Airbus_A300

:''This article is about the airliner. For information on the bomber, see [[Aero A.300]].''

{{infobox Aircraft
|subtemplate= {{Infobox Airbus Aircraft}}
|name =Airbus A300
|type =Airliner
|manufacturer =[[Airbus]]
|image =image:luft.a300b4.d-aias.750pix..jpg
|caption =[[Lufthansa]] A300B4-600
|first flight =[[28 October]] [[1972]]
|introduction =[[30 May]] [[1974]] with [[Air France]]
|status = 
|produced =1974-2007
|primary user = [[United Parcel Service]]
|more users = [[FedEx Express|FedEx]] [[American Airlines]] [[Japan Airlines]] 
|number built = 561
|unit cost =
|variants with their own articles = [[Airbus Beluga|A300-600ST Beluga]] [[Airbus A310]]
}}

The '''Airbus A300''' is a short to medium range [[Wide-body aircraft|widebody]] aircraft. Launched in 1972, it was the first twin-engined widebody in the world, and the first aircraft created by the [[Airbus]] consortium of European aerospace companies, which is now fully owned by [[EADS]]. The A300 (along with the [[Airbus A310|A310]]) ceased production in July 2007. Freighter sales which the A300 competed for are to be fulfilled by a new [[Airbus A330|A330-200F]] derivative.<ref name=fi_20060314>{{

cite web
| url = http://www.flightglobal.com/Articles/2006/03/14/Navigation/177/205407/Airbus+aims+to+fill+freighter+void+with+A330+derivative.html
| title=Airbus aims to fill freighter void with A330 derivative
| publisher=''[[Flight International]]''
| date=[[2006-03-14]]

}}</ref>

==Development history==
The mission requirements were given by Frank Kolk, an [[American Airlines]] executive, in 1966, for a [[Boeing 727]] replacement on busy short to medium range routes such as US 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, Colorado|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.

French president [[Charles de Gaulle]] resented the US domination of civil aviation and wanted a European airliner that could compete with American designs. {{Fact|date=January 2008}} [[Concorde]] was part of the answer, designed for intercontinental routes; the other was the A300, designed to meet Kolk's US domestic requirements.
[[Image:IMG 1265r.jpg|thumb|left|[[American Airlines]] A300]]
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 plc|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 [[GE-Aviation|General Electric]] [[General Electric CF6|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.{{Fact|date=July 2007}} (Years later, through [[British Aerospace]], the UK re-entered the consortium.)

[[Image:olympus.a300b4-600r.sx-bem.arp.jpg|thumb|right|[[Olympic Airways]] Airbus A300B4-600R]]

Airbus Industrie was formally set up in 1970 following an agreement between [[Aérospatiale]] (France), the antecedents to [[DaimlerChrysler Aerospace|Deutsche Aerospace]] (Germany) (joined by [[Construcciones Aeronáuticas|CASA]] of Spain 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. Initially the success of the consortium was poor but by 1979 there were 81 aircraft in service. It was the launch of the [[Airbus A320|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 (business)|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 International Airport|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's 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. This fact was not lost on Boeing, which, over thirty years later, decided to manufacture the [[Boeing 787]] in this manner, using outsized 747s to ferry wings and other parts from [[Japan]].

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

==Technology==
[[Image:Airbus A300 cross section.JPG|right|thumb|Airbus A300 fuselage cross-section, showing the passenger compartment above and the baggage area below. On display in the [[Deutsches Museum]] in [[Munich]], [[Germany]].]]
[[Image:Airbus A300-600R Egyptair SU-GAR.jpg|thumb|Egypt Air Airbus A300-600R]]
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 wing|supercritical airfoil section]] for economical performance
**advanced aerodynamically efficient flight controls
* 222-inch diameter circular fuselage section for 8-abreast passenger seating and wide enough for 2 [[Unit Load Device|LD3]] cargo containers side-by-side
*Structures made from metal [[billet (manufacturing)|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|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
*The first airliner to use [[wingtip fence]]s for better aerodynamics

All these made the A300 a perfect 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 even used the same engines and similar major systems as the DC-10.

==In-service==
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. [[Indian Airlines]] was the world's first domestic airline to purchase the A300. Some are still flying today for the airline.

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 as 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.

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 didn't have restrictions similar to the FAA [[ETOPS/LROPS|60-minutes rule]] for twin-engine airliners which existed at the time, Asian airlines used A300s for routes across [[Bay of Bengal]] and [[South China Sea]].

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. 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 ([[Airbus A330|A330]] and [[Airbus A340|A340]]), shrunk ([[Airbus A310|A310]]), or modified into derivatives ([[Airbus Beluga|A300-600ST ''Beluga'' Super Transporter]]).

The A300 has reached the end of production and the last A300 freighter has been completed and delivered. The largest freight operator of the A300 is [[FedEx]], which, at January, 2006, had 95 A300/310 aircraft. United Parcel Service (UPS) 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<ref>{{cite news | title = A300/A310 Final Assembly to be completed by July 2007 | publisher = [[Airbus S.A.S]] | date = [[7 March]] [[2006]] | url = [http://www.airbus.com/en/presscentre/pressreleases/pressreleases_items/07_03_06_A300_final_assembly.html]}}</ref> making them the first Airbus aircraft to be discontinued. The final production A300 made its initial flight on [[18 April]] [[2007]]<ref>{{cite news | title = The last A300 makes its maiden flight | publisher = [[Airbus S.A.S]] | date = [[18 April]] [[2007]] | url = [http://www.airbus.com/en/myairbus/newsbrief/index.jsp]}}</ref> 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==
[[Image:Airbus A300B2.jpg|thumb|This A300B1 was the second A300 ever built and one of the first to enter service with an airline in late 1974. It has been used as a fire brigade training structure at [[Brussels Airport|Brussels National]] airport since 1990 and was destroyed on [[9 July]] [[2003]].]]
[[Image:Airbus A300C4-605R - Islandsflug Cargo - TF-ELW - LEMD.jpg|thumb|[[Islandsflug|Islandsflug Cargo]] A300C4-605R]]
[[Image:A300 Zero G.jpg|thumb|A300-ZERO-G]]
* '''A300B1''' Only two were built: the first prototype, and a second aircraft which was later sold for airline service (to [[Air Algérie]]) and has now been scrapped. It has accommodation for 259 passengers with a maximum weight of 132,000 kg and two [[General Electric CF6|General Electric CF6-50A]] engines of 220 kN thrust.
* '''A300B2''' The first production version. Powered by CF6 or [[Pratt & Whitney JT9D]] engines of between 227 and 236 kN thrust, it entered service with [[Air France]] in May 1974.
** A300B2-100: 137 Metric Ton [[MTOW]]
** A300B2-200: 142 Metric Ton [[MTOW]], with Kruger flaps
** 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.
** A300B4-100: 157.5 Metric Ton [[MTOW]]
** A300B4-200: 165 Metric Ton [[MTOW]]
** 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|Garuda]] in 1982, further customers were [[VASP]], [[Tunisair]] and [[Kar-Air]]/[[Finnair]].
** 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 [[General Electric CF6|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.
** 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 Airlines]] 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 July 12 2007 (last ever A300 delivery) were A300-600RFs.
** A300-600ST: Commonly referred to as the [[Airbus Beluga|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 Guppy]]s previously used by Airbus.
* '''A300B10''' '''([[Airbus A310|A310]])''' Introduced a shorter fuselage, a new, higher [[aspect ratio (wing)|aspect ratio]] wing, smaller tail and two crew operation. It is available in standard -200 and the extended range -300 with 9,600 km 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.

==Specifications==
{|
|----- bgcolor="DDDD"
!Measurement
!A300B4
!A300-600R
!A300-600F
|- bgcolor="#EEEEEE"
|Seats 2-class || colspan="2" align="center" | 266 || align="center" | n/a
|- bgcolor="#EEEEEE"
|Length || colspan="3" align="center" | 54.08 m or 177' 3"
|- bgcolor="#EEEEEE"
|Span || colspan="3" align="center" | 44.85 m or 147' 2"
|- bgcolor="#EEEEEE"
|Height || colspan="3" align="center" | 16.62 m or 54' 6"
|- bgcolor="#EEEEEE"
|Max cabin width || colspan="3" align="center" | 5.28 m
|- bgcolor="#EEEEEE"
|Fuselage diameter || colspan="3" align="center" | 5.64 m
|- bgcolor="#EEEEEE"
|Weight empty || align="center" | 90,060 kg or 198,132 lb || align="center" | || align="center" | 81,900 kg or 180,700 lb
|- bgcolor="#EEEEEE"
|MTOW || align="center" | 165,000 kg or 364,980 lb. || align="center" | || align="center" | 170,500 kg or 375,100 lb
|- bgcolor="#EEEEEE"
|Cruising speed || colspan="3" align="center" | mach 0.78
|- bgcolor="#EEEEEE"
|Maximum speed || colspan="3" align="center" | mach 0.86
|- bgcolor="#EEEEEE"
|Range fully loaded   || align="center" | 6,670 km or 3,600 nm || align="center" | || align="center" | 2,950 nm
|- bgcolor="#EEEEEE"
|Max. fuel capacity   || align="center" | || colspan="2" align="center" | 18,000 USG or 68,150 litres
|- bgcolor="#EEEEEE"
|Engines || align="center" | [[CF6|CF6-50C2]] or [[JT9D|JT9D-59A]] || colspan="2" align="center" | CF6-80C2 or [[Pratt & Whitney PW4000|PW4156]]
|- bgcolor="#EEEEEE"
|Cockpit Crew || align="center" | Three || colspan="2" align="center" | Two
|}

==A300 Deliveries==
{| border="2" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" style="margin: 1em 1em 1em 0; border: 1px #aaa solid; border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 95%;"
|----- bgcolor=#006699
!''' 2007 '''
!''' 2006 '''
!''' 2005 '''
!''' 2004 '''
!''' 2003 '''
!''' 2002 '''
!''' 2001 '''
!''' 2000 '''
!''' 1999 '''
!''' 1998 '''
!''' 1997 '''
!''' 1996 '''
!''' 1995 '''
!''' 1994 '''
!''' 1993 '''
!''' 1992 '''
!''' 1991 '''
|-
|6
|9
|9
|12
|8
|9
|11
|8
|8
|13
|6
|14
|17
|23
|22
|22
|25
|-
|----- bgcolor=#006699
!''' 1990 '''
!''' 1989 '''
!''' 1988 '''
!''' 1987 '''
!''' 1986 '''
!''' 1985 '''
!''' 1984 '''
!''' 1983 '''
!''' 1982 '''
!''' 1981 '''
!''' 1980 '''
!''' 1979 '''
!''' 1978 '''
!''' 1977 '''
!''' 1976 '''
!''' 1975 '''
!''' 1974 '''
|-
|19
|24
|17
|11
|10
|16
|19
|19
|46
|38
|39
|26
|15
|15
|13
|8
|4
|-
|}

==Incidents==
* [[27 June]] [[1976]]: [[Operation Entebbe|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 (CG-49)|USS Vincennes]] in the [[Persian Gulf]] after being mistaken for an attacking [[Iran]]ian [[F-14 Tomcat]], killing all 290 passengers and crew.<ref name="iranair">{{cite news|url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/inatl/longterm/flight801/stories/july88crash.htm|accessdate=2006-08-03|title=Navy Missile Downs Iranian Jetliner|date=1988-07-04|publisher=Washington Post}}</ref>
* 28 September 1992: [[PIA Flight 268]] a Pakistan International Airlines A300B4 crashed on approach near Katmandu, Nepal. All 12 crew and 155 passengers were killed <ref> http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2001/11/12/airbus011112.html </ref>
* [[26 April]] [[1994]]: [[China Airlines]] [[China Airlines Flight 140|Flight 140]] (Taiwan) 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]] [[Garuda Indonesia Flight 152|Flight 152]] crashed while landing at [[Medan, Indonesia]] killing 234 aboard.
* [[16 February]] [[1998]]: [[China Airlines]] [[China Airlines Flight 676|Flight 676]] (Taiwan) crashed into residential area close to [[Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport|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 814|Indian Airlines Flight IC 814]] from [[Kathmandu|Kathmandu, Nepal]] to [[New Delhi]] was hijacked to [[Kandahar|Kandahar, Afganistan]]. 1 fatality.
* [[12 November]] [[2001]]: [[American Airlines]], [[American Airlines Flight 587|Flight 587]] crashed into the [[Belle Harbor, Queens|Belle Harbor]] neighborhood of [[Queens, NY|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]]: [[DHL shootdown incident in Baghdad|European Air Transport OO-DLL]], operating on behalf of [[DHL]], was hit by an [[SA-7 Grail|SA-7 'Grail']] missile after take-off from [[Baghdad International Airport]]. The airplane rapidly lost all hydraulic pressure and thus controls. The crew found that after extending the landing gear to create more drag, they could pilot the plane using differences in engine thrust and managed to land the plane with minimal further damage. The plane was later repaired and offered for sale ([http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=20031122-0 incident summary and photos]).

== References ==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* [http://www.airbus.com/product/a300_a310_backgrounder.asp Official site]
* [http://www.planepictures.net/netsearch.cgi?A300 Pictures]
* [http://www.aircraft-info.net/aircraft/jet_aircraft/airbus/A300-600/ Aircraft-Info.net - Airbus A300-600]
* [http://www.planemad.net/data/list/Airbus/A300/ Airbus A300 Production List]
* [http://www.caa.co.uk/aandocs/26358/26358000100.pdf#search=%22forward-facing%20crew%20configuration%20a300%22 A300 2-man crew modifications]
* [http://www.content.airbusworld.com/SITES/Certification_Register/PDF-register/Dossier_WB5.pdf#search=%22a300b4-220ff%22 Certificated A300 variants worldwide]

==Related content==
{{Commons|Airbus A300}}
{{aircontent|

|related=
*[[List of Airbus A300 operators]]
*[[Airbus Beluga]]
*[[A310]]
*[[Airbus A330|A330]]
*[[Airbus A340|A340]]
*[[A350]]

|similar aircraft=
*[[Boeing 767|Boeing 767-200/-300]]
*[[Ilyushin Il-86]]

|lists=

|see also=
{{Airbus aircraft}}

}}

[[Category:International airliners 1970-1979]]
[[Category:Airbus aircraft|A300]]
[[Category:Multiple engine aircraft]]
[[Category:Jet aircraft]]
[[Category:Low wing aircraft]]

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