128-515: The Airbus A321 is a member of the Airbus A320 family of short to medium range, narrow-body , commercial passenger twin engine jet airliners ; it carries 185 to 236 passengers. It has a stretched fuselage which was the first derivative of the baseline A320 and entered service in 1994, about six years after the original A320. The aircraft shares a common type rating with all other Airbus A320-family variants, allowing A320-family pilots to fly
256-501: A ski-jump on take-off is subjected to loads of 0.5g which also last for much longer than a landing impact. Helicopters may have a deck-lock harpoon to anchor them to the deck. Some aircraft have a requirement to use the landing-gear as a speed brake. Flexible mounting of the stowed main landing-gear bogies on the Tupolev Tu-22 R raised the aircraft flutter speed to 550 kn (1,020 km/h). The bogies oscillated within
384-414: A "boat" hull/floats and retractable wheels, which allow it to operate from land or water. Beaching gear is detachable wheeled landing gear that allows a non-amphibious floatplane or flying boat to be maneuvered on land. It is used for aircraft maintenance and storage and is either carried in the aircraft or kept at a slipway. Beaching gear may consist of individual detachable wheels or a cradle that supports
512-442: A 10 in (25 cm) thick flexible asphalt pavement . The 210,000 lb (95 t) Boeing 727 -200 with four tires on two legs main landing gears required a 20 in (51 cm) thick pavement. The thickness rose to 25 in (64 cm) for a McDonnell Douglas DC-10 -10 with 443,000 lb (201 t) supported on eight wheels on two legs. The heavier, 558,000 lb (253 t), DC-10-30/40 were able to operate from
640-678: A 3.5% fuel burn reduction on flights over 2,800 km (1,500 nmi; 1,700 mi), saving approximately US$ 220,000 and 700 t of CO 2 per aircraft per year. The 2.5 metres (8 ft 2 in) tall wingtip devices are manufactured by Korean Air Aerospace Division. In December 2011, Airbus filed suit in the western district of Texas over Aviation Partners ' claims of infringement of its patents on winglet design and construction which were granted in 1993. Airbus' lawsuit seeks to reject responsibility to pay royalties to Aviation Partners for using its designs, despite work performed together with both parties to develop advanced winglets for
768-817: A 60 monthly global production rate by mid-2019, the Tianjin line delivered 51 in 2016 and it could assemble six per month from four as it starts producing A320neos in 2017; 147 Airbus were delivered in 2016 in China, 20% of its production, mostly A320-family, a 47% market share as the country should become the world's largest market ahead of the US before 2027. In June 2018, along a larger and modernised delivery centre, Airbus inaugurated its fourth Hamburg production line, with two seven-axis robots to drill 80% of fuselage upper side holes, autonomous mobile tooling platforms and following Design Thinking principles. By January 2019, Mobile
896-474: A 90° angle during the rearwards-retraction sequence to allow the main wheel to rest "flat" above the lower end of the main gear strut, or flush within the wing or engine nacelles, when fully retracted. Examples are the Curtiss P-40 , Vought F4U Corsair , Grumman F6F Hellcat , Messerschmitt Me 210 and Junkers Ju 88 . The Aero Commander family of twin-engined business aircraft also shares this feature on
1024-577: A 95- to 125-seat aircraft project. The programme was called the AE31X , and covered the 95-seat AE316 and 115- to 125-seat AE317. The former would have had an overall length of 31.3 m (102 ft 8 in), while the AE317 was longer by 3.2 m (10 ft 6 in), at 34.5 m (113 ft 2 in). The engines were to be two Rolls-Royce BR715s, CFM56-9s, or the Pratt & Whitney PW6000 ; with
1152-494: A company based in Wichita , Kansas , USA. Two aircraft were used in the flight test evaluation campaign – the prototype A320, which had been retained by Airbus for testing, and a new build aircraft which was fitted with both types of winglets before it was delivered to JetBlue . Despite the anticipated efficiency gains and development work, Airbus announced that those winglets would not be offered to customers, claiming that
1280-551: A design called the HS.134 "Airbus" in 1965, an evolution of the HS.121 (formerly DH.121) Trident , which shared much of the general arrangement of the later JET3 study design. The name "Airbus" at the time referred to a BEA requirement, rather than to the later international programme. In June 1977 a new Joint European Transport (JET) programme was set up, established by British Aerospace (BAe), Aerospatiale , Dornier and Fokker . It
1408-512: A dispute between the French, who claimed the move would incur $ 150 million (€135 million) in unnecessary expenditures associated with the new plant, and the Germans, who argued that it would be more productive for Airbus in the long run. The second production line was located at Hamburg , which would also subsequently produce the smaller Airbus A319 and A318. For the first time, Airbus entered
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#17327796336181536-476: A forward and aft position. The forward position was used for take-off to give a longer lever-arm for pitch control and greater nose-up attitude. The aft position was used to reduce landing bounce and reduce risk of tip-back during ground handling. The tandem or bicycle layout is used on the Hawker Siddeley Harrier, which has two main-wheels behind a single nose-wheel under the fuselage and
1664-437: A full glass cockpit, rather than the hybrid versions found in previous airliners. It is also equipped with an Electronic Flight Instrument System (EFIS) with side-stick controllers. The A320 has an Electronic Centralised Aircraft Monitor (ECAM) to give the flight crew information about all of the systems on the aircraft. The only analogue instruments were the radio-magnetic indicator and brake pressure indicator. Since 2003,
1792-715: A fuselage diameter of "the Boeing 707 and 727, or do something better" and settled on a wider cross-section with a 3.7 m (12 ft 2 in) internal width, compared to Boeing's 3.45 m (11 ft 4 in). Although heavier, this allowed the A320 to compete more effectively with the 737. The A320 wing went through several design stages, eventually measuring 33.91 m (111 ft 3 in). The UK, France and West Germany wanted responsibility over final assembly and its associated work, known as "work-share arguments". The Germans requested an increased work-share of 40%, while
1920-585: A higher sink-rate requirement because the aircraft are flown onto the deck with no landing flare . Other features are related to catapult take-off requirements for specific aircraft. For example, the Blackburn Buccaneer was pulled down onto its tail-skid to set the required nose-up attitude. The naval McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II in UK service needed an extending nosewheel leg to set the wing attitude at launch. The landing gear for an aircraft using
2048-474: A higher sink-rate requirement if a carrier-type, no-flare landing technique has to be adopted to reduce touchdown scatter. For example, the Saab 37 Viggen , with landing gear designed for a 5m/sec impact, could use a carrier-type landing and HUD to reduce its scatter from 300 m to 100m. The de Havilland Canada DHC-4 Caribou used long-stroke legs to land from a steep approach with no float. A flying boat has
2176-489: A light aircraft, an emergency extension system is always available. This may be a manually operated crank or pump, or a mechanical free-fall mechanism which disengages the uplocks and allows the landing gear to fall under gravity. Aircraft landing gear includes wheels equipped with solid shock absorbers on light planes, and air/oil oleo struts on larger aircraft. As aircraft weights have increased more wheels have been added and runway thickness has increased to keep within
2304-577: A longer range 97 t (214,000 lb) maximum takeoff weight (MTOW) variant with three auxiliary fuel tanks, giving it 100 nmi (190 km; 120 mi) more operational range than a Boeing 757 -200. Airbus launched the A321LR (Long Range) on 13 January 2015; it has a range of 4,000 nmi (7,400 km; 4,600 mi) with 206 seats in two classes. On 31 January 2018, the variant completed its first flight. Airbus announced its certification on 2 October 2018. On 13 November 2018, Arkia received
2432-403: A lower fuselage with the shape of a boat hull giving it buoyancy. Wing-mounted floats or stubby wing-like sponsons are added for stability. Sponsons are attached to the lower sides of the fuselage. A floatplane has two or three streamlined floats. Amphibious floats have retractable wheels for land operation. An amphibious aircraft or amphibian usually has two distinct landing gears, namely
2560-523: A maximum range of 4,000 nmi (7,400 km; 4,600 mi) for the long-range version when carrying no more than 206 passengers. Final assembly of the aircraft takes place in Hamburg , Germany, Mobile, Alabama , United States, Tianjin , China, and Toulouse , France. As of October 2024, a total of 3,295 A321 airliners have been delivered, of which 3,216 are in service. In addition, another 5,276 A321neo aircraft are on firm order. American Airlines
2688-453: A new air purifier with filters and a catalytic converter , removing unpleasant smells from the air before it is pumped into the cabin, as well as LEDs for mood lighting and a new passenger service unit (PSU). Offering 10% more overhead bin volume, more shoulder room, a weight reduction, a new intercom and in-flight entertainment system, noise reduction and slimmer PSU, the enhanced cabin can be retrofitted. The flight crew controls
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#17327796336182816-537: A nosewheel) chassis. Landing is done on skids or similar simple devices (fixed or retractable). The SNCASE Baroudeur used this arrangement. Historical examples include the "dolly"-using Messerschmitt Me 163 Komet rocket fighter, the Messerschmitt Me 321 Gigant troop glider, and the first eight "trolley"-using prototypes of the Arado Ar 234 jet reconnaissance bomber. The main disadvantage to using
2944-455: A production rate of 63 aircraft per month by 2021, which would result in the 10,000th delivery occurring early that year. Due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on aviation , demand for new jets was reduced in 2020 and Airbus cut its monthly production from 60 to 40 A320s. In October 2020, the 500th A320 built in Tianjin, an A320neo, was delivered to China Southern , twelve years after
3072-414: A retractable tricycle landing gear and powered by two wing pylon-mounted turbofan engines . After the oil price rises of the 1970s , Airbus needed to minimise the trip fuel costs of the A320. To that end, it adopted composite primary structures for the empennage with a conventional tail configuration, centre-of-gravity control using fuel, a glass cockpit ( EFIS ) with side-stick controllers and
3200-536: A shorter-range twinjet rather than a longer-range quadjet wanted by the West Germans, particularly Lufthansa . However, works proceeded, and the German carrier would eventually order the twinjet. In February 1981 the project was re-designated A320, with efforts focused on the blueprint formerly designated SA2. During the year, Airbus worked with Delta Air Lines on a 150-seat aircraft envisioned and required by
3328-457: A similar arrangement, except that the fore and aft gears each have two twin-wheel units side by side. Quadricycle gear is similar to bicycle but with two sets of wheels displaced laterally in the fore and aft positions. Raymer classifies the B-52 gear as quadricycle. The experimental Fairchild XC-120 Packplane had quadricycle gear located in the engine nacelles to allow unrestricted access beneath
3456-520: A smaller wheel near the tip of each wing. On second generation Harriers, the wing is extended past the outrigger wheels to allow greater wing-mounted munition loads to be carried, or to permit wing-tip extensions to be bolted on for ferry flights. A tandem layout was evaluated by Martin using a specially-modified Martin B-26 Marauder (the XB-26H) to evaluate its use on Martin's first jet bomber,
3584-521: A total of 377 fatalities as of August 2019. Related development Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era Related lists Airbus A320 family The Airbus A320 family is a series of narrow-body airliners developed and produced by Airbus . The A320 was launched in March 1984, first flew on 22 February 1987, and was introduced in April 1988 by Air France . The first member of
3712-557: A tricycle undercarriage to prevent damage to the underside of the fuselage if over-rotation occurs on take-off leading to a tail strike . Aircraft with tail-strike protection include the B-29 Superfortress , Boeing 727 trijet and Concorde . Some aircraft with retractable conventional landing gear have a fixed tailwheel. Hoerner estimated the drag of the Bf 109 fixed tailwheel and compared it with that of other protrusions such as
3840-460: A two-crew flight deck. Airbus claimed the 737-300 burns 35% more fuel and has a 16% higher operating cost per seat than the V2500 -powered A320. A 150-seat A320 burns 11,608 kg (25,591 lb) of jet fuel over 2,151 nmi (3,984 km; 2,475 mi) (between Los Angeles and New York City), or 2.43 L/100 km (97 mpg ‑US ) per seat with a 0.8 kg/L fuel. Its wing
3968-500: A wingspan of 31.0 m (101 ft 8 in) and a flight deck similar to that of the A320 family. Costing $ 2 billion (€1.85 billion) to develop, aircraft production was to take place in China. Simultaneously, Airbus was developing the Airbus A318. In early 1998, Airbus revealed that it was designing a 100-seat aircraft based on the A320. The AE31X project was terminated by September 1998, and Airbus officially announced
Airbus A321 - Misplaced Pages Continue
4096-622: Is 33.8 m (111 ft) long. The A320 is 37.6 m (123 ft) long and can accommodate 150 to 186 passengers. The 44.5 m (146 ft) A321 offers 185 to 230 seats. The Airbus Corporate Jets are modified business jet versions of the standard commercial variants. In December 2010, Airbus announced the re-engined A320neo ( new engine option ), which entered service with Lufthansa in January 2016. With more efficient turbofans and improvements including sharklets , it offers up to 15% better fuel economy . The previous A320 generation
4224-429: Is a narrow-body (single-aisle) aircraft with a retractable tricycle landing gear , powered by two wing pylon-mounted turbofan engines. It is a low-wing cantilever monoplane with a conventional tail unit having a single vertical stabilizer and rudder . Changes from the A320 include a fuselage stretch and some modifications to the wing. The fuselage was lengthened by a 4.27 m (14 ft 0 in) plug ahead of
4352-412: Is also unique in that all four pairs of main wheels can be steered. This allows the landing gear to line up with the runway and thus makes crosswind landings easier (using a technique called crab landing ). Since tandem aircraft cannot rotate for takeoff, the forward gear must be long enough to give the wings the correct angle of attack during takeoff. During landing, the forward gear must not touch
4480-459: Is long and thin, offering better aerodynamic efficiency because of the higher aspect ratio than the competing 737 and MD-80. The Airbus A320 family are low-wing cantilever monoplanes with a conventional empennage with a single vertical stabiliser and rudder . Its wing sweep is 25 degrees. Compared to other airliners of the same class, the A320 features a wider single-aisle cabin of 3.95 metres (156 in) outside diameter, compared to
4608-692: Is now called A320ceo ( current engine option ). American Airlines is the largest A320 operator with 479 aircraft in its fleet, while IndiGo is the largest customer with 930 aircraft on order. In October 2019, the A320 family surpassed the Boeing 737 to become the highest-selling airliner. As of October 2024 , a total of 18,994 A320 family aircraft had been ordered and 11,707 delivered , of which 10,803 aircraft were in service with more than 350 operators. The global A320 fleet had completed more than 176 million flights over 328 million block hours since its entry into service. The A320ceo initially competed with
4736-465: Is required to reduce the impact with the surface of the water. A vee bottom parts the water and chines deflect the spray to prevent it damaging vulnerable parts of the aircraft. Additional spray control may be needed using spray strips or inverted gutters. A step is added to the hull, just behind the center of gravity, to stop water clinging to the afterbody so the aircraft can accelerate to flying speed. The step allows air, known as ventilation air, to break
4864-535: Is the largest operator of the Airbus A321 with 298 examples in its fleet. The Airbus A321 was the first derivative of the A320, also known as the Stretched A320 , A320-500 and A325 . Its launch came on 24 November 1988, around the same time as the A320 entered service, after commitments for 183 aircraft from 10 customers were secured. The maiden flight of the Airbus A321 came on 11 March 1993, when
4992-527: Is the undercarriage of an aircraft or spacecraft that is used for taxiing , takeoff or landing . For aircraft, it is generally needed for all three of these. It was also formerly called alighting gear by some manufacturers, such as the Glenn L. Martin Company . For aircraft, Stinton makes the terminology distinction undercarriage (British) = landing gear (US) . For aircraft, the landing gear supports
5120-632: The 737 Classic and the MD-80 , then their successors, the 737 Next Generation (737NG) and the MD-90 respectively, while the 737 MAX is Boeing's response to the A320neo. When Airbus designed the A300 during the late 1960s and early 1970s, it envisaged a broad family of airliners with which to compete against Boeing and Douglas (later McDonnell Douglas ), two established US aerospace manufacturers. From
5248-722: The 757-200 and the 737-900/900ER . On 1 December 2010, Airbus launched the A320neo family ( neo for New Engine Option ) with 500 nmi (930 km; 580 mi) more range and 15% better fuel efficiency , thanks to new CFM International LEAP -1A or Pratt & Whitney PW1000G engines and large sharklets. The lengthened A321neo prototype made its first flight on 9 February 2016. It received its type certification on 15 December 2016. The first entered service in May 2017 with Virgin America . In October 2014, Airbus started marketing
Airbus A321 - Misplaced Pages Continue
5376-705: The Beriev A-40 Hydro flaps were used on the Martin Marlin and Martin SeaMaster . Hydroflaps, submerged at the rear of the afterbody, act as a speed brake or differentially as a rudder. A fixed fin, known as a skeg , has been used for directional stability. A skeg, was added to the second step on the Kawanishi H8K flying boat hull. High speed impacts in rough water between the hull and wave flanks may be reduced using hydro-skis which hold
5504-650: The EUROPLANE , a 180- to 200-seat aircraft. It was abandoned after intruding on A310 specifications. VFW-Fokker , Dornier and Hawker Siddeley worked on a number of 150-seat designs. The design within the JET study that was carried forward was the JET2 (163 passengers), which then became the Airbus S.A1/2/3 series (Single Aisle), before settling on the A320 name for its launch in 1984. Previously, Hawker Siddeley had produced
5632-561: The Martin Marlin , the Martin M-270, was tested with a new hull with a greater length/beam ratio of 15 obtained by adding 6 feet to both the nose and tail. Rough-sea capability can be improved with lower take-off and landing speeds because impacts with waves are reduced. The Shin Meiwa US-1A is a STOL amphibian with blown flaps and all control surfaces. The ability to land and take-off at relatively low speeds of about 45 knots and
5760-702: The Martin XB-48 . This configuration proved so manoeuvrable that it was also selected for the B-47 Stratojet . It was also used on the U-2, Myasishchev M-4 , Yakovlev Yak-25 , Yak-28 and Sud Aviation Vautour . A variation of the multi tandem layout is also used on the B-52 Stratofortress which has four main wheel bogies (two forward and two aft) underneath the fuselage and a small outrigger wheel supporting each wing-tip. The B-52's landing gear
5888-530: The V2500Select (One) . In 2006, Airbus tested three styles of winglets intended to counteract the wing's lift-induced drag and wingtip vortices more effectively than the previous wingtip fence . The first design type to be tested was developed by Airbus and based on work done by the AWIATOR programme. The second type of winglet incorporated a more blended design and was designed by Winglet Technology,
6016-537: The bond market , through which it raised $ 480 million (€475 million) to finance development costs. An additional $ 180 million (€175 million) was borrowed from the European Investment Bank and private investors. The maiden flight of the Airbus A321 came on 11 March 1993, when the prototype , registration F-WWIA, flew with IAE V2500 engines; the second prototype, equipped with CFM56-5B turbofans, flew in May. Lufthansa and Alitalia were
6144-479: The dark cockpit (where an indicator is off when its system is running; useful for drawing attention to dysfunctions when an indicator is lit) from the A310, the first widebody designed to be operated without a flight engineer and influenced by Bernard Ziegler , first Airbus CEO Henri Ziegler 's son. The A320 is the world's first airliner with digital fly-by-wire (FBW) flight control system : input commands through
6272-470: The maximum takeoff weight (MTOW) and 1.5 to 1.75% of the aircraft cost, but 20% of the airframe direct maintenance cost. A suitably-designed wheel can support 30 t (66,000 lb), tolerate a ground speed of 300 km/h and roll a distance of 500,000 km (310,000 mi) ; it has a 20,000 hours time between overhaul and a 60,000 hours or 20 year life time. Wheeled undercarriages normally come in two types: The taildragger arrangement
6400-502: The prototype , registration F-WWIA, flew with IAE V2500 engines; the second prototype, equipped with CFM56-5B turbofans, flew in May 1993. Lufthansa and Alitalia were the first to order the stretched Airbuses, with 20 and 40 aircraft requested, respectively. The first of Lufthansa's V2500-A5-powered A321s arrived on 27 January 1994, while Alitalia received its first CFM56-5B-powered aircraft on 22 March 1994. The A321-100 entered service in January 1994 with Lufthansa. Final assembly for
6528-505: The side-stick are interpreted by flight control computers and transmitted to flight control surfaces within the flight envelope protection ; in the 1980s the computer-controlled dynamic system of the Dassault Mirage 2000 fighter cross-fertilised the Airbus team which tested FBW on an A300 . At its introduction, fly-by-wire and flight envelope protection was a new experience for many pilots. Landing gear Landing gear
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#17327796336186656-400: The 3,588 nautical miles (6,645 km; 4,129 mi) great circle route to Winnipeg , Manitoba from Hamburg in 9 hours and 5 minutes. The A319 has proven popular with low-cost airlines such as EasyJet , which purchased 172 of them. The A318 was born out of mid-1990 studies between Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC), Singapore Technologies Aerospace , Alenia and Airbus on
6784-496: The 3.8 m (148 in) of the Boeing 737 or 757 , and larger overhead bins. Its cargo hold can accommodate unit load device containers. The A320 airframe includes composite materials and aluminium alloys to save weight and reduce the total number of parts to decrease the maintenance costs. Its tail assembly is made almost entirely of such composites by CASA, which also builds the elevators , main landing gear doors, and rear fuselage parts. The A320 flight deck features
6912-543: The A318 at that year's Farnborough Airshow. The aircraft was the smallest in Airbus's product range, and was developed coincidentally at the same time as the largest commercial aircraft in history, the Airbus A380 . First called A319M5 in as early as March 1995, it was shorter by 0.79-metre (2 ft 7 in) ahead of the wing and 1.6 metres (5 ft 3 in) behind. These cuts reduced passenger capacity from 124 on
7040-456: The A319 to 107 passengers in a two-class layout. Range was 5,700 kilometres (3,100 nmi; 3,500 mi), or 5,950 kilometres (3,210 nmi; 3,700 mi) with upcoming Sharklets . The 107-seater was launched on 26 April 1999 with the options and orders count at 109 aircraft. After three years of design, the maiden flight took place at Hamburg on 15 January 2002. Tests on the lead engine,
7168-527: The A320 has featured liquid crystal display (LCD) units on the flight deck instead of the original cathode-ray tube (CRT) displays. These include both main displays and the backup artificial horizon , which also previously had an analogue display. Airbus offers an avionics upgrade for older A320 aircraft, the In-Service Enhancement Package, to keep them updated. Digital head-up displays are also available. The A320 retained
7296-563: The A320 overall. The length increase required enlarged overwing exits, which were repositioned in front of and behind the wings. The centre fuselage and undercarriage were reinforced to accommodate an increase in maximum takeoff weight of 9,600 kg (21,200 lb), for a total of 83,000 kg (183,000 lb). Final assembly for the A321 would be, as a first for any Airbus, carried out in Germany (then West Germany). This came after
7424-408: The A320 was to be named A30X . In 2007, Airbus North America President Barry Eccleston stated that the earliest the aircraft could have been available was 2017. In January 2010, John Leahy , Airbus's chief operating officer-customers, stated that an all-new single-aisle aircraft was unlikely to be constructed before 2024 or 2025. The Airbus A320 family are narrow-body (single-aisle) aircraft with
7552-539: The A320 was to be supplied by two CFM56-5-A1s rated at 111 kN (25,000 pounds-force). It was the only engine available until the arrival of the IAE V2500 , offered by International Aero Engines , a group composed of Rolls-Royce plc , Pratt & Whitney , Japanese Aero Engine Corporation , Fiat and MTU . The first V2500 variant, the V2500-A1, has a thrust output of 110 kN (25,000 pounds-force ), hence
7680-419: The A321 was carried out in Germany (then West Germany), a first for any Airbus. This came after a dispute between the French, who claimed that the move would incur $ 150 million (€135 million) in unnecessary expenditure associated with the new plant, and the Germans, who claimed that it would be more productive for Airbus in the long run. The second production line was located in Hamburg , which later produced
7808-420: The A321. As of October 2024, 3,216 Airbus A321 aircraft (1705 ceo+1511 neo) were in service with more than 100 operators. American Airlines and Delta Air Lines operate the largest A321 fleets of 298 and 194 aircraft, respectively. Data as of October 2024 For the Airbus A321, 32 aviation accidents and incidents have occurred, including six hull-loss accidents or criminal occurrences with
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#17327796336187936-756: The A321: CFM International with its CFM56 and International Aero Engines with the V2500 engine, both in the thrust range of 133–147 kN (30,000–33,000 lb f ). Over 30 years since launch, the A321 MTOW grew by 20% from the 83 t (183,000 lb) -100 to the 101 t (223,000 lb) A321XLR , seating became 10% more dense with 244 seats, up by 24, and range doubled from 2,300 to 4,700 nmi (4,300 to 8,700 km; 2,600 to 5,400 mi). By 2019, 4,200 had been ordered—one-quarter of all Airbus single-aisles—including 2,400 neos, one-third of all A320neo orders. The Airbus A321
8064-499: The A321XLR completed its first flight. Iberia was scheduled to be the launch customer. The first A321XLR was delivered to Iberia on October 30, 2024. The first flight with passengers was on November 6, 2024. The first long-haul flight with passengers was on 14 November 2024, from Madrid to Boston . While no freighter version of the A321 has been built new by Airbus, a first attempt of converting used A320/321 into freighter aircraft
8192-596: The Airbus A320neo. The first sharklet-equipped Airbus A320 was delivered to Indonesia AirAsia on 21 December 2012, offering a 450 kg (990 lb) payload and 100 nmi (190 km; 120 mi) range increases over the original aircraft specifications. In 2007, Airbus introduced a new enhanced, quieter cabin with better luggage storage and a more modern look and feel, and a new galley that reduced weight, increased revenue space and improved ergonomics and design for food hygiene and recycling. It offered
8320-701: The Airbus Americas factory in Mobile, Alabama . Airbus produced a total of 42 A320s per month in 2015, and expected to increase to 50 per month in 2017. Production of parts takes place in a large number of countries around the world. For example, the centre fuselage is made in Hamburg, Germany; the horizontal stabiliser is produced in Getafe, Spain; and the rudder is produced in Harbin, China. As Airbus targets
8448-503: The British wanted the major responsibilities to be swapped around to give partners production and research and development experience. In the end, British work-share was increased from that of the two previous Airbuses. France was willing to commit to launch aid, or subsidies, while the Germans were more cautious. The UK government was unwilling to provide funding for the tooling, requested by BAe and estimated at £ 250 million; it
8576-491: The CFM56/ PW6000 powered A318. The family pioneered the use of digital fly-by-wire and side-stick flight controls in airliners. Variants offer maximum take-off weights from 68 to 93.5 tonnes (150,000 to 206,000 lb), to cover a 5,740–6,940 kilometres ; 3,570–4,320 miles (3,100–3,750 nmi) range . The 31.4 m (103 ft) long A318 typically accommodates 107 to 132 passengers. The 124-156 seat A319
8704-471: The MTOW of 53.3 t (118,000 lb) for the smaller version and 58 t (128,000 lb) for the AE317, the thrust requirement were 77.9–84.6 kN (17,500–19,000 lbf) and 84.6–91.2 kN (19,000–20,500 lbf), respectively. Range was settled at 5,200 km (2,800 nmi; 3,200 mi) and 5,800 km (3,100 nmi; 3,600 mi) for the high gross weights of both variants. Both share
8832-519: The PW6000, revealed worse-than-expected fuel consumption. Consequently, Pratt & Whitney abandoned the five-stage high-pressure compressor (HPC) for the MTU-designed six-stage HPC. The 129 order book for the A318 shrunk to 80 largely because of switches to other A320 family members. After 17 months of flight certification, during which 850 hours and 350 flights were accumulated, JAA certification
8960-416: The aircraft can be landed in a satisfactory manner in a range of failure scenarios. The Boeing 747 was given four separate and independent hydraulic systems (when previous airliners had two) and four main landing gear posts (when previous airliners had two). Safe landing would be possible if two main gear legs were torn off provided they were on opposite sides of the fuselage. In the case of power failure in
9088-441: The aircraft without the need for further training. In December 2010, Airbus announced a new generation of the A320 family, the A320neo (new engine option). The similarly lengthened fuselage A321neo variant offers new, more efficient engines, combined with airframe improvements and the addition of winglets (called Sharklets by Airbus). The aircraft delivers fuel savings of up to 15%. The A321neo carries up to 244 passengers, with
9216-422: The airline. The A320 would carry 150 passengers over 2,850 or 1,860 nmi (5,280 or 3,440 km; 3,280 or 2,140 mi) using fuel from wing fuel tanks only. The -200 had the centre tank activated, increasing fuel capacity from 15,590 to 23,430 L (3,429 to 5,154 imp gal). They would measure 36.04 and 39.24 m (118 ft 3 in and 128 ft 9 in), respectively. Airbus considered
9344-470: The airstream, it is called a semi-retractable gear. Most retractable gear is hydraulically operated, though some is electrically operated or even manually operated on very light aircraft. The landing gear is stowed in a compartment called a wheel well. Pilots confirming that their landing gear is down and locked refer to "three greens" or "three in the green.", a reference to the electrical indicator lights (or painted panels of mechanical indicator units) from
9472-421: The cabin through touchscreen displays. The A320neo ( neo for new engine option ) is a development launched on 1 December 2010, making its first flight on 25 September 2014 and introduced by Lufthansa on 25 January 2016. Re-engined with CFM International LEAP -1A or Pratt & Whitney PW1000G engines and with large sharklets, it was designed to be 15% more fuel efficient. Its three variants are based on
9600-553: The consortium focused on its bigger siblings. After healthy sales of the A320/A321, Airbus focused once more on what was then known as the A320M-7 , meaning A320 minus seven fuselage frames . It would provide direct competition for the 737-300 / -700 . The shrink was achieved through the removal of four fuselage frames fore and three aft of the wing, cutting the overall length by 3.73 metres (12 ft 3 in). Consequently,
9728-422: The craft when it is not flying, allowing it to take off, land, and taxi without damage. Wheeled landing gear is the most common, with skis or floats needed to operate from snow/ice/water and skids for vertical operation on land. Retractable undercarriages fold away during flight, which reduces drag , allowing for faster airspeeds . Landing gear must be strong enough to support the aircraft and its design affects
9856-410: The entire aircraft. In the former case, the beaching gear is manually attached or detached with the aircraft in the water; in the latter case, the aircraft is maneuvered onto the cradle. Helicopters are able to land on water using floats or a hull and floats. For take-off a step and planing bottom are required to lift from the floating position to planing on the surface. For landing a cleaving action
9984-612: The family was followed by the stretched A321 (first delivered in January 1994), the shorter A319 (April 1996), and the even shorter A318 (July 2003). Final assembly takes place in Toulouse in France; Hamburg in Germany; Tianjin in China since 2009; and Mobile, Alabama in the United States since April 2016. The twinjet has a six-abreast economy cross-section and came with either CFM56 or IAE V2500 turbofan engines, except
10112-535: The final assembly line start in 2008. In 2006, Airbus started the A320 Enhanced (A320E) programme as a series of improvements targeting a 4–5% efficiency gain, with large winglets (2%), aerodynamic refinements (1%), weight savings and a new aircraft cabin . Engine improvements that reduced fuel consumption by 1% were made to the A320 in 2007 with the CFM56 Tech Insertion and in 2008 with
10240-633: The first A321LR. The A321XLR is an A321LR variant with a further increased MTOW intended to compete with the Boeing NMA , which has since been put on hold. The variant was launched at the June 2019 Paris Air Show , with a range of 4,700 nmi (8,700 km; 5,400 mi). It included a new permanent Rear Centre Tank (RCT) for more fuel, a strengthened landing gear for a 101 t (223,000 lb) MTOW and an optimised wing trailing-edge flap configuration to preserve take-off performance. In June 2022,
10368-486: The first to order the stretched Airbuses, with 20 and 40 aircraft, respectively. The first of Lufthansa's V2500-A5-powered A321s arrived on 27 January 1994, while Alitalia received its first CFM56-5B-powered aircraft on 22 March. The A319 was the following derivative of the baseline A320. The design was a "shrink", with its origins in the 130- to 140-seat SA1, part of the Single-Aisle studies, which had been shelved as
10496-549: The following day. The certification programme took 350 airborne hours involving two aircraft. Certification for the CFM56-5B6/2-equipped variant was granted in April 1996, and qualification for the V2524-A5 started the following month. Delivery of the first A319, to Swissair , occurred on 25 April 1996; it entered service by month's end. In January 1997, an A319 broke a record during a delivery flight by flying
10624-418: The fuselage for attaching a large freight container. Helicopters use skids, pontoons or wheels depending on their size and role. To decrease drag in flight, undercarriages retract into the wings and/or fuselage with wheels flush with the surrounding surface, or concealed behind flush-mounted doors; this is called retractable gear. If the wheels do not retract completely but protrude partially exposed to
10752-424: The fuselage lower sides as retractable main gear units on modern designs—were first seen during World War II, on the experimental German Arado Ar 232 cargo aircraft, which used a row of eleven "twinned" fixed wheel sets directly under the fuselage centerline to handle heavier loads while on the ground. Many of today's large cargo aircraft use this arrangement for their retractable main gear setups, usually mounted on
10880-438: The fuselage. The 640 t (1,410,000 lb) Antonov An-225 , the largest cargo aircraft, had 4 wheels on the twin-strut nose gear units like the smaller Antonov An-124 , and 28 main gear wheels. The 97 t (214,000 lb) A321neo has a twin-wheel main gear inflated to 15.7 bar (228 psi), while the 280 t (620,000 lb) A350 -900 has a four-wheel main gear inflated to 17.1 bar (248 psi). STOL aircraft have
11008-603: The hull out of the water at higher speeds. Hydro skis replace the need for a boat hull and only require a plain fuselage which planes at the rear. Alternatively skis with wheels can be used for land-based aircraft which start and end their flight from a beach or floating barge. Hydro-skis with wheels were demonstrated as an all-purpose landing gear conversion of the Fairchild C-123 , known as the Panto-base Stroukoff YC-134 . A seaplane designed from
11136-471: The hydrodynamic features of the hull, long length/beam ratio and inverted spray gutter for example, allow operation in wave heights of 15 feet. The inverted gutters channel spray to the rear of the propeller discs. Low speed maneuvring is necessary between slipways and buoys and take-off and landing areas. Water rudders are used on seaplanes ranging in size from the Republic RC-3 Seabee to
11264-609: The increased weight. The MTOW of the A321-100 is 83,000 kg (183,000 lb). The A321-100 entered service with Lufthansa in 1994. Only about 90 were produced; a few were later converted to the A321-200 variant. Airbus began development of the heavier and longer-range A321-200 in 1995 to give the A321 full-passenger transcontinental US range. This was achieved through higher thrust engines (V2533-A5 or CFM56-5B3), minor structural strengthening, and an increase in fuel capacity with
11392-596: The installation of one or two optional 2,990 L (790 US gal) tanks in the rear underfloor hold. The additional fuel tanks increased the total capacity to 30,030 L (7,930 US gal). These modifications also increased the maximum takeoff weight of the A321-200 to 93,000 kg (205,000 lb). This variant first flew in December 1996, and entered service with Monarch Airlines in April 1997. The following month, Middle East Airlines received its first A321-200 in May 1997. Its direct competitors include
11520-402: The landing gear usually consists of skis or a combination of wheels and skis. Some aircraft use wheels for takeoff and jettison them when airborne for improved streamlining without the complexity, weight and space requirements of a retraction mechanism. The wheels are sometimes mounted onto axles that are part of a separate "dolly" (for main wheels only) or "trolley" (for a three-wheel set with
11648-405: The landing gear usually only supports the vehicle on landing and during subsequent surface movement, and is not used for takeoff. Given their varied designs and applications, there exist dozens of specialized landing gear manufacturers. The three largest are Safran Landing Systems , Collins Aerospace (part of Raytheon Technologies ) and Héroux-Devtek . The landing gear represents 2.5 to 5% of
11776-444: The long-range Airbus A310 . Airbus then focused its efforts on the single-aisle market, which was dominated by the 737 and McDonnell Douglas DC-9 . Plans from a number of European aircraft manufacturers called for a successor to the relatively successful BAC One-Eleven , and to replace the 737-200 and DC-9. Germany's MBB ( Messerschmitt-Bölkow-Blohm ), British Aircraft Corporation , Sweden's Saab and Spain's CASA worked on
11904-417: The lower corners of the central fuselage structure. The prototype Convair XB-36 had most of its weight on two main wheels, which needed runways at least 22 in (56 cm) thick. Production aircraft used two four-wheel bogies, allowing the aircraft to use any airfield suitable for a B-29. A relatively light Lockheed JetStar business jet, with four wheels supporting 44,000 lb (20 t), needed
12032-504: The main gear struts lengthened as they were extended to give sufficient ground clearance for their large four-bladed propellers. One exception to the need for this complexity in many WW II fighter aircraft was Japan's famous Zero fighter, whose main gear stayed at a perpendicular angle to the centerline of the aircraft when extended, as seen from the side. The main wheels on the Vought F7U Cutlass could move 20 inches between
12160-489: The main gears, which retract aft into the ends of the engine nacelles . The rearward-retracting nosewheel strut on the Heinkel He 219 and the forward-retracting nose gear strut on the later Cessna Skymaster similarly rotated 90 degrees as they retracted. On most World War II single-engined fighter aircraft (and even one German heavy bomber design ) with sideways retracting main gear, the main gear that retracted into
12288-611: The moment of formation, Airbus had begun studies into derivatives of the Airbus A300B in support of this long-term goal. Prior to the service introduction of the first Airbus airliners, engineers within Airbus had identified nine possible variations of the A300 known as A300B1 to B9. A 10th variation, conceived in 1973, later the first to be constructed, was designated the A300B10. It was a smaller aircraft which would be developed into
12416-557: The most significant orders occurred when Northwest Airlines placed an order for 100 A320s in October 1986, powered by CFM56 engines, later confirmed at the 1990 Farnborough Airshow . During A320 development, Airbus considered propfan technology, which was backed by Lufthansa . At the time unproven, the technology essentially consisted of a fan placed outside the engine nacelle , offering turbofan speeds and turboprop economics; ultimately, Airbus stuck with turbofans . Power on
12544-611: The nacelle under the control of dampers and springs as an anti-flutter device. Some experimental aircraft have used gear from existing aircraft to reduce program costs. The Martin-Marietta X-24 lifting body used the nose/main gear from the North American T-39 / Northrop T-38 and the Grumman X-29 from the Northrop F-5 / General Dynamics F-16 . When an airplane needs to land on surfaces covered by snow,
12672-737: The name. It is 4% more efficient than the CFM56, with cruise thrust-specific fuel consumption for the -A5 at 16.3 and 16.9 g/kN/s (0.58 and 0.60 lb/lbf/h) for the CFM56-5A1. In the presence of then- French Prime Minister Jacques Chirac and the Prince and Princess of Wales , the first A320 was rolled out of the final assembly line at Toulouse on 14 February 1987 and made its maiden flight on 22 February in 3 hours and 23 minutes. The flight test programme took 1,200 hours over 530 flights. European Joint Aviation Authorities (JAA) certification
12800-403: The new model from 22 May 1992, with the actual launch of the $ 275 million (€250 million) programme occurring on 10 June 1993; the A319's first customer was ILFC , which signed for six aircraft. On 23 March 1995, the first A319 underwent final assembly at Airbus' German plant in Hamburg, where A321s were also assembled. It was rolled out on 24 August 1995, with the maiden flight taking place
12928-444: The nosewheel/tailwheel and the two main gears. Blinking green lights or red lights indicate the gear is in transit and neither up and locked or down and locked. When the gear is fully stowed up with the up-locks secure, the lights often extinguish to follow the dark cockpit philosophy; some airplanes have gear up indicator lights. Redundant systems are used to operate the landing gear and redundant main gear legs may also be provided so
13056-544: The number of overwing exits was reduced from four to two. The bulk-cargo door was replaced by an aft container door, which can take in reduced height LD3-45 containers . Minor software changes were made to accommodate the different handling characteristics; otherwise the aircraft was largely unchanged. Power is provided by the CFM56-5A, CFM56-5B, or V2500-A5, derated to 98 kN (22,000 lbf), with option for 105 kN (24,000 lbf) thrust. Airbus began offering
13184-722: The outset with hydro-skis was the Convair F2Y Sea Dart prototype fighter. The skis incorporated small wheels, with a third wheel on the fuselage, for ground handling. In the 1950s hydro-skis were envisaged as a ditching aid for large piston-engined aircraft. Water-tank tests done using models of the Lockheed Constellation , Douglas DC-4 and Lockheed Neptune concluded that chances of survival and rescue would be greatly enhanced by preventing critical damage associated with ditching. The landing gear on fixed-wing aircraft that land on aircraft carriers have
13312-556: The pilot's canopy. A third arrangement (known as tandem or bicycle) has the main and nose gear located fore and aft of the center of gravity (CG) under the fuselage with outriggers on the wings. This is used when there is no convenient location on either side of the fuselage to attach the main undercarriage or to store it when retracted. Examples include the Lockheed U-2 spy plane and the Harrier jump jet . The Boeing B-52 uses
13440-466: The previous A319, A320 and A321. Airbus received 6,031 orders by March 2018 and delivered 318 by May 2018. The original family was renamed A320ceo, for current engine option . As of July 2024, IndiGo has 173 Airbus A320neos under service, making it the largest operator of this type of aircraft. In 2006, Airbus was studying a future replacement for the A320 series, tentatively dubbed as NSR or "New Short-Range aircraft". The follow-on aircraft to replace
13568-513: The runway loading limit . The Zeppelin-Staaken R.VI , a large German World War I long-range bomber of 1916, used eighteen wheels for its undercarriage, split between two wheels on its nose gear struts, and sixteen wheels on its main gear units—split into four side-by-side quartets each, two quartets of wheels per side—under each tandem engine nacelle, to support its loaded weight of almost 12 t (26,000 lb). Multiple "tandem wheels" on an aircraft—particularly for cargo aircraft , mounted to
13696-538: The same thickness pavements with a third main leg for ten wheels, like the first Boeing 747 -100, weighing 700,000 lb (320 t) on four legs and 16 wheels. The similar-weight Lockheed C-5 , with 24 wheels, needs an 18 in (46 cm) pavement. The twin-wheel unit on the fuselage centerline of the McDonnell Douglas DC-10 -30/40 was retained on the MD-11 airliner and the same configuration
13824-596: The smaller Airbus A319 and A318 . For the first time, Airbus entered the bond market , through which it raised $ 480 million (€475 million) to finance development costs. An additional $ 180 million (€175 million) was borrowed from European Investment Bank and private investors. The A321 is the largest variant of the A320 family. The A321-200's length exceeds 44.5 m (146 ft), increasing maximum takeoff weight (MTOW) to 93,000 kg (205,000 lb). Wingspan remained unchanged, supplementing various wingtip devices. Two suppliers provided turbofan engines for
13952-508: The takeoff dolly/trolley and landing skid(s) system on German World War II aircraft—intended for a sizable number of late-war German jet and rocket-powered military aircraft designs—was that aircraft would likely be scattered all over a military airfield after they had landed from a mission, and would be unable to taxi on their own to an appropriately hidden "dispersal" location, which could easily leave them vulnerable to being shot up by attacking Allied fighters. A related contemporary example are
14080-685: The water suction on the afterbody. Two steps were used on the Kawanishi H8K . A step increases the drag in flight. The drag contribution from the step can be reduced with a fairing. A faired step was introduced on the Short Sunderland III. One goal of seaplane designers was the development of an open ocean seaplane capable of routine operation from very rough water. This led to changes in seaplane hull configuration. High length/beam ratio hulls and extended afterbodies improved rough water capabilities. A hull much longer than its width also reduced drag in flight. An experimental development of
14208-492: The weight of the modifications required negated any aerodynamic benefits. On 17 December 2008, Airbus announced it was to begin flight testing an existing blended winglet design developed by Aviation Partners Inc. as part of an A320 modernisation programme using the A320 prototype. Airbus launched the sharklet blended winglets during the November 2009 Dubai Airshow . Installation adds 200 kg (440 lb) but offers
14336-482: The weight, balance and performance. It often comprises three wheels, or wheel-sets, giving a tripod effect. Some unusual landing gear have been evaluated experimentally. These include: no landing gear (to save weight), made possible by operating from a catapult cradle and flexible landing deck: air cushion (to enable operation over a wide range of ground obstacles and water/snow/ice); tracked (to reduce runway loading). For launch vehicles and spacecraft landers ,
14464-401: The wing and a 2.67 m (8 ft 9 in) plug behind it, making the A321 6.94 m (22 ft 9 in) longer than the A320. The length increase required the overwing window exits of the A320 to be converted into door exits and repositioned in front of and behind the wings. To maintain performance, double-slotted flaps and minor trailing edge modifications were included, increasing
14592-419: The wing area from 124 m (1,330 sq ft) to 128 m (1,380 sq ft). The centre fuselage and undercarriage were reinforced to accommodate a 9,600 kg (21,200 lb) increase in maximum takeoff weight, taking it to 83,000 kg (183,000 lb). The original derivative of the A321, the A321-100, had shorter range than the A320 because no extra fuel tank was added to compensate for
14720-499: The wings was raked forward in the "down" position for better ground handling, with a retracted position that placed the main wheels at some distance aft of their position when downairframe—this led to a complex angular geometry for setting up the "pintle" angles at the top ends of the struts for the retraction mechanism's axis of rotation. with some aircraft, like the P-47 Thunderbolt and Grumman Bearcat , even mandating that
14848-424: The wingtip support wheels ("pogos") on the Lockheed U-2 reconnaissance aircraft, which fall away after take-off and drop to earth; the aircraft then relies on titanium skids on the wingtips for landing. Some main landing gear struts on World War II aircraft, in order to allow a single-leg main gear to more efficiently store the wheel within either the wing or an engine nacelle, rotated the single gear strut through
14976-572: Was awarded on 26 February 1988. The first A320 was delivered to Air France on 28 March, and began commercial service on 8 April with a flight between Paris and Berlin via Düsseldorf . In 1988, the clean-sheet aircraft program cost was 5.486 billion French francs . The first derivative of the A320 was the Airbus A321 , also known as the Stretched A320 , A320-500 and A325 . Its launch came on 24 November 1988 after commitments for 183 aircraft from 10 customers were secured. The aircraft
15104-470: Was based at the then BAe (formerly Vickers ) site in Weybridge , Surrey , UK. Although the members were all of Airbus' partners, they regarded the project as a separate collaboration from Airbus. This project was considered the forerunner of Airbus A320, encompassing the 130- to 188-seat market, powered by two CFM56s . It would have a cruise speed of Mach 0.84 (faster than the Boeing 737). The programme
15232-445: Was common during the early propeller era, as it allows more room for propeller clearance. Most modern aircraft have tricycle undercarriages. Taildraggers are considered harder to land and take off (because the arrangement is usually unstable , that is, a small deviation from straight-line travel will tend to increase rather than correct itself), and usually require special pilot training. A small tail wheel or skid/bumper may be added to
15360-407: Was delivered to launch operator Qantas Freight . The A321-200PCF is a passenger to freighter conversion, developed by Precision Conversions and certificated in 2021. Sine Draco Aviation also offers an A321 passenger-to-freighter conversion programme; its first conversion is expected for the first quarter of 2022. On 15 March 2022, Lufthansa Cargo started to operate its A321F, a cargo variant of
15488-431: Was its first customer to sign a "letter of intent" for 25 A320s and options for 25 more at the 1981 Paris Air Show . In October 1983, British Caledonian placed seven firm orders, bringing total orders to more than 80. Cyprus Airways became the first customer to place an order for V2500-powered A320s in November 1984, followed by Pan Am with 16 firm orders and 34 options in January 1985, and then Inex Adria . One of
15616-537: Was later transferred to Airbus, leading up to the creation of the Single-Aisle (SA) studies in 1980, led by former leader of the JET programme, Derek Brown. The group looked at three different variants, covering the 125- to 180-seat market, called SA1 , SA2 and SA3 . Although unaware at the time, the consortium was producing the blueprints for the A319, A320 and A321, respectively. The single-aisle programme created divisions within Airbus about whether to design
15744-634: Was obtained for the CFM56-powered variant on 23 May 2003. On 22 July 2003, first delivery for launch customer Frontier Airlines occurred, entering service before the end of the month. The Toulouse Blagnac final assembly line builds A320s, whereas the Hamburg Finkenwerder final assembly line builds A318s, A319s, and A321s. The Airbus factory in Tianjin , China assembles A319s, A320s, and A321s; A320s and A321s are also assembled at
15872-441: Was outputting 4.5 A320s per month, raising to five by the end of the year. In September 2019, Airbus reached a milestone with the delivery of the 9000th A320-family aircraft, to Easyjet. In October 2019, Airbus inaugurated a highly automated fuselage structure assembly line for A320 Family aircraft in Hamburg, showcasing an evolution in Airbus' industrial production system. Production rates continue to rise, and Airbus aims to reach
16000-444: Was postponed for three years. On 1 March 1984, the British government and BAe agreed that £50 million would be paid, whether the A320 flew or not, while the rest would be paid as a levy on each aircraft sold. In 1984, the program cost was then estimated at £2 billion ($ 2.8 billion) by Flight International, equivalent to £8 billion today. The programme was launched on 2 March 1984. At the time, Airbus had 96 orders. Air France
16128-448: Was to be a minimally changed derivative, apart from minor wing modifications and the fuselage stretch itself. The wing would incorporate double-slotted flaps and minor trailing edge modifications, increasing wing area from 124 m (1,330 sq ft) to 128 m (1,380 sq ft). The fuselage was lengthened by four plugs (two ahead and two behind the wings), making the A321 6.94 metres (22 ft 9 in) longer than
16256-401: Was undertaken by Airbus Freighter Conversion GmbH. The program, however, was canceled in 2011 before any aircraft were converted. On 17 June 2015, ST Aerospace signed agreements with Airbus and EFW for a collaboration to launch the A320/A321 passenger-to-freighter (P2F) conversion programme. The initial converted aircraft first flew on 22 January 2020. On 27 October 2020, the first A321-200P2F
16384-467: Was used on the initial 275 t (606,000 lb) Airbus A340 -200/300, which evolved in a complete four-wheel undercarriage bogie for the heavier 380 t (840,000 lb) Airbus A340-500/-600. The up to 775,000 lb (352 t) Boeing 777 has twelve main wheels on two three-axles bogies, like the later Airbus A350 . The 575 t (1,268,000 lb) Airbus A380 has a four-wheel bogie under each wing with two sets of six-wheel bogies under
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