Both of these wide-body aircraft incorporate new Rolls-Royce Trent 7000 engines, plus aerodynamic improvements and the latest cabin technologies, with the A330-800 version retaining the fuselage length of Airbus' current-production A330-200. [18], During the flight testing of the A300B2, Airbus held a series of talks with Korean Air on the topic of developing a longer-range version of the A300, which would become the A300B4. [10] It was later renamed the A300B. Airbus had demand for an aircraft smaller than the A300. The Airbus Industrie A300-600 is a large-capacity, wide-bodied medium- and long-range airliner. [5]:2–14[6]:39[3]:53, Airbus Industrie was initially headquartered in Paris, which is where design, development, flight testing, sales, marketing, and customer support activities were centered; the headquarters was relocated to Toulouse in January 1974. In 1977, the A300B4 became the first ETOPS compliant aircraft,[23] qualifying for Extended Twin Engine Operations over water, providing operators with more versatility in routing. A300-600F: (Official designation: A300F4-600) The freighter version of the baseline −600. To overcome this factor, the report recommended the pursuit of multinational collaborative projects between the region's leading aircraft manufacturers. QANTAS, for example, has fitted its aircraft out with 523 seats in three classes. [22] Another feature of later aircraft were the addition of wingtip fences, which generated greater aerodynamic performance (first introduced on the A310-300). Airbus A300 The Airbus A300 was the first airliner developed and built by Airbus Industrie, a consortium of European aircraft manufacturers formed in 1970. According to Airbus, this cultural approach to market research had been crucial to the company's long-term success. [2] In 1965, a British government study, known as the Plowden Report, had found British aircraft production costs to be between 10% and 20% higher than American counterparts due to shorter production runs, which was in part due to the fractured European market. Airbus A330-300 (333) Blocking Seats for More Space On Board On this aircraft, through March 30, 2021, middle seats (typically seats “D” and “F”) will be blocked from selection for parties of 1-2. [10] Amongst the consequences of this expedition, it had allegedly brought the A300 to the attention of Frank Borman of Eastern Airlines, one of the "big four" U.S. In April 1983, the aircraft entered revenue service with Swissair and competed with the Boeing 767-200, introduced six months before. Perhaps the most visually unique of the variants is the A300-600ST Beluga, an oversize cargo-carrying model operated by Airbus to carry aircraft sections between their manufacturing facilities. A300B4-600: Referred to as the A300-600. It is also the basis for the oversize Beluga transport (1994). After limited demand initially, sales took off as the type was proven in early service, beginning three decades of steady orders. [citation needed], The Airbus A300 is a wide-body medium-to-long range airliner; it has the distinction of being the first twin-engine wide-body aircraft in the world. [8][9]:34[19][12]:57, 60 In 1977, the A300 became the first ETOPS-compliant aircraft, due to its high performance and safety standards. This will vary from airline to airline. Previously called the Bombardier CS100, the Airbus A220-300 jetliner is a long-range passenger aircraft that can seat from 130 to 145 passengers depending on the seating configuration. Airbus also offers conversion packages of existing passenger A300s into freighters with a left side forward freight door and strengthened floor. [9]:34[15], Perhaps the most significant change of the A300B was that it would not require new engines to be developed, being of a suitable size to be powered by Rolls-Royce's RB211, or alternatively the American Pratt & Whitney JT9D and General Electric CF6 powerplants; this switch was recognized as considerably reducing the project's development costs. [15][6]:39, On 29 May 1969, during the Paris Air Show, French transport minister Jean Chamant and German economics minister Karl Schiller signed an agreement officially launching the Airbus A300, the world's first twin-engine widebody airliner. [20], The A300 is powered by a pair of underwing turbofan engines, either General Electric CF6 or Pratt & Whitney JT9D engines; the sole use of underwing engine pods allowed for any suitable turbofan engine to be more readily used. [2] At the time, the news of the announcement had been clouded by the British Government's support for the Airbus, which coincided with its refusal to back BAC's proposed competitor, the BAC 2-11, despite a preference for the latter expressed by British European Airways (BEA). [8][15][5]:2–14 The dimensional changes involved in the shrink reduced the length of the fuselage by 5.62 meters and the diameter by 0.8 meters, reducing the overall weight by 25 tonnes. [18][3]:50–52 Following the appointment of Bernard Lathière as Henri Ziegler's replacement, an aggressive sales approach was adopted. TEA instantly subleased the aircraft for six weeks to Air Algérie, but continued to operate the aircraft until 1990. The A300 was the first aircraft of the former Airbus consortium and the world's first twin-engined widebody aircraft. [10] Kracht's solution was to have the various A300 sections brought to Toulouse by a fleet of Boeing 377-derived Aero Spacelines Super Guppy aircraft, by which means none of the manufacturing sites were more than two hours away. [25], From 1997 to 2014, a single A300, designated A300 Zero-G, was operated by the European Space Agency (ESA), centre national d'études spatiales (CNES) and the German Aerospace Center (DLR) as a reduced-gravity aircraft for conducting research into microgravity; the A300 is the largest aircraft to ever have been used in this capacity. The Beluga is operated by Airbus Transport International mainly for transport of large aircraft components between the European Airbus plants but is available for charter flight also. Airbus had viewed South-East Asia as a vital market that was ready to be opened up and believed Korean Air to be the 'key'.[8][18][16]:23. After the subsidiary, the company was called Airbus Industrie GIE from 1970 to 2001 and then Airbus SAS from 2001 to 2017. A300-600RF: (Official designation: A300F4-600R) The freighter version of the −600R. The aircraft is an advanced development of the original A300 B2/B4 series of aircraft first built in the 1970s and entered service in 1984. and it has an electrically controlled braking system. A300-600R: (Official designation: A300B4-600R) The increased-range −600, achieved by an additional trim fuel tank in the tail. [17] On 5 February 1973, the second prototype performed its maiden flight. [10] These decisions were partially influenced by feedback from various airlines, such as Air France and Lufthansa, as an emphasis had been placed on determining the specifics of what kind of aircraft that potential operators were seeking. [6]:40 Another world-first of the A300 is the use of composite materials on a commercial aircraft, which was used on both secondary and later primary airframe structures, decreasing overall weight and improving cost-effectiveness. [10] In 1972, unit cost was US$17.5M. Its cross section was retained for the larger A340 (1991) and A330 (1992). AT A GLANCE CRUISE SPEED. With more than 600 aircraft sold, (production now discontinued ) A300s operated as passenger, cargo, military and VIP jets. [3]:52 The Eastern Air Lines breakthrough was shortly followed by an order from Pan Am. The A300-600 has a similar cockpit to the A310, using digital technology and electronic displays, eliminating the need for a flight engineer. Powered by General Electric CF6 or Pratt & Whitney JT9D engines (the same engines that powered the 747 or the DC-10) of between 227 and 236 kN thrust, it entered service with Air France in May 1974. 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