Airbus A300

Airbus A300
Olympic Airlines A300B4-600R
Role	Airliner
Manufacturer	Airbus
First flight	28 October 1972
Introduction	30 May 1974 with Air France
Primary users	FedEx Express UPS Airlines Japan Airlines Korean Air
Produced	1974-2007
Number built	561
Variants	A300-600ST Beluga Airbus A310

The Airbus A300 is a short- to medium-range widebody aircraft. Launched in 1972 as the world's first twin-engined widebody, it was the first product of the Airbus consortium of European aerospace companies, wholly owned today by EADS. Production of the A300 ceased in July 2007, along with its smaller A310 derivative. Freighter sales for which the A300 competed are to be fulfilled by a new A330-200F derivative.^[1]

Development

The mission requirements were given in 1966 by Frank Kolk, an American Airlines executive, for a Boeing 727 replacement on busy short- to medium-range routes such as United States transcontinental flights. His brief included a passenger capacity of 250 to 300 seated in a twin-aisle configuration and fitted with two engines, with the capability of carrying full passengers without penalty from high-altitude airports like Denver. American manufacturers responded with widebody trijets, the McDonnell Douglas DC-10 and the Lockheed L-1011 Tristar, as twinjets were banned from many routes by the FAA.

An American Airlines A300B4-605R landing at John F. Kennedy International Airport, New York in 2005. On 29 August 2009 American Airlines retired all A300 aircraft.

In September 1967, the British, French, and German governments signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to start development of the 300-seat Airbus A300. An earlier announcement had been made in July 1967, but at that time the announcement had been clouded by the British Government's support for the Airbus, which coincided with its refusal to back British Aircraft Corporation's (BAC) proposed competitor, a development of the BAC 1-11, despite a preference for the latter expressed by British European Airways (BEA).

In the months following this agreement, both the French and British governments expressed doubts about the aircraft. Another problem was the requirement for a new engine to be developed by Rolls-Royce, the RB207. In December 1968, the French and British partner companies (Sud Aviation and Hawker Siddeley) proposed a revised configuration, the 250-seat Airbus A250. Renamed the A300B, the aircraft would not require new engines, reducing development costs. To attract potential US customers, American General Electric CF6-50 engines powered the A300 instead of the British RB207. The British government was upset and withdrew from the venture; however, the British firm Hawker-Siddeley stayed on as a contractor, developing the wings for the A300, which were pivotal in later versions' impressive performance from short domestic to long intercontinental flights. (Years later, through British Aerospace, the UK re-entered the consortium.)

A Lufthansa A300B4-603 departs London Heathrow Airport, England in 2007. On 1 July 2009 Lufthansa retired their A300 fleet.

Airbus Industrie was formally set up in 1970 following an agreement between Aérospatiale (France) and the antecedents to Deutsche Aerospace (Germany). They were joined by the Spanish CASA in 1971. Each company would deliver its sections as fully equipped, ready-to-fly items.

In 1972 the A300 made its maiden flight. The first production model, the A300B2, entered service in 1974 followed by the A300B4 one year later. Initially the success of the consortium was poor, but by 1979 there were 81 aircraft in service. It was the launch of the A320 in 1981 that established Airbus as a major player in the aircraft market — the aircraft had over 400 orders before it first flew, compared to 15 for the A300 in 1972.

The A300 was the first airliner to use just-in-time manufacturing techniques. Complete aircraft sections were manufactured by consortium partners all over Europe. These were airlifted to the final assembly line at Toulouse-Blagnac by a fleet of Boeing 377-derived Aero Spacelines Super Guppy aircraft. Originally devised as a way to share the work among Airbus' partners without the expense of two assembly lines, it turned out to be a more efficient way of building airplanes (more flexible and reduced costs) as opposed to building the whole airplane at one site.

The A300 cemented European cooperation in aviation. Its first flight was commemorated on a French three franc stamp.

Design

Airbus A300 fuselage cross-section, showing the passenger compartment above and the baggage area below. On display in the Deutsches Museum in Munich, Germany.

An EgyptAir A300-600R landing at Düsseldorf International Airport, Germany. (2003)

Airbus partners employed the latest technology, some derived from the Concorde. On entry into service in 1974, the A300 was very advanced and influenced later subsonic airliner designs. The technological highlights include:

• Advanced wings by de Havilland (later BAE Systems) with:
  • supercritical airfoil section for economical performance
  • advanced aerodynamically efficient flight controls
• 5.64 m (222 in) diameter circular fuselage section for 8-abreast passenger seating and wide enough for 2 LD3 cargo containers side-by-side
• Structures made from metal billets, reducing weight
• First airliner to be fitted with wind shear protection
• Advanced autopilots capable of flying the aircraft from climb-out to landing
• Electrically controlled braking system

Later A300s incorporate other advanced features such as:

• 2-man crew by automating the flight engineer's functions, an industry first
• Glass cockpit flight instruments
• Extensive use of composites for an aircraft of its era
• Center-of-gravity control by shifting around fuel
• Wingtip fences for better aerodynamics (first introduced on the A310-300).

All these made the A300 a substitute for the widebody trijets such as McDonnell Douglas DC-10 and Lockheed L-1011 for short to medium routes. On the early versions, Airbus used the same engines and similar major systems as the DC-10.

Operational history

After the launch, sales of the A300 were weak for some years, with most orders going to airlines that had an obligation to favor the domestically made product — notably Air France and Lufthansa. At one stage, Airbus had 16 "whitetail" A300s – completed but unsold aircraft – sitting on the tarmac. Germanair was the world's first charter airline and Indian Airlines was the world's first domestic airline to purchase the A300. These have now been retired.

In 1977, U.S. carrier Eastern Air Lines leased four A300s as an in-service trial. Frank Borman, ex-astronaut and the then CEO, was impressed that the A300 consumed 30% less fuel than his fleet of Tristars and then ordered 23 of the type. This was followed by an order from Pan Am. From then on, the A300 family sold rather well, eventually reaching the current total of 858 on order or delivered.

In 1977, AeroCóndor Colombia was the first Airbus operator in Colombia and Latin America, leased one Airbus A300 c/n 029 registered as HK-2057 and named as “Ciudad de Barranquilla” This aircraft operated from 15 December 1977, until 17 April 1979, with AeroCóndor scheduled services between Bogotá, Barranquilla, Cali, Medellín and Miami.

The aircraft found particular favour with Asian airlines, being bought by Japan Air System, Korean Air, Thai Airways International, Singapore Airlines, Malaysia Airlines, Philippine Airlines, Garuda Indonesia, China Airlines, Pakistan International Airlines, Indian Airlines, Trans Australia Airlines and many others. As Asia did not have restrictions similar to the FAA 60-minutes rule for twin-engine airliners which existed at the time, Asian airlines used A300s for routes across the Bay of Bengal and South China Sea.

A DHL A300B4-200 takes off from London Luton Airport, England. (2007)

In 1977, the A300B4 became the first ETOPS compliant aircraft – its high performance and safety standards qualified it for Extended Twin Engine Operations over water, providing operators with more versatility in routing. In 1982 Garuda Indonesia became the first airline to fly the A300B4-200FF. By 1981, Airbus was growing rapidly, with over 300 aircraft sold and options for 200 more planes for over forty airlines. Alarmed by the success of the A300, Boeing responded with the new Boeing 767.

The A300 provided Airbus the experience of manufacturing and selling airliners competitively. The basic fuselage of the A300 was later stretched (A330 and A340), shortened (A310), or modified into derivatives (A300-600ST Beluga Super Transporter).The largest freight operator of the A300 is FedEx Express, which, as of June 2010, had 71 A300/310 aircraft. UPS Airlines also operates freighter versions of the A300. The final version was the A300-600R and is rated for 180-minute ETOPS. The A300 has enjoyed renewed interest in the secondhand market for conversion to freighters. The freighter versions – either new-build A300-600s or converted ex-passenger A300-600s, A300B2s and B4s – account for most of the world freighter fleet after the Boeing 747 freighter.

In March 2006 Airbus announced the closure of the A300/A310 line^[2] making them the first Airbus aircraft to be discontinued. The final production A300 made its initial flight on 18 April 2007^[3] and was delivered on 12 July 2007. It was an A300F freighter for FedEx. Airbus has announced a support package to keep A300s flying commercially until at least 2025.

Variants

This A300B1 was the second A300 ever built and one of the first to enter service with an airline in late 1974. It had been used as a fire brigade training structure at Brussels Airport since 1990 and was destroyed on 9 July 2003.

An Islandsflug Cargo A300C4-605R at Madrid Barajas Airport, Spain. (2006)

The ZERO-G A300 at Cologne Bonn Airport, Germany. (2004)

• A300B1 Only two were built: the first prototype, and a second aircraft which was leased in November 1974 to Trans European Airways (TEA). TEA instantly subleased the aircraft for six weeks to Air Algérie. It has accommodation for 300 passengers (TEA) or 323 passengers (Air Algérie) with a maximum weight of 132,000 kg and two General Electric CF6-50A engines of 220 kN thrust.
• A300B2 The first production version. Powered by General Electric CF6 or Pratt & Whitney JT9D engines (the same engines that powered the Boeing 747-100, "the original jumbo jet") of between 227 and 236 kN thrust, it entered service with Air France in May 1974. The prototype A300B2 made its first flight on June 28, 1973 and was certificated by the French and German authorities on 15 March 1974 and FAA approval followed on May 30, 1974. The first production A300B2 (A300 number 5) made its maiden flight on 15 April 1974 and was handed over to Air France a few weeks later on May 10, 1974. The A300B2 entered revenue service on 23 May 1974 between Paris and London.
  • A300B2-100: 137 Metric Ton MTOW
  • A300B2-200: 142 Metric Ton MTOW, with Krüger flaps, first delivery to South African Airways in 1976
  • A300B2-300: increased Maximum Landing Weight/Maximum Zero Fuel Weight
• A300B4 The major production version. Features a center fuel tank for increased fuel capacity (47,500 kg). Production of the B2 and B4 totaled 248. The first A300B4 (the 9th A300) flew on 25 December 1974 and was certificated on 26 March 1975. The first delivery was made to Germanair (which later merged into Hapag Lloyd) on 23 May 1975.
  • A300B4-100: 157.5 Metric Ton MTOW, first delivery to Germanair in 1975.
  • A300B4-200: 165 Metric Ton MTOW, first delivery to Hapag-Lloyd Flug in 1980
  • A300B4-200FF: An A300 with a "forward-facing" crew compartment. The world's first 2-crew widebody airliner. Includes some of the A310's and A300-600's digital avionics. First saw service with Garuda Indonesia in 1982, further customers were VASP, Tunisair, Kar-Air/Finnair and MNG Airlines.
  • A300B4-600: Referred to as the A300-600. See Below.
  • A300C4: Convertible freighter version, with a large cargo door on the port side. First delivered to South African Airways in October 1982.
  • A300F4-203: Freighter version of the A300B4-200. First delivery occurred in 1986, but only very few were built as the A300F4-200 was soon replaced by the more capable A300-600F (official designation: A300F4-600F).
• A300-600: Officially designated A300B4-600, this version is the same length as the B2 and B4 but has increased space because it uses the A310 rear fuselage and tail. It has higher power CF6-80 or Pratt & Whitney PW4000 engines and entered service in 1983 with Saudi Arabian Airlines. A total of 313 A300-600s (all versions) have been sold. The A300-600 also has a similar cockpit to the A310, eliminating the need for a flight engineer. The FAA issues a single type rating which allows operation of both the A310 and A300-600.
  • A300-600: (Official designation: A300B4-600) The baseline model of the -600 series.
  • A300-620C: (Official designation: A300C4-620) A convertible freighter version. First delivery December 1985.
  • A300-600F: (Official designation: A300F4-600) The freighter version of the baseline -600.
  • A300-600R: (Official designation: A300B4-600R) The increased range -600, achieved by an additional trim fuel tank in the tail. First delivery in 1988 to American Airlines; all A300s built since 1989 (freighters included) are -600Rs. Japan Air System (later merged in Japan Air Lines) took delivery of the last new-built passenger A300, an A300-622R, in November 2002.
  • A300-600RF: (Official designation: A300F4-600R) The freighter version of the -600R. All A300s delivered between November 2002 and 12 July 2007 (last ever A300 delivery) were A300-600RFs.
  • A300-600ST: Commonly referred to as the Beluga or "Airbus Super Transporter," these five airframes are used by Airbus to ferry parts between the company's disparate manufacturing facilities, thus enabling workshare distribution. They replaced the four Aero Spacelines Super Guppys previously used by Airbus.
• A300B10 (A310) Introduced a shorter fuselage, a new, higher aspect ratio wing, smaller tail and two crew operation. It is available in standard -200 and the Extended range -300 with 9,600 km (5,965 mi) range in both passenger and full cargo versions. It is also available as a military tanker/transport serving the Canadian Forces and Luftwaffe. Sales total 260, although five of these (ordered by Iraqi Airways) were never built.

Accidents and incidents

The A300 has been involved in 54 accidents and incidents including 26 hull-losses.^[4] with 1434 fatalities.^[4]

• 27 June 1976: Air France Flight 139, originating in Tel Aviv, Israel and carrying 248 passengers and a crew of 12 took off from Athens, Greece, headed for Paris, France. The flight was hijacked by terrorists, and was eventually flown to Entebbe Airport (now known as Entebbe International Airport) in Uganda.
• 18 December 1983: Malaysia Airlines Flight 684, an Airbus A300B4 leased from Scandinavian Airlines System (SAS), registration OY-KAA, crashed short of the runway at Kuala Lumpur in bad weather while attempting to land on a flight from Singapore. All 247 persons aboard escaped unharmed but the aircraft was destroyed in the resulting fire.
• 3 July 1988: Iran Air Flight 655 was shot down by the USS Vincennes in the Persian Gulf after being mistaken for an attacking Iranian F-14 Tomcat, killing all 290 passengers and crew.^[5]
• 28 September 1992: PIA Flight 268 a Pakistan International Airlines A300B4 crashed on approach near Kathmandu, Nepal. All 12 crew and 155 passengers were killed.^[6]
• 26 April 1994: China Airlines Flight 140 (Republic of China) crashed at the end of runway at Nagoya, Japan, killing all 15 crew and 249 of 264 passengers on board.
• 26 September 1997: Garuda Indonesia Flight 152 crashed while landing at Medan, Indonesia killing 234 aboard.
• 16 February 1998: China Airlines Flight 676 (Republic of China) crashed into residential area close to CKS international airport near Taipei, Taiwan. All 196 people onboard were killed, including Taiwan's central bank president. Six people on the ground were also killed.
• 24 December 1999: Indian Airlines Flight IC 814 from Kathmandu, Nepal to New Delhi was hijacked to Kandahar, Afghanistan. 1 fatality.
• 12 November 2001: American Airlines, Flight 587 crashed into the Belle Harbor neighborhood of Queens, New York shortly after takeoff from John F. Kennedy International Airport. All 260 people on board were killed, along with 5 people on the ground.
• 22 November 2003: European Air Transport OO-DLL, operating on behalf of DHL Aviation, was hit by an SA-14 'Gremlin' missile after take-off from Baghdad International Airport. The airplane lost hydraulic pressure and thus the controls. After extending the landing gear to create more drag, the crew piloted the plane using differences in engine thrust and landed the plane with minimal further damage. The plane was repaired and offered for sale.^[7]
• 14 April 2010: Aerounion Flight 302, an A300B4-203F, crashed on a road 2 km short of the runway while attempting to land at Monterrey airport, Mexico. Seven people killed (5 crew, 2 on the ground)^[8]

Specifications

Engines

A300 Deliveries

See also

Related development

• Airbus A310
• Airbus A330
• Airbus A340
• Airbus Beluga
  

Comparable aircraft

• Boeing 767
• Ilyushin Il-86
• Lockheed L-1011
• McDonnell Douglas DC-10
  

Related lists

• List of Airbus A300 operators
  

References

External links

• Official site
• Pictures
• Aircraft-Info.net - Airbus A300-600
• Aviacol-Aviación 100% Colombiana
• Airbus A300 Production List
• A300 2-man crew modifications
• Certificated A300 variants worldwide