[47] The A320 airframe includes composite materials and aluminium alloys to save weight and reduce the total number of parts to decrease the maintenance costs. [15], The programme was launched on 2 March 1984. [11] 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). In early 1998, Airbus revealed its considerations of designing a 100-seat aircraft based on the A320. [99] On 27 October 2020, the first A321P2F was delivered to launch operator Qantas Airways, with windows and exit doors removed, and a large hydraulically actuated main cargo door installed. Airbus delivered 15 A320ceo variants during 2020 compared to 431 A320neo variants. [11] The A321 fuselage is stretched by 6.93 metres (22 ft 9 in) with a 4.27 m (14 ft 0 in) front plug immediately forward of wing and a 2.67 m (8 ft 9 in) rear plug. [54] The 2.5 metres (8 ft 2 in) tall devices are manufactured by Korean Air Aerospace Division. Relative to other Airbus A320 family variants, the A318 has sold in only small numbers with total orders for only 80 aircraft placed as of 31 October 2015[update]. [8] After three years of design, the maiden flight took place at Hamburg on 15 January 2002. Get the best seat possible with our GoAir A320 seating chart and traveler seat reviews. The design is a "shrink" with its origins in the 130- to 140-seat SA1, part of the Single-Aisle studies. In December 2010, Airbus announced the re-engined A320neo (new engine option), which entered service with Lufthansa in January 2016. [17] At this time, Airbus had 96 orders. On this aircraft, through March 30, 2021, middle seats (typically seats “B” and “E”) will be blocked from selection for parties of 1-2. Up to 150 seats can be configured within the Airbus A320 cabin, and the aircraft can travel 5,280 nm. There are currently two types of A320-200 aircraft configuration in operation. It is powered by the same engine types as the A320. Both configurations have 180 Economy seats. [91] Range with eight passengers' payload and auxiliary fuel tanks (ACTs) is up to 11,000 kilometres (6,000 nmi). The A320 would carry 150 passengers over 5,280 or 3,440 km (2,850 or 1,860 nmi) using fuel from wing fuel tanks only. Although the members were all of Airbus' partners, they regarded the project as a separate collaboration from Airbus. Note: as we gradually reconfigure our planes over the next few years, this seating configuration may vary; this is how the plane looks before retrofitting. During the A320 development programme, Airbus considered propfan technology, backed by Lufthansa. [66] Digital head-up displays are available. Its wing is long and thin, offering better aerodynamic efficiency because of the higher aspect ratio than the competing 737 and MD-80. Read user reviews for Jetstar Airbus A320 (320) Layout 1. [8] Its fuel capacity is increased to 30,030 L (7,930 US gal) and its maximum takeoff weight to 93,000 kg (205,000 lb). [10] Although heavier, this allowed to compete more effectively with the 737. The name "Airbus" at the time referred to a BEA requirement, rather than to the later international programme. Airbus claimed the 737-300 burns 35% more fuel and has a 16% higher operating cost per seat than the V2500-powered A320. Its closest Boeing competitors are the 737-900/900ER,[86] and the 757-200. See the A320neo Family advertisement A321LR: Longer range on single-aisle routes Airbus A320-200 (320) Airbus A321-200 (321) Airbus A330-200 (332) ... On this aircraft, through March 30, 2021, middle seats (typically seat “D”) will be blocked from selection for parties of 1-2. The AE31X project was terminated by September 1998, after which Airbus officially announced an aircraft of its own, the A318,[11] at that year's Farnborough Airshow. Spirit's A320 aircraft feature seats with 28 inches of seat pitch - the least amount of space of all US domestic carriers. American Airlines is the world's largest airline operator of the A320 family of aircraft with 392 aircraft in service as of 30 September 2017.[3]. [37] Consequently, Pratt & Whitney abandoned the five-stage high-pressure compressor (HPC) for the MTU-designed six-stage HPC. Photo: Airbus. During the year, Airbus worked with Delta Air Lines on a 150-seat aircraft envisioned and required by the airline. [11] The group looked at three different variants, covering the 125- to 180-seat market, called SA1, SA2 and SA3. [10] It would have a cruise speed of Mach 0.84 (faster than the Boeing 737). Its wing sweep is 25 degrees. The Airbus A320 family are narrow-body (single-aisle) aircraft with a retractable tricycle landing gear and are powered by two wing pylon-mounted turbofan engines. The programme was called the AE31X, and covered the 95-seat AE316 and 115- to 125-seat AE317. 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. [28] A total of 4,512 of the A320ceo model have been delivered, with 220 remaining on order as of 30 September 2017. [18]:50 The first A320 was delivered to Air France on 28 March 1988. [10][11] It was abandoned after intruding on A310 specifications. Aircraft specifications. [11] These aircraft, the first to be manufactured, were delivered to Air Inter – later acquired by Air France – and British Airways as a result of an order from British Caledonian made prior to its acquisition. https://www.seatmaestro.com/airplanes-seat-maps/air-canada-airbus-a320-200 The 44.5 m (146 ft) A321 offers 185 to 230 seats. 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. Airbus launched the sharklet blended wingtip device during the November 2009 Dubai Airshow: installation adds 200 kg (440 lb) but offers a 3.5% fuel burn reduction on flights over 2,800 km (1,500 nmi). [11], Delivery of the first A319, to Swissair, took place on 25 April 1996, entering service by month's end. [10] 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. [67], The A320 retained the dark cockpit (where an indicator is off when its system is running; useful for drawing attention to dysfunctions when an indicator is lit) from the A310, the first widebody designed to be operated without a flight engineer and influenced by Bernard Ziegler, first Airbus CEO Henri Ziegler's son.[68]. [59], Offering 10% more overhead bin volume, more shoulder room, a weight reduction, a new intercom and in-flight entertainment system, noise reduction and slimmer PSU, the enhanced Cabin can be retrofitted. It was formerly also known as the ACJ, or Airbus Corporate Jet, while starting with 2014 it has the marketing designation ACJ319. [65], Airbus offers an avionics upgrade for older A320 aircraft, the In-Service Enhancement Package, to keep them updated. Seat Width: The distance between the inner sides of the armrests on a seat. [11] Anticipating further orders by Swissair and Alitalia, Airbus decided to launch the programme on 10 June 1993. Of the planes currently in service, the passenger capacity ranges from 379 (4-class layout in Singapore Airlines) to 615 passengers (2-class layout in Emirates). The wing would incorporate double-slotted flaps and minor trailing edge modifications,[11] increasing the wing area from 124 m2 (1,330 sq ft) to 128 m2 (1,380 sq ft). [11] The single-aisle programme created divisions within Airbus about whether to design a shorter-range twinjet rather than a longer-range quadjet wanted by the West Germans, particularly Lufthansa. [7] 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. All following Airbuses have similar human/machine interface and systems control philosophy to facilitate cross-type qualification with minimal training. Today all variants are available as corporate jets. Flying a Frontier Airbus A320 soon? [96], On 17 June 2015 ST Aerospace signed agreements with Airbus and EFW for a collaboration to launch the A320/A321 passenger-to-freighter (P2F) conversion programme. [33], Airbus began offering the new model from 22 May 1992, with the actual launch of the $275 million (€250 million) programme occurring on 10 June 1993;[31][11][8] the A319's first customer was ILFC, who signed for six aircraft. Three variants are based on the previous A319, A320 and A321. In December 2011, Airbus filed suit in the western district of Texas over Aviation Partners' claims of infringement of its patents on winglet design and construction which were granted in 1993. An A319 variant known as A319LR is also developed. [37] 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. The A320 features an Electronic Centralised Aircraft Monitor (ECAM) which gives the flight crew information about all the systems of the aircraft. [15] The UK government was unwilling to provide funding for the tooling requested by British Aerospace (BAe) and estimated at £250 million, it was postponed for three years. The A320ceo initially competed with the 737 Classic and the MD-80, then their successors, the 737 Next Generation and the MD-90, while the 737 MAX is Boeing's response to the A320neo. A 1998 A319 value was $35 million new, was halved by 2009, and reached scrap levels by 2019.[90]. The 129 order book for the A318 shrunk to 80 largely because of switches to other A320 family members. With a similar 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". [8] A 10th variation, conceived in 1973, later the first to be constructed, was designated the A300B10. use of cookies Its cargo hold can accommodate Unit Load Devices containers. It incorporates removable extra fuel tanks (up to six additional center tanks) which are installed in the cargo compartment, and an increased service ceiling of 12,500 m (41,000 ft). The A321 has outsold the 737-900 three to one, as the A321neo is again dominating the 737-9 MAX, to be joined by the 737-10 MAX.[81]. Flying a GoAir Airbus A320 soon? Airbus North America President Barry Eccleston stated that the earliest the aircraft could have been available was 2017. [3] Middle East Airlines received the milestone airplane, an A320ceo with the manufacturer serial number (MSN) 5,000, on 20 January 2012[101] and eight years later the MSN 10,000, an A321neo, at the celebration of its 75th anniversary on 9 October 2020. [36] Tests on the lead engine, the Pratt & Whitney PW6000, revealed worse-than-expected fuel consumption. [111] The press and media later questioned the fly-by-wire flight control system, but 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. Seat Recline: The distance between a seat back in its full upright and full recline position. Flying a Air Arabia Airbus A320 soon? [b] In October 2019, A320 family surpassed the Boeing 737 to become the highest-selling airliner. 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. [11][26] The aircraft would be a minimum-changed derivative, apart from a number of minor modifications to the wing, and the fuselage stretch itself. The A319CJ was used by the Escadron de Transport, d'Entraînement et de Calibration which is in charge of transportation for France's officials and also by the Flugbereitschaft of the German Air Force for transportation of Germany's officials. Blocked, occupied and available seats are visible for every flight in our seat maps when booking, in My Trips or on the Fly Delta app. A 150-seat A320 burns 11,608 kg (25,591 lb) of jet fuel over 3,984 km (2,151 nmi) (between Los Angeles and New York City), or 2.43 L/100 km (97 mpg‑US) per seat with a 0.8 kg/L fuel. [8] The A321-100 maximum takeoff weight is increased by 9,600 kg (21,200 lb) to 83,000 kg (183,000 lb). [11][28][29] The length increase required the overwing exits of the A320 to be enlarged and repositioned in front of and behind the wings. By continuing to browse the site you are agreeing to our The A319 was developed at the request of Steven F. Udvar-Házy, the former president and CEO of ILFC. [16] 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. Lufthansa and Alitalia were the first to order the stretched Airbuses, with 20 and 40 aircraft requested, respectively. European Joint Aviation Authorities certification was delivered on 26 February 1988. [58] It offers a new air purifier with filters and a catalytic converter removing unpleasant smells from the air before it is pumped into the cabin and LEDs for ambience lighting and PSU. [112] Through 2015, the Airbus A320 family has experienced 0.12 fatal hull-loss accidents for every million takeoffs and 0.26 total hull-loss accidents for every million takeoffs. [8] Although identical to those of the A320, these engines are derated because of the A319's lower MTOW. For Roger Béteille, then Airbus president, introducing fly-by-wire with flight envelope protection was one of the most difficult decisions he had ever made, explaining: "Either we were going to be first with new technologies or we could not expect to be in the market.