In Australian Service — Airbus A320

The beginnings can be traced to 1972 when the British Aircraft Corporation (BAC) collaborated with CASA, MBB and Saab-Scania in Europlane Ltd, a project to develop a quiet, short takeoff and landing civil aircraft. Europlane was based at Weybridge, and in 1973 the partners released details of a large 180/200 seat twin-engined airliner powered by either the General Electric CF6 or Rolls-Royce RB211. The engines were mounted on short pylons above the rear fuselage and the aircraft had a T-tail.

Not long after Europlane began its investigations, the Civil Aircraft Study Team (CAST) was formed. This group consisted of Hawker Siddeley Aviation, VFW-Fokker and Dornier and was based at Hatfield and Bremen. CAST investigated the design of a quiet airliner and coined the acronym Q/STOL for the aircraft design they were pursuing. In tandem with these efforts, BAC, supported by British Government financial support, conducted its own studies between 1972 and 1976 into an airliner it termed the Reduced/Short Takeoff and Landing (R/STOL) aircraft powered by a “12 tonne” engine, terminology identifying a powerplant of 26,500lb (120kN) static thrust.

In September 1974, the EURAC group, comprising Aerospatiale, BAC, Dornier, Hawker Siddeley, MBB and VFW-Fokker announced they were also looking at an airliner design for the European airlines in the 1980s. This group was later joined by Dassault-Breguet in 1975 and became known as the Group of Seven. They were interested in developing a stretched 138 to 176 seat version of the Mercure airliner which entered service in 1974. The new version, to be powered by CFM56 turbofans, was identified as the Dassault-Breguet Mercure 200. When McDonnell Douglas joined with Dassault-Breguet in July 1976 to jointly develop the Mercure 200, the aircraft then became known as the Advanced Short-to-Medium Range (ASMR) transport.

In parallel with its involvement in EURAC, BAC was also looking at versions of the One-Eleven termed the BAC X-11. Powered by two CFM56 engines, BAC was considering a wider fuselage, and three versions with different fuselage lengths to accommodate between 130 and 180 passengers.

In 1975, Aerospatiale began its own study of designs of a series of airliners using two, three or four engines. These aircraft had similar fuselage components, but with different lengths, while the preferred powerplant was the CFM56. The designs were collectively known as the AS-200. When the ASMR project was abandoned in March 1977, Aerospatiale decided to concentrate on one of the designs from its AS-200 deliberations, the twin-engined A200.

In June 1977, the Joint European Transport (JET) study group was established by the member companies of Airbus to investigate a 130/170 seat airliner. The three JET designs (JET 1, JET 2 and JET 3) were similar to the Aerospatiale A200 and catered for different passenger loads. In addition, other sub-versions with varying fuel, weight, and range characteristics were looked at.

In March 1978, the airlines were canvassed for their views on the designs. What was proposed in the design was a circular section fuselage of 3.91m (12ft 10in) external diameter, which was wider than the Boeing 727, 737 and 757 family. One of these designs, the JET 2, had a 15,000kg (33,000lb) passenger payload over a 1750nm (3240km) range at a 71,000kg (156,525lb) maximum takeoff weight. The wing span was 34.02m (111ft 7in), length 40.79m (133ft 10in) while the wing area was 128.6m2 (1384sq ft) with a 24.75 degree sweepback and 9.0:1 aspect ratio. The four member companies of JET signed a Memorandum of Understanding in March 1978 outlining their respective roles and by 1980 the concept was functioning within Airbus as one of its projects. Teams were established and a single-aisle aircraft with three different fuselage lengths was proposed, the SA-1, SA-2 and SA-3.

The revised designation A320 was adopted by Airbus early in 1981 and it was announced at the Paris Air Show in June 1981 that a decision had been taken in principle to progress with the design. Two A320 versions were offered, the A320-100 seating up to 154 and the A320-200 accommodating 172 passengers. The boost Airbus required came from a statement from Air France on June 6 1981 that it planned to purchase 25 A320s plus a further 25 options. Changes in the design embodied a revised faired-in, double-bubble fuselage which had an internal cabin width of 3.63m (11ft 11in), which was 18cm (7in) wider than the Boeing competitors.

Some months later in September 1981, Airbus announced that one version of the A320 would be offered seating 150 in mixed class configuration, or 162 in one class. The fuselage length would now be 37.41m (122ft 8.75in), wing area 125.8m2 (1354sq ft) with a 9.45:1 aspect ratio. Two different all up weights would be offered, the lighter A320-100 with integral wing fuel tanks only and the longer range A320-200 with a centre section fuel tank.

From then on, numerous other decisions evolved primarily concerned with the structure and systems. Some of these were the incorporation of a fly-by-wire control system, a wing loading alleviation system, increased use of composites which saved at least 850kg (1875lb) in weight, and the use of side-stick controllers for the two pilots. The six cathode-ray tubes (CRTs) used for the flight deck displays are large 18.4cm (7.25in) square units. These comprise one primary flight display (PFD) of flight parameters plus a navigation display (ND) for each pilot, and they constitute the electronic flight instrument system (EFIS). Engine, warning and system information is shown on the other two CRTs, comprising a part of the electronic centralised aircraft monitoring (ECAM) system. Both the EFIS and ECAM are integrated and data can be switched between displays in the event of a failure.

The full go-ahead for the A320 programme came in March 1984. The Governments of Britain, France, Federal Germany and Spain approved the development costs then estimated at $US1.7 billion, calculated to be recovered after the sale of 600 aircraft. At launch, the A320 design had been further refined and the span was 33.91m (111ft 3in), length 37.57m (123ft 3in) with a wing area of 122.4m2 (1318sq ft), sweepback of 25 degrees and 9.396:1 aspect ratio. The powerplant offered was either the IAE V2500 (available from early 1989) or the CFM56-4 (later developed to the -5 version to compete with the V2500). Both have the same 23,500lb (105kN) rating, but differ physically. The CFM56-5 has a weight of 2147kg (4734lb), fan tip diameter of 173cm (5ft 8in) and bypass ratio of 5.9 while the respective figures for the V2500 are 2227kg (4900lb), 160cm (5ft 3in) and 6.0.

As with all Airbus aircraft, final assembly of the A320 is carried out by Aerospatiale at Toulouse with large sections imported from the factories of all four partners. By 1989, final assembly was running at about five and a half aircraft per month increasing to 10 aircraft a month by the end of 1991. This is in stark contrast to Airbus’s beginnings. In its first year of 1974, it delivered just five A300s in eight months to one single operator, Air France.

The first A320 was rolled out at Toulouse on February 14 1987 and not long after on February 22, F-WWAI had its maiden flight lasting 3hr 23min. This aircraft was retained as a company-owned demonstrator, to be later re-engined with IAE V2500 engines. The first flight heralded the commencement of an intensive development programme involving four aircraft, to accumulate 1200hrs on the CFM-powered version before its introduction into service the following year. Flight testing of Airbus A320 No 1 with IAE V2500 engines commenced on July 28 1988 leading into a 540hr programme of flight testing, for a Spring 1989 introduction into service. The intensive flight testing schedule saw the A320-100 certified on February 26 1988. Air France took delivery of the first A320-100 on March 28 1988 putting it into service on April 18.

The initial delivery of the V2500 engined version just over one year later was to Adria Airways and Cyprus Airways in May 1989. By late 1988, Airbus Industrie said it expected to deliver about 1600 A320s and its derivatives in the next 18 years, and with 500 orders then held, was confident of achieving that target. The figure of 1600 sales represents 33% of the projected single-aisle market, estimated by the consortium at 4800 aircraft up to the year 2006. By July 1988, 610 orders, options and commitments had been received, of which 319 were firm orders. The level of orders made the A320 the fastest selling airliner in history.

The initial A320-100 version had a maximum takeoff weight of 66 tonnes (145,500lb) and a range of approximately 3500km (1900nm). The uprated A320-200 has the Airbus developed wingtip fences pioneered on the A310-300, additional fuel in the wing centre section giving a range of 3150nm (5850km) with 150 passengers and baggage, and a maximum weight of 73.5 tonnes (162,000lb). The uprated -200 version became the standard model from aircraft number 22 delivered in September 1988.

Since then, the expected growth version of the A320 has been announced. The Airbus A321-100 has a fuselage stretch of 6.96m (22ft 10in) and seats 185 passengers in a typical two-class layout at a range up to 2650nm (4900km). It also features higher operating weights, which require a strengthened fuselage to withstand the higher loads. Trials of the Airbus A320 static test airframe confirmed that the fuselage sections of the A320 were strong enough to be used in the A321 with very little modification. In 1990, the rear end of the Airbus A320 static test airframe fuselage was bent down by 82cm (2ft 8in) during a simulation of the most critical design cases.

An extended range version of the A321 is the A321-200 which was launched in April 1995. It has the option of an additional centreline tank in its cargo hold. The takeoff weight is increased to 89 tonnes (196,200lb) and range is extended by 350 to 400nm (550 to 600km).

The “baby” of the family is the short fuselage A319 with 124 passenger capacity and a range of up to 3000nm (5500km). This version has its fuselage length reduced by 3.8m to 33.5m. Due for first deliveries to the airlines in the northern spring of 1996, the A319 received more orders than any other A320 family version in 1994.

In May 1995, Airbus Industrie celebrated 21 years since its first aircraft entered service. With annual sales of $US8.5 billion, over 1250 aircraft delivered to more than 120 airlines and a firm order book with another 600 airliners valued at $US52 billion, it is a remarkable achievement. At the time of writing total A320 family orders stood at 935. A line-up of Ansett A320s on the assembly line. The second aircraft in the picture is No 023, VH-HYB. (Airbus Industrie)

Australian industry has been a substantial beneficiary from the various Airbus programmes. In 1981, Airbus offered Australia the opportunity to become a 3% partner in the A320, which at the time was estimated to be worth $88 million. In late 1981 it was reported that HdH and GAF had signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Airbus for a 2-3% share in the A320. After further investigation, it was reported in July 1982 that CAC, HdH and GAF had estimated that an investment of $50-$75 million would be required, in addition to the cost of design and testing. It was estimated that no return would be received until 750 A320s had been delivered by about the year 2000. Under the circumstances, they were reconsidering their participation and did not recommend the Airbus proposal to the Government. Further discussions were held and it was announced by the Government on June 28 1984 that a proposal to have a 1.5-2% share in the A320 project at a cost of $23 million had been rejected. Despite the decision to not directly participate in the project, substantial orders for A320 components eventually were received, commencing with a contract for 300 shipsets of wing interspar ribs and main landing gear fairings worth $24.43 million announced by the Government on July 20 1984. In addition, Australian industry also manufactures components for other Airbus aircraft.

Under an agreement which Airbus and the Australian Government signed in 1991, Australian industry secured long-term opportunities to bid for the multi-million-dollar aero component business. The 10-year agreement is designed to encourage the development of an internationally competitive local aerospace industry, by reducing Australian industry’s reliance on civil offset contracts tied to aircraft purchases. Five Australian companies are now major participants in the various Airbus aircraft programmes, though the work is eventually spread much wider as a result of extensive local subcontracting.

These current participants are:

Aerospace Technologies of Australia which builds floor support structures and landing gear doors for the A330 and A340.

British Aerospace Australia produces wiring looms for the A320.

Dunlop Aviation makes passenger door hinges for the A300 and A310.

Lucas Aerospace undertakes major overhaul and repair work for both Australian and overseas Airbus operators.

Hawker de Havilland builds wing ribs for the A300, A310 and A320, carbon fibre composites for the A310 and A320, and, like ASTA, is a risk sharing contractor in the production of the A330 and A340 programmes, specifically wing ribs and fillet fairings, wing tips and wing tip fences.

The agreement with the Australian Government ensures that local aerospace firms will continue to have an opportunity to share in the success of Airbus Industrie and to work at the forefront of aerospace technology.

The first Australian order for the Airbus A320 was announced by Sir Peter Abeles at the Paris Airshow on June 2 1985. Valued at $US380 million, the order was for eight A320s plus nine options, with first deliveries scheduled for September 1988. The powerplant selected was the GE/Snecma CFM56-5 for the eight firm orders, with a decision yet to be made on the engines for the nine options. At the time of the order, Ansett also announced the establishment of a worldwide support venture, to be established in conjunction with its parent companies News Corporation and TNT. The Airbus order would form the basis of this new company. The expectation was that at least four of the A320s would operate in Australia, to be known as A320 Skystars. The name “Skystar” was decided upon by Ansett to reverse the trend of identifying aircraft by numbers rather than names. They viewed it as a return to an era when aircraft had names such as Electra, Viscount, Constellation, Stratocruiser, Caravelle and Trident. Airbus Industrie congratulated Ansett with the idea and said they believed it was the first time one of its aircraft had a name rather than a number.

On December 2 1985 Ansett announced that its order would be revised to the A320-200 version capable of operating Sydney/Perth direct. Ansett was the first customer for this version, the initial delivery of which was now scheduled for late 1988. The A320-200 features wingtip fences, a fuel tank as basic in the wing centre section and an increased maximum takeoff of 73.7 tonnes (162,000lb).

While Ansett had made its move and placed orders for the A320, TAA was still keeping its options open. They were keen on the A320 but a drawback was the existing fuselage which would only accommodate about 136 passengers in TAA’s configuration. The A320 could hardly be regarded by the airline as a Boeing 727 replacement as, depending on the route, their 727s were configured for up to 150 passengers. What TAA ideally wanted was a stretched A320 with a 160-plus passenger capacity. TAA had contributed a considerable amount of design work to the A320 programme and was responsible for several aspects including the fuselage width, which was wider than the Boeing single-aisle counterparts, revised undercarriage geometry enabling the installation of low pressure tyres, a mechanised underfloor hold to accommodate modified containers, and greater aircraft range than the usual European requirements.

The TAA planning came to fruition on December 20 1985 when it announced a $650 million order for nine Airbus A320-200s for delivery between April 1989 and June 1990. There would be six A320-200s in service by September 1989 with the remaining three aircraft due to be delivered in May and June 1990. TAA opted for the IAE V2500 powered version, although this meant delaying deliveries as the engine would not be available until early in 1989. The attraction of the V2500 powerplant was an estimated fuel burn economy of about 7% which translated into a fuel bill saving of at least $30 million over the first 10 years of service according to the TAA Chairman Mr Neil Smith. Passenger configuration would be 134 in a three-class arrangement or 140 in two classes. The A320-200s would be able to operate Sydney/Perth nonstop with a full payload irrespective of headwinds.

In September 1987, TAA’s successor, Australian Airlines, announced that the airline was seeking to defer or sell the A320s on order to another airline, and that additional Boeing 737s would be purchased instead. Press reports a couple of months later indicated that Australian Airlines had ordered eight 737-400s plus three options in lieu of the A320s. The sticking point in the Airbus A320 purchase for Australian Airlines was the need to spend $100 million to establish training, support and a spares infrastructure which would have been required by the new IAE V2500 powered airliner. The availability of the Boeing 737-400 with an almost similar number of passenger seats as the A320 tipped the scales in Boeing’s favour. The savings which could be made by buying 737-400s with their high degree of commonality with the existing Australian Airlines 737-300s was a decisive factor.

The order for nine Boeing 737-400s for delivery in 1990/91 plus options on another five for 1992 delivery was later announced in July 1988. The decision to defer the order for the A320s was to be reviewed in the middle of 1992. The Australian decision to defer the A320 purchase, although understandable, was ironic, given TAA’s close involvement in formulating the original A320 specification.

The Airbus A320 order was eventually cancelled by Qantas in July 1994. This decision saw the $10 million non-refundable deposit paid by TAA in December 1985, used to pay for heavy maintenance on the four Airbus A300B4-203 aircraft. The first aircraft, VH-TAA, departed from Melbourne on August 30 1994 as QF6000 for British Aerospace’s facility at Filton, Bristol. Over the following months, the other Qantas Airbus A300s also were sent to Filton for similar overhauls. The TAA purchase of the A320s, which looked so promising in late 1985, was now a closed chapter.

The first Ansett A320-211 to arrive in Australia was VH-HYB, which landed in Melbourne on November 26 1988, to be followed by VH-HYA and VH-HYC on December 19. (Ansett became the fourth operator to receive the A320 after British Airways, Air France and Air Inter). The aircraft were then parked outside Ansett’s Melbourne hangars pending the resolution of industrial problems with flight attendants, flight engineers, pilots and ground engineers. The Australian Flight Attendants’ Association for example, had wanted six flight attendants to crew the A320 whereas Ansett wanted five flight attendants. The Conciliation and Arbitration Commission later ruled in favour of Ansett.

Finally, the first Ansett A320 service was flown by VH-HYB on February 2 1989 when it flew on AN12 from Melbourne to Sydney. Prior to the first flight, Ansett announced in January 1989 that they had allowed the first three of the nine options on the A320-211s to lapse. However, some months later Ansett announced that options had been taken up on three A320-211s for 1990 delivery. The final aircraft of Ansett’s first batch of eight A320-211s, VH-HYH, was delivered to Melbourne on May 29 1989.

A nice touch in the internal decor of the Skystar is the modelling of it on the interior of the fabled train, the Orient Express. The hand-crafted timber veneer bulkheads are patterned on those of the Orient Express, as are the cabin dividers which have parquetry panels. Each Ansett Skystar passenger cabin took three weeks to install at a specialist MBB factory in Germany. Continuing the theme, the seats were also Orient Express inspired and despite that, believe it or not, were made in Texas! The Australian content in the cabin consists of seats which have two tones of blue and are covered with blue Tasmanian mohair jacquard velvet in first class and a wool jacquard weave in economy seats. New Zealand supplies the Bremworth carpeting. The whole interior has a refreshing air of individuality.

A further four Airbus A320-211s were delivered to Ansett during 1991/92. When Ansett’s ninth and tenth aircraft were due to be delivered in January and February 1991, the Gulf War caused a change of route for the delivery flights, from Toulouse to the United States and thence to Melbourne. Both these aircraft, VH-HYI and VH-HYJ, were delivered with all-white fuselages with the old Ansett tail colours. A similar route was adopted by VH-HYK when it arrived in Melbourne on March 14. This aircraft was painted all white with no airline livery, which was added in Melbourne before its introduction into service. The route for VH-HYK’s delivery was Toulouse to Santa Maria in the Azores, Bermuda, Phoenix, Hilo and Nadi. The delivery of VH-HYL during April 1992 completed the orders originally initiated by Ansett in 1985, resulting in 12 A320s being delivered to Ansett Australia. Actually 14 firm orders had followed from the 1985 order, but the intended VH-HYM and VH-HYN were sold to Air Inter as F-GHQK and F-GHQM in late 1991.

When Ansett Australia expanded into international operations on September 11 1993, two of the initial flights to Denpasar were flown by members of the Airbus fleet. This saw VH-HYK operate AN112 from Darwin while VH-HYJ flew AN211 from Perth. Another first for the Airbus was involved with the change of Ansett’s livery in 1994. The first Ansett aircraft to carry the new colours was VH-HYJ, with the first service flown by it being the AN16 from Melbourne to Sydney on September 17.

A major confirmation of Ansett’s satisfaction with its A320 fleet was the placement of an order in September 1990 for 10 of the larger A321-100 series for delivery from late 1995. However on May 16 1994, Ansett Australia announced that a new contract had been negotiated to replace the previous order for the 10 A321s. The new contract covered the order of five A320s for delivery between October 1995 and November 1997. In addition, the airline also signed a reconfirmable contract for an additional five aircraft to be delivered between July 1997 and July 1998. The reconfirmable contract for five additional aircraft allows Ansett Australia complete flexibility in terms of aircraft type and delivery date. Ansett Australia’s agreement was renegotiated to fit market projections which have changed since the original A321 discussions in the late 1980s.

More recently in February Ansett announced that it was acquiring two additional A320s. These aircraft will be leased and will be delivered during the course of this year.

In researching this article Australian Aviation had an opportunity to observe a typical flight of an A320, to see at first hand how well it has settled down with the airline after several years of service. The flight was AN17 on December 11 1995 from Sydney to Melbourne with Captain David Brown in command, with David Jordan in the right hand seat. The A320 operating the flight was VH-HYJ. David Brown has been flying since 1961 and initially flew on Friendships. He later was on Electras for ten years and was Ansett’s Fleet Manager for the type. His comment on the Electra was, “Loved them!” Then came a period with Boeing 727s and finally the A320s.

David has been on A320s since their introduction with Ansett and is well placed to comment on their career with the airline. He acknowledged that there had been some teething problems in the beginning but these have now been ironed out and the A320 has confirmed itself for some time as an extremely able performer.

I asked David how long it took him to become familiar with the unique sidestick control and he said, “Two minutes”. He added, that in practice, it was a superb system. Of the early A320 overseas accidents, he said these stemmed from the crews not following the procedures associated with the advanced systems of the aircraft.

The takeoff was a Wollongong 3 departure on runway 16R from the Bravo 4 intersection, the V1 speed was 136kt (252km/h), VR 141kt (261km/h) and V2 141kt (261km/h). Being a Monday morning at Sydney we were fortunate to experience minimal delays. After the start of the number 2 engine at 8.24am, number 1 at 8.25 we took off at 8.32am. At 8.32am we switched to Melbourne Control and obtained clearance to FL350 which was reached at 8.51am at which time VH-HYO settled down to the cruise at Mach 0.79. Two minutes later, we requested and immediately received permission to climb to the maximum cruise altitude of 39,000ft which was reached on the hour.

The load sheet details for the flight were: Total traffic load – 11,075kg. Dry operating weight – 43,907kg. Zero fuel weight – 54,982kg. Takeoff fuel – 6300kg. Takeoff weight – 61,282kg. Trip fuel – 3300kg. Landing weight – 57,982kg.

At 9.17am, we commenced descent and eventually landed at Melbourne on runway 16 at 9.39am. The extreme accuracy of the load sheet prediction for fuel burn was highlighted when, after shutdown at 9.43am, the trip fuel used for the flight was calculated at 3290kg.

The economical performance of the CFM56-5 is illustrated by these figures for a revenue load of over 100 passengers. The primary engine parameters presented by the Electronic Centralised Aircraft Monitor (ECAM) at different stages of the flight are shown below. According to the ECAM, there are constant minor differences between the number 1 and number 2 engines, a byproduct of the extreme accuracy of digital displays. These differences are not of significance, in the older mechanical analog displays it was not physically discernible. Notes: (1) After engine start. (2) During descent.

David Brown said the recently delivered Ansett Airbus VH-HYO is a quieter and smoother aircraft compared with the earlier examples. The older Ansett A320s will be upgraded to take advantage of Airbus’s development work in improving the performance. When the fleet upgrades are completed, all the Ansett A320s will incorporate the improvements inherent in VH-HYO.

The overall performance of the A320 serves to highlight the substantial improvements in reliability, comfort and economy which modern technological developments have spun off to modern airliners.

I had the opportunity to discuss the A320 upgrades with David Rees, Manager, Engineering and Planning at the Ansett Engineering Base at Melbourne. He explained that all the A320s are to be upgraded as they come in for maintenance checks. Two upgrade programmes are actually progressing in parallel, one is the Continuous Product Improvement Programme (CPIP) and the other is the Energy Management Programme. The first aircraft to be completed was VH-HYI on December 21 1995 and the other A320s will follow in the months ahead.

The main component of the work undertaken is an avionics upgrade. The modules are sent overseas for modification and are later returned for installation in the A320s in Australia. The procedure will also naturally include an upgrade of the spares inventory of the affected items. Other changes to the Ansett A320s will be undercarriage modifications which will see the introduction of a two-stage shock absorber and a damper to the torque links, both measures are being made to improve landing controllability. The cabin interior will benefit from the installation of new seats.

Prior to the new upgrade procedures, Ansett had already instituted a component upgrade programme in conjunction with Airbus known as the Kangaroo Retrofit Programme which has been ongoing since 1990. The end result of all the various upgrade programmes will see Ansett’s Airbus A320 fleet incorporating the improvements flowing from Airbus’s ongoing developments. As matters currently stand, there will be 19 members of the A320 family operating in Australia by the end of the decade. This will cement Airbus Industrie’s position as a major provider of airliners in Australia, second only to Boeing. It is also an affirmation of the success of a fine airliner which has only been in production since the late 1980s.