The Airbus A300 is a short to medium range, wide-body family of aircraft manufactured by Airbus Industrie between 1972 and the present.

Lufthansa Airbus A300-B4.
The A300 was the first twin-engined widebody airliner in the world. It inspired various Boeing twins such as Boeing 767 and 777. It was ground-breaking in other aspects and paved the way for ETOPS flights.

After the initial flurry of the launch, sales of the A300 were weak for some years, with most orders going to airlines that had an obligation to order the locally-made product - notably Air France and Lufthansa. At one stage, Airbus had 16 "whitetail" A300s - completed but unsold aircraft sitting on the tarmac.

In 1977 giant US carrier Eastern Airlines leased four A300s as an in-service trial, and then ordered 23 of the type. From that time on, the A300 family sold well, eventually reaching the current total of 843 on order or delivered. It is unlikely that many more will be sold: the A300 is reaching the end of its market life and is mainly sold as a dedicated freighter now. The current version is A300-600R and is rated for 180-min ETOPS.

It enjoyed renewed interest in the seconhand market and many used examples are snapped up by buyers to be converted into dedicated freighters.

Table of contents
1 Models
2 See also:
3 External links

Models

See also:

External links