INTRODUCTION:

The Airbus A320 family consists of short- to medium-range, narrow-body, commercial

passenger twin-engine jet airliners manufactured byAirbus. The family includes
the A318, A319, A320 and A321, as well as the ACJ business jet. The A320s are also
named A320ceo (current engine option) after the introduction of the A320neo.[5] Final assembly of
the family takes place in Toulouse, France, and Hamburg, Germany. A plant in Tianjin, China, has
also been producing aircraft for Chinese airlines since 2009,[6] while a final assembly facility
in Mobile, Alabama,United States, delivered its first A321 in April 2016.[7] 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 March 1988. The family was 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 asside-stick controls, in commercial aircraft. There
has been a continuous improvement process since introduction.

As of 31 March 2017, a total of 7,528 Airbus A320-family aircraft have been delivered, of which
7,201 are in service. In addition, another 5,547 airliners are on firm order.[3] 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.[8] The A320 family has proved popular with airlines
including low-cost carriers such as EasyJet, which purchased A319s and A320s to replace
its 737 fleet. As of 31 March 2017, American Airlines was the largest operator of the Airbus A320
family aircraft, operating 386 aircraft.[b][3] The aircraft family competes directly with the 737 and has
competed with the 717, 757, and the MD-80/MD-90.

In December 2010, Airbus announced a new generation of the A320 family, the A320neo (new
engine option).[9] The A320neo offers new, more efficient engines, combined with airframe
improvements and the addition of winglets, named Sharklets by Airbus. The aircraft will deliver fuel
savings of up to 15%. As of March 2017, a total of 5,056 A320neo family aircraft had been ordered
by more than 70 airlines,[3] making it the fastest ever selling commercial aircraft.[10] The first A320neo
was delivered toLufthansa on 20 January 2016 and it entered service on 25 January 2016. [11][12]
Origins
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.[13] 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.[14] A 10th variation, conceived in 1973, later the first to be constructed, was designated
the A300B10.[15] It was a smaller aircraft which would be developed into the long-range Airbus A310.
Airbus then focused its efforts on the single-aisle market, which was dominated by
the 737 and McDonnell Douglas DC-9.

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 737200 and DC-9.[16]Germany's MBB
(Messerschmitt-Blkow-Blohm), British Aircraft Corporation, Sweden's Saab and
Spain's CASA worked on the EUROPLANE, a 180- to 200-seat aircraft.[16][17] It was abandoned after
intruding on A310 specifications.[18] VFW-Fokker, Dornier and Hawker Siddeley worked on a number
of 150-seat designs.[16]

Alongside BAe (which at the time was 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. Previously, Hawker Siddeley had produced a design called the HS.134 "Airbus" in
1965, an evolution of the HS.121 (formerly DH.121) Trident,[19] 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
A new programme was initiated subsequently, called Joint European Transport (JET). This was set
up in June 1977,[20] and was based at the then British Aerospace (formerly Vickers) site
in Weybridge, Surrey, UK. Although the members were all of Airbus' partners, they regarded the
project as a separate collaboration from Airbus.[21] This project was considered the forerunner of
Airbus A320, encompassing the 130- to 188-seat market, powered by two CFM56s.[16] It would have
a cruise speed of Mach 0.84 (faster than Boeing 737). [16] 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.[22] The group looked at three different variants, covering the 125- to
180-seat market, called SA1, SA2 and SA3.[16] Although unaware at the time, the consortium was
producing the blueprints for the A319, A320 and A321, respectively.[23] 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.[16][24] However, works proceeded, and
the German carrier would eventually order the twinjet.

In February 1981, the project was re-designated A320,[23] 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.[23] The Dash 200 had more fuel through the activation of centre fuel tank,
increasing fuel capacity from 15,590 litres (3,429 imp gal) to 23,430 L (5,154 imp gal),[25]enabling
flights with a distance of 2,850 nmi (5,280 km).[23] The aircraft would measure 36.04 m (118 ft 3 in)
and 39.24 m (128 ft 9 in), respectively.[23] 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". [16] It eventually
settled on a wider diameter, with the internal width at 3.7 m (12 ft 2 in),[16] compared to 3.45 m (11 ft
4 in)[16] 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).[25] It is long and thin, offering better aerodynamic efficiency because of the
higher aspect ratio than the competition, namely the 737 and MD-80.

After the oil price rises of the 1970s, Airbus needed to minimise the trip fuel costs of the A320. To
that end, it adoptedcomposite primary structures, centre-of-gravity control using fuel, glass
cockpit (EFIS) and a two-crew flight deck. The end result was that the A320 consumed 50% less fuel
than the 727[citation needed]. According to a study cited by the Stockholm Environmental Institute, the A320
burns 11,608 kilograms (25,591 lb) of jet fuel flying between Los Angeles and New York City, which
is about 77.4 kilograms (170.6 lb) per passenger in an A320 with 150 seats.[26]

Fly-by-wire flight control system

The A320 family cockpitcommonality enables pilots to quickly transition among Airbuses.
The A320 is the worlds first airliner with digital fly-by-wire (FBW) flight control system: input
commands through the side-stick are interpreted by flight control computers and transmitted to flight
control surfaces within the flight envelope protection; in the 1980s the computer-controlled dynamic
system of the Dassault Mirage 2000 fighter cross-fertilised the Airbus team which tested FBW on
anA300.[27]

The A320 retained the dark cockpit where an indicator is off when its system is running to draw
attention on dysfunctions 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.[28] All following
Airbuses have similar human/machine interface and systems control philosophy to facilitate cross-
type qualification with minimal training; for Roger Bteille, former Airbus president, this choice was
one of the most difficult he had ever made.[27]

Engine

During the A320 development programme, Airbus considered propfan technology, backed
by Lufthansa.[29] 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).[25] It was
the only available engine at launch until the IAE V2500, offered by International Aero Engines, a
group composed of Rolls-Royce, Pratt & Whitney, Japanese Aero Engine 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),[30] hence the name. It is 4% more efficient than the CFM56, with cruisethrust specific
fuel consumption at 0.574 lb/lbf/h (16.3 g/kN/s) for the -A5, compared to 0.596 lb/lbf/h (16.9 g/kN/s)
for the CFM56-5A1.[31]

Production and introduction

A320 parts are manufactured throughout Europe, like the horizontal stabilizer in Spain.

Large parts are shipped aboard theAirbus Beluga.

The UK, France and West Germany wanted the responsibility of final assembly and the associated
duties, known as "work-share arguments".[32] The Germans requested an increased work-share of
40%, while the British wanted the major responsibilities to be swapped around to give partners
production and research and development experience.[32] In the end, British work-share was
increased from that of the two previous Airbuses.[32]

France was willing to commit to a launch aid, or subsidies, while the Germans were more cautious.
[33]
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.[25] On 1 March
1984 the government and the manufacturer agreed that 50 million would be paid whether the A320
would fly or not, while the rest would be paid as a levy on each aircraft sold. [34]

The programme was launched on 2 March 1984.[35] At this time, Airbus had 96 orders.[36]:48 Air
France was its first customer with a "letter of intent" for 25 A320s and an option for 25 more at the
1981 Paris air show.[37] In October 1983, British Caledonian placed seven firm order, bringing total
orders to more than 80.[38]Cyprus Airways became the first to place order for V2500-powered A320s
in November 1984, followed by Pan Am with 16 firm orders and 34 options in January 1985,
then Inex Adria.[36]:49 One of the most significant order was when Northwest Airlines placed an order
for 100 A320s in October 1986, later confirmed at the 1990 Farnborough Airshow, powered by
CFM56 engines.[36]:4950

In presence of then French Prime Minister Jacques Chirac and the Prince and Princess of Wales,
the first A320 was rolled out of the final assembly line on 14 February 1987 and made its maiden
flight on 22 February in 3 hours and 23 minutes from Toulouse. [39] The flight test programme took
1,200 hours on 530 flights, European Joint Aviation Authoritiescertification was delivered on 26
February 1988.[36]:50 The first A320 was delivered to Air France on 28 March 1988.[40]

On 26 June 1988, Air France Flight 296 crashed into trees at the end of runway at Mulhouse-
Habsheim Airport, three out of 130 passengers were killed.[41] In February 1990 another A320, Indian
Airlines Flight 605, crash 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 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". [43]
An Airbus A321 on final assembly line 3 in the Airbus plant in Hamburg

The Toulouse Blagnac final assembly line builds A320s, whereas the Hamburg Finkenwerder final
assembly line builds A318s, A319s, and A321s. The Airbus factory in Tianjin, China assembles
A319s, A320s, and A319s; A320s and A321s are also assembled at the Airbus Americas factory
in Mobile, Alabama.[44] Airbus produced 42 A320 per month in 2015, and expects to increase to 50
per month in 2017.[45]

As Airbus targets a 60 monthly global production rate by mid-2019, the Tianjin line delivered 51 in
2016 and it could assemble six per month from four as it starts producing A320neos in 2017; 147
Airbus were delivered in 2016 in China, 20% of its production, mostly A320-family, a 47% market
share as the country should become the worlds largest market ahead of the USA before 2027. [46]

Stretching the A320: A321

Main article: Airbus A321 Development

Airbus A32X family

The first derivative of the A320 was the Airbus A321, also known as the Stretched A320, A320-
500 and A325.[47][48] Its launch came on 24 November 1988 after commitments for 183 aircraft from 10
customers were secured.[47][49] 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 edge modifications,[50] increasing the wing area
from 124 m2 (1,330 sq ft) to 128 m2 (1,380 sq ft).[51] 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.[50][52][53] The length increase required the overwing exits of the A320 to be enlarged and
repositioned in front of and behind the wings.[54] The centre fuselage and undercarriage were
reinforced to accommodate the increase in maximum takeoff weight of 9,600 kg (21,200 lb), taking it
to 83,000 kg (183,000 lb).[50]

Alitalia was the second to receive the stretched A321, after Lufthansa.[54]

Final assembly for the A321 would be, as a first for any Airbus, carried out in Germany (then West
Germany).[55] 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, [56] 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 subsequently produce the smaller Airbus A319 and A318.
For the first time, Airbus entered the bond market, through which it raised $480 million (475 million)
to finance development costs.[43] An additional $180 million (175 million) was borrowed
from European Investment Bank and private investors.[57]

The maiden flight of the Airbus A321 came on 11 March 1993, when the prototype, registration F-
WWIA, flew with IAE V2500engines; the second prototype, equipped with CFM56-5B turbofans, flew
in May.[54] Lufthansa and Alitalia were the first to order the stretched Airbuses, with 20 and 40 aircraft
requested, respectively.[54] 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. [54]