Airbus A320

The Airbus A320 family is a family of short- to medium-range, narrow-body, commercial passenger jet airliner s manufactured by Airbus Industrie. The family includes the A318, A319, A320 and A321, as well as the ACJ business jet. Final assembly of the family in Europe takes place in Toulouse, France and Hamburg, Germany; since 2009, a plant in Tianjin, People's Republic of China has also started producing aircraft for Chinese airlines. The aircraft family can accommodate up to 220 passengers.

The first member of the A320 family—the A320—was launched in March 1984, 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.

As of 28 February 2011, a total of 4,582 Airbus A320 family aircraft have been delivered, of which 4,496 are in active service. According to Airbus, 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 program. The family's direct competitors are the Boeing 737, 717 and 757.

Development

Origins

When Airbus designed the Airbus A300 during the late 1960s/early 1970s, it envisioned 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. 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. A 10th variation, conceived in 1973, later the first to be constructed, was designated the A300B10. 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.

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. Germany’s MBB (''Messerschmitt-Bölkow-Blohm ''), British Aircraft Corporation, Sweden's Saab and CASA worked on the ''EUROPLANE'', a 180- to 200-seat aircraft. It was abandoned after intruding on A310 specifications.VFW-Fokker, Dornier and Hawker Siddeley worked on a number of 150-seat designs.

Design effort

A new programme was initiated subsequently, called ''Joint European Transport'' (JET). This was set up in June 1977, and was based at the then British Aerospace (formerly Hawker Siddeley ) site in Weybridge, Surrey, UK. Although the members were all of Airbus' partners, they regarded the project as a separate collaboration from Airbus. This project was considered the forerunner of Airbus A320, encompassing the 130- to 188-seat market, powered by two CFM56 s. It would have a cruise speed of Mach 0.84 (faster than B737). 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. The group looked at three different variants, covering the 125- to 180-seat market, called ''SA1'', ''SA2'' and ''SA3''. Although unaware at the time, the consortium was producing the blueprints for the A319, A320 and A321, respectively. The single-aisle programme created divisions within Airbus about whether to design a shorter-range twinjet than a longer-range quadjet by the West Germans, particular Lufthansa. However, works proceeded, and the German carrier would eventually order the twinjet.

In February 1981, the project was re-designated A320, 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 using fuel from its wing fuel tanks only. The Dash 200 had more fuel through the activation of center fuel tank, increasing fuel capacity from to. enabling to fly up to. The aircraft would measure 118 feet 3 inches (36.04 meters) and 128 feet 9 inches (39.24 meters), respectively. 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". It eventually settled on a wider diameter, with the interal width at, compared to 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 metres (111 feet 3 inches). It is longer and thinner, offering better aerodynamic efficiency because of higher aspect ratio than the competition, namely the 737 and MD-80.

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, although it was previously successfully proven on military fighter aircraft, such as the Vought F-8 Crusader. Aside from associated reduction in weight and cost, this system would provide flight envelope protection. The pilot, in essence, places inputs into the flight control computers, which interprets these actions and moves the flight control surface s. FBW also allows Airbus to make flying characteristics similar to later models, such as the Airbus A330, A340, A380, and the upcoming A350. It would feature, for the first time, side-stick control, which was implemented on the General Dynamics F-16.

During the A320 development programme, Airbus considered propfan technology, backed by Lufthansa. At the time unproven, it was essentially a fan placed outside the engine nacelle, offering speed of a turbofan at turboprop s 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). It was the only available engine at launch until the IAE V2500, offered by International Aero Engines, a group comprised 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, 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.

Production, testing and demonstration

Production of the A320 was postponed due to 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", driven by, apart from money, prestige. 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 (R&D) experience. In the end, British work-share was increased from that of the two previous Airbuses, while no 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. The UK government, on the other hand, were unwilling to provide fundings for the tooling requested by British Aerospace (BAe). Estimated at ₤ 250 million, it was postponed for three years until 1 March 1984, when a anouncement 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.

The programme was launched the following day 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. However, British Caledonian was the first to place a firm order for seven back in October 1983.Cyprus Airways became the first to place order for V2500-powered A320s in November 1984.Pan Am also selected V2500 when it requested 16 firm orders and 34 options in January 1995, as did Inex Adria. 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.

The first Airbus A320 was rolled-out on 14 February 1987 amid dry ice and laser beams as part of a spectacular unveiling ceremony. A number of high-profile figures were present, including the Prince and Princess of Wales. The first flight came on 22 February, during which the aircraft flew for 3 hours 23 minutes. The flight marked the beginning of a flight test programme involving 1,200 airborne hours on 530 flights. European Joint Aviation Authorities (JAA) certification was received on 26 February 1988.

On 26 June 1988, a chartered Air France Airbus A320-111 ()crashed into trees at the end of runway at Mulhouse-Habsheim Airport. Three out of 130 passengers were killed. 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. The press and media later questioned the fly-by-wire flight control system. 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".

As of 2009, Airbus required about eight months to build an A320. Components from various Airbus plants are transported to the final assembly plant at Hamburg Finkenwerder for the A318/A319/A321 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 in Tianjin, People's Republic of China.

Stretching and shrinking

The first derivative of the A320 is the Airbus A321, also known as the ''Stretched A320'', ''A320-500'' and ''A325''. Its launch came on 24 November 1988 after commitments for 183 aircraft from 10 customers were secured. 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, increasing the wing area from to. The fuselage was lengthened by four plugs (two ahead and two behind the wings), giving the A321 an overall length of longer than the A320. The length increase required the overwing exits of the A320 to be enlarged and repositioned to either the leading or trailing edges of the wings. Reinforced were the centre fuselage and undercarriage to accommodate the increase in maximum takeoff weight (MTOW) of, taking the MTOW to.

Final assembly for the A321 would be, as a first for any Airbus, carried out in Germany (then West Germany). This came after a dispute between the French, who claimed the move would incur $150 million in unnecessary expenditure associated with the new plant, and the Germans, arguing it would be more productive for Airbus in the long run. The second production line is 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 to finance development costs. An additional $180 million was loaned from European Investment Bank and private investors. 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. Lufthansa and Alitalia were the first to order the stretched Airbuses, with 20 and 40 aircraft requested, respectively. The first of Lufthansa's V2500-A5-powered A321s arrived on 27 January 1994, while over at Alitalia, the first CFM56-5B-powered aircraft was delivered on 22 March.

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. The SA1 was shelved as the consortium concentrated on its bigger siblings. After healthy sales of the A320/A321, Airbus turned its focused back to what is then known as the ''A320M-7'', meaning A320 ''minus seven rows of seats''. It would provide direct competition for the Boeing 737-500 /600. The shrink was achieved though the removal of four fuselage frames fore and three aft the wing, cutting the overal length by. Consequently, the number of overwing exits were reduced from four to two. The baulk-cargo door was replaced by aft container door, which can take in reduced height LD3-46 containers. 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, with option for thrust.

Airbus began offering the design from 22 May 1992, with the actual launch occurring 10 June 1993; the A319's first customer is ILFC, who signed for 6 aircraft. The development cost was $275 million. 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. 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. Delivery of the first A319, to Swissair, took place on 25 April 1996, entering service by month's end. In January 1997, A 319 broke the record during a delivery flight by flying the great circle route to Winnipeg, Manitoba from Hamburg, in 9 hours 5 minutes. Sales of A319 would overtake that of the A321, amassing 1,501 order compared to 880; it has proved popular with low-cost airlines such as EasyJet, who has orders for 192, with 159 delivered.

Baby Airbus

The A318 was born out of a 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 covers the 95-seat AE316 and 115- to 125-seat AE317. The former would have an overall length of, while the AE317 is longer by, at. The engines would be supplied from two BMW Rolls-Royce BR715s, CFM56-9s, or the Pratt & Whitney PW6000s; with the MTOW of for the smaller version and for the AE317, the thrust requirement were and, respectively. Range was settled at and for the high gross weights of both variants. Both share a wingspan of and a flight deck similar to that of the A320 family. Costing $2 billion to develop, aircraft production to take place in China.

Simultaneously, Airbus was developing Airbus A318. In early 1998, Airbus reveal its considerations of designing a 100-seat aircraft based on the A320; by September 1998, the project AE31X terminated, after which Airbus officially announced an aircraft of its own, the ''A318'', at that year's Farnborough Airshow. The aircraft is the smallest, or "baby", of the A320 family, and therefore the smallest Airbus. Ironically, it was developed at the same time as the largest commercial aircraft in history, the Airbus A3XX (later renamed ''Airbus A380 ''). First called ''A319M5'' in as early as March 1995, it is a ahead of the wing and behind. This reduced passenger capacity from 124 on the A319 to 107 passengers in a two-class layout. Range was, or with upcoming sharklets.

The 107-seater was launched on 26 April 1999 with the options and orders count at 109 aircraft. After three years of design, the maiden flight came on 15 January 2002, when the prototype took off at Hamburg at 10:11 local time, returning 3 hours and 44 minutes later at 13:55. Tests on the lead engine, the Pratt & Whitney PW6000, revealed worse-than-expected fuel consumption. 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 84 largely because of switches to other A320 family members. 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. On 22 July 2003, first delivery for launch customer Frontier Airlines occurred, entering service before the end of the month.

A320 Enhanced

''A320 Enhanced'' (or ''A320E'') is the working title for a series of improvements of the A320 family. The improvements incorporate engine improvements, aerodynamic refinements, partly by adding large curved winglets, weight savings and a new cabin.

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 LLC, a company based in Wichita, Kansas as well as the third type. Two aircraft were used in the flight test evaluation campaign – the prototype A320, ''[http://www.airliners.net/photo/Airbus-Industrie/Airbus-A320-211/1031995/L/ F-WWBA]'', which had been retained by Airbus for testing, and the new '''', which later delivered to JetBlue Airways and registered ''N636JB''; the latter was fitted with both types of winglets.

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. 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. The aircraft used for the test programme is MSN001 (), the original A320 prototype airframe, powered by CFM56 engines.

On 15 November 2009, Airbus announced future additions of ''Sharklets'' to A320s commencing in 2012 with launch customer Air New Zealand. These Airbus winglets, which are tall and weigh, would reduce fuel burn by 3.5% and offer increases in payload of, or range by at the original payload. This corresponds to an annual CO₂ reduction of around 700 tonnes per aircraft, saving operators US $220,000 per aircraft per year. The ''Sharklets'' are to be manufactured and distributed by Korean Air Aerospace.

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.LED ambience lighting is optionally available. Anytime LEDs are used for the Passenger Service Unit (PSU) and passengers can get information with touchscreen displays. Older A320 series aircraft can be updated.

A320 New Engine Option (NEO)

Airbus is working on offering a new engine for the A320 known as the ''New Engine Option (NEO)''. The choice for new engines include the CFM International LEAP-X and the Pratt & Whitney PW1100G.

The new engines will burn 16% less fuel; the actual fuel gain on an A320 installation will be slightly less, since 1–2% is typically lost upon installation on an existing aircraft. This means an additional range of, or of extra payload. The A320neo will also include some modifications to the wing, mainly the installation of blended winglets called "Sharklets".

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. Airbus is targeting 2016 for the first delivery and plans to deliver 4,000 A320neo over 15 years. IndiGo will become the launch customer for the A320neo if they firm the order of 150 A320neo (together with 30 more A320) announced on 11 January 2011.Virgin America also placed an order for 30 A320neo aircraft.

Design

The Airbus A320 family are small, narrow-body (single-aisle) aircraft with a retractable tricycle landing gear and are powered by two wing pylon-mounted turbofan engine s.

Airframe

The Airbus A320 family are low-wing cantilever monoplane s 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, built be British Aerospace (BAe). Winglets reduce. Compared to other airliners of the same class, the A320 features a wider single-aisle cabin of outside diameter, compared to of the Boeing 737 and 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.

The first narrow body airliner with a significant amount of the structure made from composite material. Its tail assembly made virtually of such material by CASA, who also builds the elevators, main landing gear doors, and rear fuselage parts.

Flight deck and avionics

The flight deck is equipped with 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 an Electronic 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.

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

*Digital head-up display s are available.

The first fully digital fly-by-wire flight control system in a civil airliner.

Fully glass cockpit rather than the hybrid versions found in aircraft such as the A310, Boeing 757 and Boeing 767.

* The Electronic Centralised Aircraft Monitoring (ECAM) concept, which is included in all Airbus aircraft produced after the A320. This system constantly displays information concerning the aircraft's engines, as well as other key systems such as flight controls, pneumatics and hydraulics, to the pilots on the two LCD displays in the centre of the flightdeck. ECAM also provides automatic warning of system failures and displays an electronic checklist to assist in handling the failure.

* Newer Airbus used 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; this change saves around 50 kilograms on the plane's total weight.

Engines

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.

Operational history

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 the former Australian domestic airline, Ansett, Airbus expanded the A320 family rapidly, launching the 185-seat A321 in 1989 (first delivered in 1994), the 124-seat A319 in 1993 (first delivered in 1996), and the 107-seat A318 in 1999 (first delivered in 2003).

Competition

The A320 family was developed to compete against 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 to the A318/A319.

Airbus has shipped 4552 A320 series aircraft since their certification/first delivery in early 1988, with another 2404 on firm order (as of 31 January 2011). In comparison,Boeing has shipped 6,638 737 s since late 1967, with 5,154 of those deliveries since March 1988, and has a further 2,186 on firm order (as of 31 December 2010). Based on figures since 1988 when they first entered direct competition, Airbus delivered on average 197 A320 series aircraft per annum, while on average 224 Boeing 737s were delivered.

Replacement airliner

Airbus was studying a future replacement for the A320 series, tentatively dubbed ''NSR '', for "New Short-Range aircraft". 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. 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.

Variants

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, to 220, on the A321. 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 232 as of January 2011.

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.

A320

The A320 series has two variants, the A320-100 and A320-200. Only 21 A320-100s were ever produced; these aircraft, the first to be manufactured, were delivered only 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). The A320-200 features wingtip fences and increased fuel capacity over the A320-100, resulting in increased range; otherwise differences are minimal. Typical range with 150 passengers for the A320-200 is about 2,900 nautical miles (5,400 km). It is powered by two CFMI CFM56-5 s or IAE V2500 s with thrust ratings between. The direct Boeing competitor is the 737-800.

A321

The A321 is stretch and first derivative of the standard A320. Launched in 1988, this variant entered service in 1994, six years after the first A320 began operations. Compared with the A320, the A321's major change is the stretched fuselage, which is lengthened by. This is achieved by adding a front plug immediately forward of wing, and a rear plug. To maintain performance, double-slotted flaps were included, in addition to increasing the wing area by, to. Other minor modifications were made to accommodate the A321's increase in maximum takeoff weight, taking the MTOW to.

A319

The A319 is a shortened, minimum-change version of the A320. Also known as the ''A320M-7'' (A320 ''minus seven rows of seats''), it is shorter than the A320; four frames fore and three frames aft were removed. This allows the number of emergency exits to be reduced to two. 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, or with ''Sharklets''. Four propulsion options available on the A319 are the V2522-A5 and V2527M-AS from IAE, or the CFM56-5B/A and CFM56-5B7. Although identical to those of the A320, these engines are derated because of the A319's lower MTOW.

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. Relative to other Airbus A320 family variants, the A318 has sold in only small numbers with total orders for only 83 aircraft placed at 28 February 2011.