A300
Launched in May 1969, the 250-seat A300 was Airbus Industrie's first product, and the first example was flown from Toulouse, France, in October 1972. The first production A300 variant, the -B2, entered service in May 1974. The -B4 growth-weight version followed, while several F4 and C4 versions were completed with main-deck cargo doors. Two slightly smaller B1s were built, one of which was delivered.
An advanced-technology two-crew EFIS-flightdeck-equipped version, the A300-600 was launched in 1980, which entered service in March 1984. The A300-600 utilised the A310's rear fuselage and tail section, boosting passenger and cargo capacity slightly. From the mid-1980s, the new version superseded the original A300B models, of which 250 were built.
The current production A300, the -600R entered service in 1988, and features increased fuel capacity, higher weights and extended-range capability. The A300-600F pure freighter was first flown in December 1993, following an order from FedEx.
The majority (70%) of the outstanding orders for the A300 are held by FedEx for the freighter version, while the passenger-aircraft orders are mainly from Asian carriers.
With a glut of ex-passenger A300B4s on the market in recent years, two companies - British Aerospace Airbus and Daimler-Benz Aerospace Airbus - are offering freighter conversion programmes, and a variety of conversion contracts was placed with both vendors during 1996.
Production - Final assembly of the A300-600 is integrated with that of the A310, and is undertaken by Aerospatiale at Toulouse. The annual combined production rate is running around 20 units, with the majority being the A300.
A310
A short-fuselage, re-winged derivative of the A300, the A310 was launched in July 1978, and entered service with Lufthansa and Swissair in April 1983. The current production version, the -300, features increased weight, and fuel capacity, offering longer range.
Airbus believes that future sales of the A310 will be in its originally conceived 200-seater regional market, and not the long-range sector for which it has more recently been developed, but is now too small. In 1995, the consortium said that it had taken steps to return the A310 to its original concept, with the project dubbed the A310 Lite. Airbus has proposed cuts in A310 operating costs by reducing gross weights and adopting lower-thrust engines, to enable Airbus to offer a more competitive widebody alternative to Boeing's single-aisle 757.
Sales of the A310 have been at a trickle in recent years, although the type recently received a major boost with a contract from an unannounced South American airline for up to nine aircraft. Airbus expects to continue building A310s for the foreseeable future, predicting that demand will "-rise sharply later this decade as early Boeing 757s, 767s and A310s become due for replacement".
Production - see A300
A319/A320/A321
Airbus' family of single-aisle fly-by-wire airliners offers two-class seating capacity for between 124 and 185 passengers. Airbus' first single-aisle design, the 150-seat A320, was launched in March 1984 and became the world's first subsonic airliner to feature a fly-by-wire FCS and some composite primary structures. Air France launched the first A320 revenue operation in March 1988.
The initial version was designated the A320-100, of which 21 were built. This was superseded by the A320-200, now the standard production version, which has increased fuel capacity and higher weights.
In 1989, Airbus launched a stretched derivative, the 185-seat A321, which entered service with Lufthansa in March 1994. While production continues of the basic -100 version, development effort is now focused on the extended-range A321-200, which was launched in April 1995 by Aero Lloyd. This derivative is aimed at the holiday-charter market, and features increased weights, more powerful engines and an optional auxiliary centre fuel tank. First deliveries to launch customer Aero Lloyd are scheduled for late 1996.
The newest family member, the A319, which is also the smallest Airbus, was launched in June 1993. The aircraft, which entered service in May 1996 with Swissair, has racked up some significant sales in 1996, with United Airlines selecting the aircraft over the new 737 and signing for 24 aircraft. Growth versions of the basic 64t MTOW A319-100 are offered, with a 68t and 70t versions available.
A major selling point is that the A330 family shares a common type-rating and a cross-crew-qualification advantage, which extends to the widebodied A330/A340.
Production - Final assembly of the Airbus narrowbodies is split between the consortium's French and German partners. Aerospatiale builds the A320 at Toulouse, while assembly of the A319 and A321 is undertaken at Hamburg by Daimler-Benz Aerospace Airbus. The annual combined production rate is currently running at around 70-80 units, split slightly in favour of the Hamburg plant (the A319/A321). Narrowbody production is to be increased to almost 200 units a year by 1998.
Daimler-Benz Aerospace has made no secret of the fact that it wants to become the Europe's centre of excellence for narrowbodied airliner production, and is seeking ultimately to transfer the responsibility of A320 final assembly to Hamburg.
A330
The A330 twin-engined widebody was developed in parallel with the four-engined A340, and was launched as a joint programme in June 1987. The 335-seat (two-class) A330-300 was the initial production variant, which was first flown in November 1992, and entered service in January 1994 with Air Inter.
Airbus launched a short-fuselage, longer-range version of the A330 in November 1995, the A330-200, as a direct competitor to Boeing's successful model 767-300ER. The new A330 variant will enter service in April 1998, and is designed to carry 256 passengers in a typical three-class layout, over distances of 11,800km. The new model is some 5.33m, or ten fuselage frames, shorter than the basic -300.
All versions of the A330 are offered with either the P&W PW4168, GE CF6-80E1 or R-R Trent 700 as power plant options.
Although Airbus' growth studies centre around A340 derivatives, the consortium has also examined the development of an enlarged version of the A330, dubbed -400, but these studies are on hold. These enlarged projects could be equipped with the larger wing being developed for the A340-600.
Production - Aerospatiale undertakes final assembly of the A330 alongside the A340, at Toulouse, France. The annual combined production rate is currently running around 30-35 units, of which the majority are A340s.
A340
The A340 family encompasses two sizes, and a variety of weights. The programme was launched at the same time as that of the A330, in June 1987, with two versions offered, the -200 and -300, typically seating 263 and 295 passengers respectively, in a three class layout. First flight was in October 1991, and the A340-300 and -200 entered service in March 1993 with Air France and Lufthansa respectively.
A high-gross-weight, longer-range version of the -300, the -300E, entered service with Singapore Airlines in April 1996. The new model features strengthened wing structure, and more powerful engines. Airbus has also developed a very-long-range derivative of the smaller -200, dubbed the A340-8000 (15,000km range) which is capable of linking Hong Kong with the US east coast or Australia with Europe. This derivative, which features increased weights and additional fuel capacity, is available for delivery from 1997.
Since launch, Airbus has been examining ways of expanding the family by developing stretched derivatives. After examining "simple-stretches", under the A340-400 designation, Airbus' studies crystallised in early 1996 around a stretch of 20 frames/10.7m, combined with an enlarged wing, much higher weights, and considerably more powerful (up to 267kN) engines.
This new model, dubbed the -600, will be capable of carrying 372 passengers (three-class) over distances of 13,690km. The wing will incorporate a 1.6m wing box insert to increase area and fuel capacity and 1.6m wingtip extensions will be introduced. MTOW will be increased to 356t, requiring a four-wheel centre main undercarriage unit to be adopted in place of the existing two wheel unit.
In April 1996, the consortium signed a six-month exclusive study agreement with GE over the development of a new engine, and this is expected to see Airbus offer an engine based on a scaled-down GE90. The A340-600 programme is expected to be launched during 1997, and the aircraft to enter service in 2000.
In parallel with the stretched -600, Airbus is studying a very-long-range derivative of the A340-300, dubbed the -500. This will combine the new wing, engines and weights of the -600, with a slightly stretched -300 airframe (to balance the enlarged wing), creating a 316-seater with a range of over 15,300km. The -500's better payload/range characteristics may see it replace the smaller A340-8000 in the Airbus product line.
Production - See A330
A3XX
Airbus has always faced a dilemma over how to break the Boeing's monopoly of the high-capacity long-range-airliner market. After an abortive two-year study period, during which the Airbus partners and Boeing examined the joint development of a single very-large commercial transport, the two sides have now made it clear that they will compete head to head in the market - Boeing with stretched, re-winged derivatives of the 747, and Airbus with its all-new project, the A3XX.
Boeing's plans for the Boeing 747-500/600 are at an advanced stage and, although this approach will offer the benefit of lower development costs, it will probably not yield the reductions in direct operating costs which would be possible with an all-new design.
The double-deck A3XX project includes the baseline 555-seat (three-class) -100, which has a range of around 13,900km. Airbus is also proposing a stretched derivative, the 656-seat -200, with a higher weight and a similar range. An extended range -100R, featuring the higher MTOW of the -200, has also been proposed would be able to carry the -100's passenger load over 15,750km. While the -200 will seat almost 1,000 people in a one-class high-density layout, a 700-seat plus (three-class) A3XX-300 has also been talked about.
Airbus had originally envisaged that the A3XX would be powered by versions of the engines which are offered on the A330, but is now planning to utilise the powerplants under development for the new 747 derivatives - the R-R Trent 900 and GE-P&W Engine Alliance GP7000, at thrust ratings of up to 347kN. The basic A3XX-100 will have an MTOW of 510t, while the stretched -200 will weigh in at 550t.
Towards the end of 1996, market interest, combined with pressure from Boeing's 747-X studies which were gathering, saw Airbus accelerate the A3XX timetable. Airbus is expected to finalise the A3XX's definition next year, launch in 1998, and deliver the first aircraft in mid-2003. The consortium, meanwhile, is seeking partners to provide up to 40% of the estimated $8 billion needed to develop its first "jumbo". Jack Schofield, the chairman and chief executive of Airbus North America has said that he expects a final decision to produce the A3XX by mid-1998, "-but it may be sooner". Schofield has also noted that Airbus' $8 billion figure does not include a production site, and that "-nothing is etched in stone" about where the A3XX will be built or assembled.
Source: Flight International
