Airbus A300The Airbus A300 is a short- to medium-range widebody
aircraft. Launched in 1972 as the world's first twin-engined
widebody, it was the first product of the Airbus consortium
of European aerospace companies, wholly owned today by EADS.
The A300 ceased production in July 2007, along with the
smaller A310. Freighter sales for which the A300 competed are to be fulfilled by a new A330-200F derivativeDevelopment historyThe mission requirements were given in 1966 by Frank Kolk, an American Airlines executive, 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. 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.[citation needed] Concorde was part of the answer, designed for intercontinental routes; the other was the A300, designed to
meet Kolk's US domestic requirements.
In September 1967, the British, French, and German governments signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) tostart 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, 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 General Electric 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.[citation needed] (Years later, through British
Aerospace, the UK re-entered the consortium.) Airbus Industrie was formally set up in 1970 following an agreement between Aérospatiale (France), the antecedents to Deutsche Aerospace (Germany) (joined by 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 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 manufacturing techniques. Complete aircraft sections were manufactured by consortium partners all over Europe. These
were airlifted to the final assembly line at 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 French three franc stamp.
aircraft. Launched in 1972 as the world's first twin-engined
widebody, it was the first product of the Airbus consortium
of European aerospace companies, wholly owned today by EADS.
The A300 ceased production in July 2007, along with the
smaller A310. Freighter sales for which the A300 competed are to be fulfilled by a new A330-200F derivativeDevelopment historyThe mission requirements were given in 1966 by Frank Kolk, an American Airlines executive, 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. 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.[citation needed] Concorde was part of the answer, designed for intercontinental routes; the other was the A300, designed to
meet Kolk's US domestic requirements.
In September 1967, the British, French, and German governments signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) tostart 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, 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 General Electric 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.[citation needed] (Years later, through British
Aerospace, the UK re-entered the consortium.) Airbus Industrie was formally set up in 1970 following an agreement between Aérospatiale (France), the antecedents to Deutsche Aerospace (Germany) (joined by 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 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 manufacturing techniques. Complete aircraft sections were manufactured by consortium partners all over Europe. These
were airlifted to the final assembly line at 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 French three franc stamp.
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