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	Airbus A300 Short to Medium-Range Jetliner

DESCRIPTION: During the mid-1960s, a number of European governments and aircraft manufacturers discussed the possibility of pooling resources to develop a short-range commercial jetliner. After studying a number of potential designs, attention focused on the HBN-100 being developed by Hawker Siddeley in Britain as well as Bregeut and Nord in France. The project finally got underway once France and West Germany agreed to proceed with the venture. This cooperative effort ultimately led to the formation of what would become European Airbus Industrie. The conglomerate would come to consist of Hawker Siddeley (later part of British Aerospace), Aerospatiale in France, DASA in Germany, and CASA in Spain. Major subcontractors also include Fokker in the Netherlands and Belairbus in Belgium. The first plane the partners agreed to construct was a twin engine wide-body airliner to fill a niche between the Boeing 707 and Boeing 727 seating between 220 and 330 passengers. This design would become the A300. Although of typical airliner configuration with a cylindrical fuselage and mid-set swept-wing, the A300 incorporated a number of advanced features for its time. Among these were a wing full of high-lift devices and quiet, fuel efficient engines. Despite slow initial sales, the A300 gradually made inroads into the airline industry and was being operated throughout Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and North America within a decade. Production later switched to the upgraded A300-600 series, and over 500 A300 aircraft had been built by 2001. Sales of the A300 and related A310 slowed during the late 1990s and the production line was finally closed in May 2007. A replacement is currently in development in the form of the A350. A number of the remaining A300 airliners are being converted to cargo freighters. Data below for A300-600 Last modified 27 September 2009
HISTORY:
First Flight	(A300B1) 28 October 1972 (A300-600) 8 July 1983
Service Entry	30 May 1974 (with Air France)
CREW:	two to three flight crew: pilot, co-pilot, flight engineer
PASSENGERS:	250 in three classes 266 in two classes 330 in one class
ESTIMATED COST:	unknown
AIRFOIL SECTIONS:
Wing Root	unknown
Wing Tip	unknown
DIMENSIONS:
Length	177.42 ft (54.08 m)
Wingspan	147.08 ft (44.84 m)
Height	54.25 ft (16.53 m)
Wing Area	2,798.6 ft² (260.0 m²)
Canard Area	not applicable
WEIGHTS:
Empty	(A300-600) 172,400 lb (78,200 kg) (A300-600R) 198,000 lb (89,815 kg)
Normal Takeoff	unknown
Max Takeoff	(A300-600) 363,765 lb (165,000 kg) (A300-600R) 375,885 lb (170,500 kg)
Fuel Capacity	internal: 16,380 gal (62,000 L) external: not applicable
Max Payload	87,930 lb (39,885 kg)
PROPULSION:
Powerplant	two General Electric CF6-80C2A1 turbofans or two Pratt & Whitney PW4156 turbofans
Thrust	(GE) 123,000 lb (547.2 kN) (PW) 112,000 lb (498.2 kN)
PERFORMANCE:
Max Level Speed	at altitude: unknown at sea level: unknown cruise speed: 555 mph (890 km/h) at 25,000 ft (7,620 m), Mach 0.82 long-range cruise speed: 545 mph (875 km/h) at 31,000 ft (9,450 m)
Initial Climb Rate	unknown
Service Ceiling	unknown
Range	max payload: 4,150 nm (7,700 km)
g-Limits	unknown
KNOWN VARIANTS:
A300B1	First prototypes; 2 built
A300B2	First production model
A300B4	Longer-range model with increased fuel capacity, Kruger leading edge flaps, and increased maximum takeoff weight; total of 284 B2 and B4 aircraft built before production ended in 1984
A300C4	Convertible freighter model with large cargo door added in port side
A300-600	Improved passenger model with extra row of seats, re-designed two-crew flight deck, and numerous drag-reduction items including wing-tip fences
A300-600R	Long-range model of A300-600 with increased maximum takeoff weight and trim tank
A300-600 Convertible	Convertible freighter model of A300-600
A300-600F	Dedicated cargo version of A300-600
A300-600T Beluga	Extensively modified A300-600 with enlarged fuselage for carrying outsized loads
KNOWN OPERATORS:	Abu Dhabi Amiri Flight Air Afrique Air Anatolia Airbus International Transport Air Contractors Airfoyle Air France Air India Air Inter Air Inter Europe Air Jamaica Air Liberté Air Macau Air Niugini Air Scandic Air Togo Akdeniz Airlines Alfa Airlines Alitalia American Airlines Anatolia Angel Airlines Ariana Afghan Airlines Australian Airlines Aviation Sales Leasing Company Aviation Systems International Avion Aircraft Trading AwAir International Bellview Airlines Cathay Pacific Airways Channel Express China Airlines China Eastern Airlines China Northern Airlines China Northwest Airlines City Bird Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) Continental Airlines DHL Airways Eastern Airlines Egyptair Emery Worldwide Airlines Emirates Emirates Post Euro First Air European Air Charter European Air Transport European Aviation Express.net Airlines Farnair Faucatt Peru FedEx Finnair Galaxy Airlines Garuda Indonesia Airways Grand Air Heavylift Cargo Airlines Iberia ICC - Air Cargo Canada Indian Airlines Iran Air Istanbul Airlines Japan Air Systems Jet Link Holland JHM Cargo Express Khalifa Airways Korean Air Lines Kuwait Airways L'Aeropostale Lufthansa Luxair Mahan Air Malaysian Airline System (MAS) Malaysian Airlines Cargo (MASkargo) MNG Cargo Airlines Monarch Airlines Novespace Olympic Airways ONUR Air Pace Air Cargo Pakistan International Pan Air Pan American World Airways (Pan Am) Pan American World Airways (Pan Am II) Permair Philippine Air Lines Premiair Pyramid Qantas Qatar Airways Regionair Saudia Schreiner Airways Sempati Air Singapore Airlines South African Airways Sudan Airways TACA Thai Airways International TNT Airways Toa Domestic Airlines (TDA) Tradewinds International Trans Aer Trans Australia Airlines (TAA) Tristar Air Tulip Air Charter Tunisair United Parcel Service (UPS) VASP VivaJet ZAS Airline of Egypt
3-VIEW SCHEMATIC:
SOURCES: Aboulafia, Richard. Jane's Civil Aircraft. Glasgow: Harper Collins Publishers, 1996, p. 26-27, Airbus A300. Airbus A300/A310 site Chant, Christopher and Taylor, Michael J.H. The World's Greatest Aircraft. Edison, NJ: Chartwell Books, 2006, p. 235, Airbus Industrie A300. Donald, David, ed. The Complete Encyclopedia of World Aircraft. NY: Barnes & Noble, 1997, p. 34, Airbus Industrie A300. Donald, David, ed. The Encyclopedia of Civil Aircraft. San Diego, CA: Thunder Bay Press, 1999, p. 18-25, Ascendant Airbus. Rendall, David. Jane's Aircraft Recognition Guide, 2nd ed. London: Harper Collins Publishers, 1999, p. 202, Airbus A300. Taylor, Michael. Brassey's World Aircraft & Systems Directory 1996/1997. London: Brassey's, 1996, p. 284-286, Airbus A300B2 and B4 freighter conversions, Airbus A300-600. Taylor, Michael J. H. Brassey's World Aircraft & Systems Directory 1999/2000. London: Brassey's, 1999, p. 268-269, Airbus A300B2 and B4 freighter conversions, Airbus A300-600.