 left wing with spoilers deployed during landing. S7 Airlines, Moscow-Pavlodar.
Engines[edit]
Three suppliers provide turbofan engines for the A320 series: CFM International with their CFM56,International Aero
Engines, offering the V2500 and Pratt & Whitney whose PW6000 engines are only available for the A318 variant.
[103]

Operational history[edit]
The Joint Aviation Authorities (JAA) issued the type certificate for the A320 on 26 February 1988. After entering the
market in March 1988 with Air France and Ansett, the former Australian domestic airline, Airbus then expanded the
A320 family rapidly, launching the 185-seat A321 in 1989 and first delivered it in 1994; launching the 124-seat A319
in 1993 and delivering it in 1996; and launching the 107-seat A318 in 1999 with first deliveries in 2003.
[104]

Competition[edit]
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 during its two decades in service. As of 2010, as well as the Boeing 737, the A320 family
faces competition from Embraer's E-195 (to the A318), and the CSeries being developed by Bombardier
[105]
to the
A318/A319.
Airbus has delivered 5,402 A320 series aircraft since their certification/first delivery in early 1988, with another 3,629
on firm order (as of 31 December 2012).
[2]
In comparison, Boeing has shipped 7,425 737s since late 1967, with 5,919
of those deliveries since March 1988,
[106]
and has a further 3,074 on firm order (as of 31 December 2012).
[107]


Airbus A320 family deliveries
[2][108]

Boeing 737 series deliveries
[109]

Replacement airliner[edit]
Airbus was studying a future replacement for the A320 series, tentatively dubbed NSR, for "New Short-Range
aircraft".
[110][dead link]
The follow-on aircraft to replace the A320 was named A30X. Airbus North America President
Barry Eccleston states that the earliest the aircraft could be available is 2017.
[111]
In January 2010, John Leahy,
Airbus's chief operating officer - customers, stated that any all new single-aisle aircraft is unlikely to be constructed
before 2024/2025.
[112]

Variants[edit]
Airbus A320 variants
ICAO code
[113]
Model(s)
A318 A318
A319 A319
A320 A320
A321 A321
Overview[edit]
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,
[68]
to 220, on the A321.
[51]
They compete with the Boeing 737, 757-200, and 717.
Because the four variants share the same flight deck, all have the same pilot type rating. Today all variants are
available as corporate jets. US Airways is the largest airline operator of A320 family of aircraft in North America with
240 as of December 2012.
[2]

Technically, the name "A320" only refers to the original mid-sized aircraft, but it is often informally used to indicate
any of the A318/A319/A320/A321 family. All variants are able to be ETOPS (Extended-range Twin-engine
Operational Performance Standards) certified.


Air France was the launch customer of the Airbus A320
A320[edit]
The A320 series has two variants, the A320-100 and A320-200. Only 21 A320-100s were produced;
[38]
these aircraft,
the first to be manufactured, were only delivered to Air Inter (later acquired by Air France) and British Airways (as a
result of an order from British Caledonian Airways made prior to its acquisition by British Airways). Compared to the
A320-100, the primary changes on A320-200 are wingtip fences and increased fuel capacity for increased
range. Indian Airlines used their first 31 A320-200s with double-bogie main landing gear for airfields with poor
runway condition which a single-bogie main gear could not manage. Typical range with 150 passengers for the A320-
200 is about 3,300 nmi (6,150 km). It is powered by two CFMICFM56-5s or IAE V2500s with thrust ratings between
113 to 120 kN (25,400 to 27,000 lbf). The lowest speed an A320 can fly is approximately207 km/h.
[114]

A total of 3,363 of the A320 model have been delivered, with 2,942 remaining on order as of June 2013.
[115]
The direct
Boeing competitor is the 737-800.
A321[edit]


A new Vietnam Airlines A321-200 on a test flight and is yet to be fully painted
The Airbus A321 is a stretched first derivative of the standard A320. The variant was launched in 1988,
[38]
when the
A320 began operations. Compared with the A320, the A321's major change is the stretched fuselage, which is
lengthened by 6.94 metres (22 ft 9 in); the A321 is the largest of the A320 family.
[50][51]
This is achieved by adding a
front plug immediately forward of wing 4.27 m (14 ft 0 in), and a 2.67 m (8 ft 9 in) rear plug.
[116]
To maintain
performance, double-slotted flaps were included, in addition to increasing the wing area by 4 m
2
(43 sq ft), to
128 m
2
(1,380 sq ft).
[49]
Other minor modifications were made to accommodate the A321-100's 9,600 kg (21,200 lb)
increase in maximum takeoff weight to 83,000 kg (183,000 lb).
[48]
The maiden flight of the first of two prototypes
came on 11 March 1993.
[52]
The A321-100 entered service in 1994.
The basic A321-100 features a reduction in range compared to the A320 as extra fuel tankage was not added to the
initial design to compensate for the extra weight. To overcome this Airbus launched the heavier and longer range
A321-200 development in 1995 which has a full-passenger transcontinental US range. This is 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 2,990 L (790 US gal) tanks in the rear underfloor hold.
[117]
The additional fuel
tankage increases the total fuel capacity of this model to 30,030 L (7,930 US gal). These modifications also increased
the maximum takeoff weight of the A321-200 to 93,400 kg (206,000 lb). This variant first flew in December 1996. Its
direct competitor is the 757-200 and the 737-900/900ER.
A319[edit]


British Airways A319
The A319 is a shortened, minimum-change version of the A320. Also known as the A320M-7, it is 3.73 metres
(12 ft 3 in) shorter than the A320;
[50][57][58]
four frames fore of the wing and three frames aft of the wing were removed.
This allows the number of emergency exits to be reduced to six. With virtually the same fuel capacity as the A320-
200, and fewer passengers, the range with 124 passengers in a two-class configuration extends to 6,650 km
(3,590 nmi), or 6,850 km (3,700 nmi) with the "Sharklets".
[58]
Four propulsion options available on the A319 are the
23,040-pound-force (102.5 kN) V2522-A5 and 24,800-pound-force (110 kN) V2527M-A5 from IAE, or the 22,000-
pound-force (98 kN) CFM56-5B/A and 27,000-pound-force (120 kN) CFM56-5B7.
[61]
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 Steven Udvar-Hazy, the former president and CEO of ILFC according
to The New York Times.
[118]
The A319's launch customer, in fact, was ILFC, which had placed an order for 6 A319s by
1993.
[60]
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.
[119]

A319CJ[edit]
The A319CJ is the corporate jet version of the A319. It incorporates removable extra fuel tanks which are installed in
the cargo compartment, and an increased service ceiling of 12,500 m (41,000 ft).
[120]
Range with 8 passengers' payload
and the standard four auxiliary fuel tanks is 6,000 nautical miles (11,100 km).
[121][122]
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 is also known as the ACJ, or Airbus Corporate Jet. Producer is Airbus Executive and Private Aviation, which
is a part of Airbus.
The aircraft seats up to 39 passengers but may be outfitted by the customers into any configuration. Tyrolean Jet
Service Nfg. GmbH & CO KG and Reliance Industries are among its users. The A319CJ competes with other
corporate jets such as the Gulfstream V, the Boeing 737-700-based Boeing Business Jet (BBJ),
and Bombardier's Global Express. It is powered by the same engine types as the A320.


CFM56-5Bs engine on an easyJet A319
The A319CJ was used by the Escadron de Transport, d'Entranement 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
ofArmenia,
[123]
Azerbaijan, Brazil, Bulgaria, Czech
Republic, Germany, Italy, Malaysia, Thailand, Turkey, Ukraine and Venezuela.
A318[edit]
Main article: Airbus A318
The Airbus A318 is the smallest member of the Airbus A320 family. The A318 carries up to 132 passengers and has a
maximum range of 3,100 nmi (5,700 km; 3,600 mi). The aircraft entered service in July 2003 with Frontier Airlines,
and shares a common type rating with all other Airbus A320 family variants, allowing existing A320 family pilots to
fly the aircraft without the need for further training. It is the largest commercial aircraft certified by the European
Aviation Safety Agency for steep approach operations, allowing flights at airports such as London City Airport.
Relative to other Airbus A320 family variants, the A318 has sold in only small numbers with total orders for only 81
aircraft placed as of 31 December 2012.
Freighter[edit]
A programme to convert A320 and A321 aircraft into freighters was set up by Airbus Freighter Conversion GmbH.
Airframes would be converted by EADS EFW in Dresden, Germany, andZhukovsky, Russia. The launch
customer AerCap signed a firm contract on 16 July 2008 to convert 30 of AerCap's passenger A320/A321s into
A320/A321P2F (passenger to freighter). However, on 3 June 2011, Airbus announced all partners would end the
passenger to freighter programme, citing high demand for used airframes for passenger service.
[124]

Operators[edit]
See also: List of Airbus A320 operators
Orders and deliveries[edit]
See also: List of Airbus A320 orders

Orders Deliveries
Ty
pe
Tot
al
Bac
klog
To
tal
20
13
20
12
20
11
20
10
20
09
20
08
20
07
20
06
20
05
20
04
20
03
20
02
20
01
20
00
19
99
19
98
19
97
19
96
19
95
19
94
19
93
19
92
19
91
19
90
19
89
19
88
A3
18
79 0 79 1 2 2 2 6 13 17 8 9 10 9

A3
19
1,5
22
133
1,
38
9
32 38 47 51 88 98
10
5
13
7
14
2
87 72 85 89
11
2
88 53 47 18

A3
20
6,5
05
3,02
7
3,
47
8
28
6
33
2
30
6
29
7
22
1
20
9
19
4
16
4
12
1
10
1
11
9
11
6
11
9
10
1
10
1
80 58 38 34 48 71
11
1
11
9
58 58 16
A3
21
1,9
19
1,06
3
85
6
81 83 66 51 87 66 51 30 17 35 33 35 49 28 33 35 22 16 22 16

To
tal
10,
025
4,02
3
5,
80
2
40
0
45
5
42
1
40
1
40
2
38
6
36
7
33
9
28
9
23
3
23
3
23
6
25
7
24
1
22
2
16
8
12
7
72 56 64 71
11
1
11
9
58 58 16
Data through end of Octomber 2013. Updated on 10 November 2013.
[2][108]

Accidents and incidents[edit]
Main article: Accidents and incidents involving the Airbus A320 family
For the entire A320 family there have been 59 aviation occurrences, including 23 hull-loss accidents with a total of
782 fatalities as of April 2012.
[125][126][127][128][129]
There have been 50 incidents of glass cockpit blackout.
[130][131][132]

Specifications[edit]
Airbus A320 family

A318-100
A319-100 / A319LR /
A319CJ
A320-200 A321-200
Cockpit crew Two
Seating capacity
132 (1-class,
maximum)
117 (1-class, typical)
107 (2-class, typical)
156 (1-class, maximum)
134 (1-class, typical)
124 (2-class, typical)
180 (1-class, maximum)
164 (1-class, typical)
150 (2-class, typical)
220 (1-class, maximum)
199 (1-class, typical)
185 (2-class, typical)
Seat Pitch
29 in (74 cm) & 30 in
(76 cm) (1-class,
maximum)
32 in (81 cm) (1-class,
typical)
38 in (97 cm) & 32 in
(81 cm) (2-class,
typical)
28 in (71 cm) & 30 in
(76 cm) (1-class, maximum)
32 in (81 cm) (1-class,
typical)
36 in (91 cm) & 32 in
(81 cm) (2-class, typical)
28 in (71 cm) & 29 in (74 cm) (1-class, maximum)
32 in (81 cm) (1-class, typical)
36 in (91 cm) & 32 in (81 cm) (2-class, typical)
Cargo capacity 21.21 m
3
(749 cu ft)
27.62 m
3
(975 cu ft)
4 LD3-46
37.41 m
3
(1,321 cu ft)
7 LD3-46
51.73 m
3
(1,827 cu ft)
10 LD3-46
Length 31.44 m (103 ft 2 in) 33.84 m (111 ft 0 in) 37.57 m (123 ft 3 in) 44.51 m (146 ft 0 in)
Wingspan 34.10 m (111 ft 11 in)
Wing area 122.6 m
2
(1,320 sq ft)
Wing sweepback 25 degrees
Tail height 12.51 m (41 ft 1 in) 11.76 m (38 ft 7 in)
Cabin width 3.70 m (12 ft 2 in)
Fuselage width 3.95 m (13 ft 0 in)
Fuselage height 4.14 m (13 ft 7 in)
Operating empty
39,500 kg (87,100 lb) 40,800 kg (89,900 lb) 42,600 kg (93,900 lb) 48,500 kg (106,900 lb)
weight(OEW)
Maximum zero-
fuel
weight(MZFW)
54,500 kg (120,200 lb) 58,500 kg (129,000 lb) 62,500 kg (137,800 lb) 73,800 kg (162,700 lb)
Maximum
landing
weight(MLW)
57.5 t (127,000 lb) 62.5 t (138,000 lb) 66 t (146,000 lb) 77.8 t (172,000 lb)
Maximum take-
off
weight(MTOW)
68 t (150,000 lb) 75.5 t (166,000 lb) 78 t (172,000 lb) 93.5 t (206,000 lb)
Cruising speed Mach 0.78 (828 km/h/511 mph at 11,000 m/36,000 ft)
Maximum speed Mach 0.82 (871 km/h/537 mph at 11,000 m/36,000 ft)
Maximum range,
fully loaded
3,100 nmi (5,700 km;
3,600 mi),
3,200 nmi (5,900 km;
3,700 mi)
withsharklets
3,600 nmi (6,700 km;
4,100 mi),
3,700 nmi (6,900 km;
4,300 mi) withsharklets
LR: 5,600 nmi (10,400 km;
6,400 mi)
CJ: 6,500 nmi (12,000 km;
7,500 mi)
3,100 nmi (5,700 km;
3,600 mi),
3,300 nmi (6,100 km;
3,800 mi) withsharklets
3,000 nmi (5,600 km;
3,500 mi),
3,200 nmi (5,900 km;
3,700 mi) withsharklets
Takeoff distance
at MTOW
(sea level, ISA)
1,828 m (5,997 ft) 2,164 m (7,100 ft) 2,090 m (6,860 ft) 2,560 m (8,400 ft)
Maximum fuel
capacity
24,210 L
(5,330 imp gal;
6,400 US gal)
24,210 L (5,330 imp gal; 6,400 US gal) standard
30,190 L (6,640 imp gal; 7,980 US gal) optional
24,050 L (5,290 imp gal;
6,350 US gal) standard
30,030 L (6,610 imp gal;
7,930 US gal) optional
Service ceiling
12,000 m (39,000 ft)
A319 CJ and A321: 12,500 m (41,000 ft)
Engines (2) CFM International CFM56-5 series
Pratt & Whitney
PW6000 series
IAE V2500 series
Thrust (2)
96106 kN (22,000
24,000 lb
f
)
98120 kN (22,000
27,000 lb
f
)
111120 kN (25,000
27,000 lb
f
)
133147 kN (30,000
33,000 lb
f
)
Source: Airbus,
[50][51][58][68][120][133]
Airliners.net,
[134][135][136][137]
Pratt & Whitney
[138]

Engines[edit]
Aircraft Model Certification Date Engines
[139]

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
Aircraft Model Certification Date Engines
[139]

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
A320-216 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
Aircraft Model Certification Date Engines
[139]

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