IATA AB3ICAO A30B

Airbus A300

Airbus

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The world's first twin-engine wide-body airliner.

First flight

1972

Category

Wide-body jet

Seating

250–361 passengers (typical 266 in two-class)

Range

7,500 km

Engines

Two turbofan engines (General Electric CF6 or Pratt & Whitney JT9D)

Status

In service (primarily as freighter)

The Airbus A300 is a wide-body twin-engine jet airliner that made its maiden flight in 1972 and entered commercial service in 1974. It was the first aircraft produced by the Airbus consortium and the world's first twin-aisle, twin-engine commercial transport, capable of carrying over 250 passengers on short to medium-haul routes. The A300 was offered in several variants, most notably the A300B2, A300B4, and the longer-range A300-600, with the latter featuring a two-crew glass cockpit. The aircraft played a pivotal role in proving the viability of the Airbus consortium and challenging the dominance of American manufacturers such as Boeing and McDonnell Douglas. Production of the A300 ended in 2007 after 561 aircraft were delivered. While most passenger examples have been retired, a significant number continue to serve as freighters with cargo operators around the world.

Notable operators

Air France, Lufthansa, Eastern Air Lines, Korean Air, FedEx, and UPS were among the major operators of the A300.

Notable facts

›The A300 was the world's first twin-engine wide-body commercial aircraft.
›It was the launch product of the Airbus consortium, founded in 1970.
›The A300-600R variant introduced an auxiliary center fuel tank, extending range significantly.
›The A300-600ST 'Beluga' is a heavily modified cargo version used to transport large aircraft components.
›A total of 561 A300 aircraft were built before production ended in 2007.