Airbus A320 family
 |
The Airbus A320 is a short to medium range commercial passenger aircraft manufactured by Airbus. It was the first airliner with a digital fly-by-wire flight control system, where the pilot controls flight surfaces through the use of electronic signals rather than mechanically with pulleys and hydraulic systems.
History
After the initial success of the Airbus A300, Airbus began developing a successor to the world's most popular aircraft at the time, the Boeing 727. The new Airbus would be of the same size, but offering better operating economics and available in various passenger capacities. The digital technology in the A320 would herald a two-generation technological leap over the all-analog 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 of the 1970s, Airbus needed to minimise the trip fuel costs of the A320. To assist this aim, Airbus incorporated advanced features such as fly-by-wire flight controls, composite primary structures, centre-of-gravity control using fuel, glass cockpit and a 2-person flight deck. With all these technologies on board, the A320 achieved 50% less fuel consumption than the 727.
The 320 uses two suppliers for its engines: The CFM International CFM56 and International Aero Engines V2500.
The A320 features a computerised on-board maintenance system. The avionics systems are designed for easy upgrade without major rework. With the exception of the very earliest A320's, most can be upgraded to the latest avionics standards, keeping the aircraft advanced even after almost 2 decades in service.
The flight deck is equipped with EFIS and a sidestick controller. The behavior of the fly-by-wire system (equipped with full flight envelope protection) was then a new experience for many pilots. Early crashes, including the Air France A320 crash during an airshow in Habsheim, with 3 fatalities, can be attributed to this. The crash investigation was hindered by the tampering with or replacing of evidence.[1] Rigorous pilot training and modification of the fly-by-wire system has greatly reduced such incidents and now the safety record for the type is very good.
In service
The type certificate for the A320 was awarded by the JAA on February 26, 1988. After entering the market in March 1988 with Air France, the A320 family rapidly expanded: the 185-seat A321 was launched in 1989; the 124-seat A319 was launched in 1993; and the 107-seat A318 was launched in 1999.
Compared to other airliners of the same class, the A320 features a wider cabin and larger overhead bins along with fly-by-wire technology. In addition, the aircraft has a spacious cargo hold equipped with large doors to assist in expedient loading and unloading of goods. These features have resulted in orders from airlines such as Northwest Airlines as the United States launch customer, United Airlines and British Airways. Its low maintenance and operating costs have also appealed to low-cost carriers. Jet Blue, for example, ordered up to 233 of the A320 family for its fleet. Other low-cost carriers carriers with significant orders include EasyJet and Air Asia.
The A320 family has faced competitive challenges from the Boeing 737 Classics (-300/-400/-500), the Boeing 737 Next-Generation (-600/-700/-800/-900), the Boeing 757, the Boeing 717, the McDonnell Douglas MD-80 series and the McDonnell Douglas MD-90 series during its almost two decades in service.
The A319 is used by the Escadron de transport, d'entraînement et de calibrage which is in charge of transportation for France's officials.
Technology
Technological Advancements in the A320 include:
- the first fully digital fly-by-wire flight control system in a civil airliner, hence the first with relaxed stability
- the first civil airliner to use sidesticks instead of control columns
- 2-man crew (compared to 3-man crew of the 727, 2-man crew of the 737)
- fully glass cockpit rather than the hybrid versions found in A310, Boeing 757 and Boeing 767
- the first narrowbody airliner with a significant amount of the structure made from composites
- centralized maintenance diagnostics systems allowing diagnosis of problems from the flight deck
- Airbus recently has started installing LCD (liquid crystal) display units in the flight deck of its new 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 analog display prior to this.
Variants
The A320 has given rise to a family of aircraft which share a common design but are a little smaller (the A319), a lot smaller (the A318), or a little larger (the A321). Passenger capacity ranges from 100 to 220. They compete with the Boeing 737, 757-200, and 717. All have the same pilot type-rating.
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 ETOPS rated.
A320
The A320 series has two variants, the A320-100 and A320-200. The A320-200 is the definitive version as very few A320-100s were produced. The A320-200 features wingtip fences and increased fuel capacity over the A320-100 for increased range: other than that differences are minimal.
Typical range with 150 passengers for the A320-200 is about 2900 nautical miles (5,400 km). It is powered by two CFMI CFM56-5 or IAE V2500 with thrust ratings between 25,500 to 27,000 pounds force (113 kN to 120 kN).
A319
This is a shortened, minimum change version of the A320. With virtually same fuel capacity as the A320-200, and fewer passengers, the range with 124 passengers in 2-class configuration extends to 3,900 nautical miles (7200 km), the highest in its class. The A320 and A319 are the most popular variants of the A320 family. In 2003 easyJet took delivery of A319s with smaller galleys (as easyJet does not serve meals) and 156 seats in a single class configuration. To satisfy evacuation regulations additional over-wing exits were included.
The massive easyJet order of 120 A319s plus 120 options was among the biggest aircraft sales deals in recent times, rivaled only by chief competitor Ryanair's order for Boeing 737 aircraft.
It is powered by the same types of engine as the A320. JAA certification and service entry, with Swissair, took place in April 1996.
Currently, Northwest Airlines holds the record for the shortest scheduled A319 service from Bishop International Airport in Flint, MI to Detroit's Detroit Metro Airport, a distance of about 57 miles.
A319CJ
This is the corporate jet version of the A319. It incorporates extra fuel tanks which are installed in the cargo compartment giving a range of 6,500 nautical miles (12,000 km). Upon resale the aircraft can be reconfigured as a standard A319 by removing its extra tanks, thus maximising its resale value. It is also known as the ACJ, or Airbus Corporate Jet.
The aircraft seats up to 39 passengers but may be outfitted by the customers into any configuration. DaimlerChrysler and PrivatAir are among its users. The A319CJ competes with other corporate jets such as the Gulfstream V, the Boeing 737-based BBJ1, and Bombardier's Global Express. It is powered by the same engine types as the A320.
A319LR
This version features an all-business class layout with 48 seats, specifically tailored for exclusive business class services on intercontinental routes. The A319LR, compared to the A319CJ, has four auxiliary fuel tanks instead of six. Typical range is 4,500 nautical miles (8300 km), making it the longest range airliner in the A320 family.
Lufthansa operates a premium business service between Germany and the USA using a fleet of A319LRs operated by the swiss PrivatAir. However, Qatar Airways fit their A319LRs with standard seatings with 110 seats.
A321
 |
This is a lengthened, minimum change version of the A320. The wing area is slightly enlarged and the undercarriage is strengthened, with higher thrust variants of both CFM56 and V2500. Some carriers have bought the A321 over the Boeing 757 as it shares type commonality with the A318, A319, and A320. Type certification was awarded in December 1993 by the JAA.
Typical range with 186 passengers for the A321-100 is about 2,300 nautical miles (4,300 km). It is powered by two CFM56-5 or IAE V2500 engines with a thrust rating of 31,000 pounds force (138 kN).
The A321-200 has extra fuel capacity bringing the range with 186 passengers up to about 3,000 nautical miles (5,500 km). The A321-200 is powered by two CFM56-5 or IAE V2500 engines with a thrust rating of about 33,000 pounds force (147 kN).
A318
The A318, also known as the "Mini-Airbus", is the smallest member of the A320 family. 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 its predecessor. Pilots who are trained on the other A320 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 current 737-600 and 717.
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 (3,250 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-Jerusalem 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 aeroplanes following the attacks of 11 September 2001. 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, American Airlines division Trans World Airlines, and British Airways. 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 lbf (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 mile flight.
Orders for the A318 have been slow. Other manufacturers, like Bombardier and Embraer have mainly been contributing to intense competition.
_landing_at_London_Heathrow_Airport.jpg) |
 |
Airbus has shipped 2,631 A320s (at 31 December 2005) since its certification/first delivery in early 1988, with another 1,652 on firm order. Boeing has shipped 4,966 737s since late 1967 with a further 1,133 on firm order. [2] Based on these figures Airbus delivered on average 146 A320 series aircraft per annum, compared to 127 for Boeing's 737.
Accident summary
(As of September 2005 for the whole A320 family)
- Hull-loss Accidents: 11 with a total of 327 fatalities
- Other occurrences: 2 with a total of 0 fatalities
- Hijackings: 6 with a total of 1 fatality
- Seven incidents of nose gear malfunction, including JetBlue Airways Flight 292
Specifications (A320)
General characteristics
- Crew: 2 pilots, 3 flight attendants minimum
- Capacity: 150 passengers
- Freight: 16 300 kg (35 900 lb)
- Length: 37.57 m (123 ft 3 in)
- Wingspan: 34.09 m (111 ft 10 in)
- Height: 11.76 m (38 ft 7 in)
- Wing area: 122.6 m²
- Maximum takeoff: 73 500 kg (162 000 lb) / 77 000 kg (169 800 lb)
- Powerplant: 2 x CFM56-5 111 kN
- Powerplant: IAE V2500 120 kN
- Maximum landing: 64 500 kg (142 200 lb) / 66 000 kg (145 500 lb)
- Maximum cabin width: 3.70 m (12 ft 1 in)
- Wing sweep (25% chord): 25°
- Wheel track: 7.59 m
- Maximum ramp weight: 73 900 kg / 77 400 kg
- Maximum zero fuel weight: 61 000 kg / 62 500 kg
- Maximum fuel capacity: 23 860 L / 29 660 L
- Typical operating weight, empty: 42 400 kg
- Typical volumetric payload: 16 300 kg
- Bulk hold volume: 37.43 m³
Performance
- Maximum speed: 0.82 M (approx 870 km/h, 541 mph or 470 kt)
- Where two numbers are listed, the former is for the first powerplant option and the latter is for the second powerplant option.
Related content
Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era
Related lists