Electric jet

Thirty years of the Airbus A320

When the Airbus A320 first took flight in 1987, how many observers realised they were watching the first flight of one of the most successful aircraft of all time? Thirty years later, nearly eleven thousand A320 family aircraft in four variants have been produced on four assembly lines in four countries on three continents, with Airbus planning to manufacture some sixty aircraft per month from 2019.

This remarkable aircraft continues its development today, with some much-needed programme maturity coming to the A320neo programme, and a major cabin upgrade coming from Airbus’ Airspace project, an effort to translate the much-vaunted passenger experience from the A350 XWB onto the workhorse of much of the world’s narrowbody fleet.