Even in these times of restricted air travel, chances are that if you glance skyward, you will see a member of the Airbus A320 family flying overhead. With this ubiquitous aircraft family now holding the crown as the world’s most popular aircraft, we take a closer look at its rise as we fly some typical routes.
A trendsetter
No manufacturer produces a leader in its field without first cutting their teeth on other models and development ideas, and the A320 family is no different. When ministers from France, Germany and Britain met in 1967 and decided to pool resources to develop an ‘air bus’, they were facing the supremacy of Boeing and with its 747 just around the corner, it didn’t look like Boeing would lose sales any time soon.
Still, from the outset, Airbus was innovative with its initial project, the A300 being the world’s first twin-engine wide-bodied airliner. Demand saw a need for a shorter model, so the A310 emerged which also saw Airbus start to incorporate some composite materials and develop the concept of the two-pilot glass cockpit further. One great technological advance being continually developed was the fly-by-wire control system where control surfaces were operated by…
