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Airbus A320 family
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<p>The Airbus A320 family is a series of <a href="/facts/Narrow-body_airliner/M3WuT6tu">narrow-body airliners</a> developed and produced by <a href="/facts/Airbus/PSLf3cM8">Airbus</a>. The A320 was launched in March 1984, <a href="/facts/Maiden_flight/LW569ILn">first flew</a> on 22 February 1987, and was introduced in April 1988 by <a href="/facts/Air_France/YG3cSyM7">Air France</a>. The first member of the family was followed by the stretched <a href="/facts/Airbus_A321/KT2r8Kpe">A321</a> (first delivered in January 1994), the shorter <a href="/facts/Airbus_A319/vlCR9Uy0">A319</a> (April 1996), and the shortest variant, the <a href="/facts/Airbus_A318/gYvnyuGY">A318</a> (July 2003). Final assembly takes place in <a href="/facts/Toulouse/VLBjLxD8">Toulouse</a> in France; <a href="/facts/Hamburg/kmAAsYtT">Hamburg</a> in Germany; <a href="/facts/Tianjin/XtlF4hX1">Tianjin</a> in China since 2009; and <a href="/facts/Mobile,_Alabama/r3yXLrtQ">Mobile, Alabama</a>, in the United States since April 2016. </p><p>The <a href="/facts/Twinjet/eahpYVVr">twinjet</a> has a six-abreast economy cross-section and came with either <a href="/facts/CFM_International_CFM56/XjnMkh66">CFM56-5A</a> or -5B, or <a href="/facts/IAE_V2500/YJr1eKjv">IAE V2500</a> turbofan engines, except the A318. The A318 does have the CFM56 as an option, however the other option is the <a href="/facts/Pratt_%26_Whitney_PW6000/b8wugnQ2">Pratt & Whitney PW6000</a>. The family pioneered the use of digital <a href="/facts/Fly-by-wire/nhyXB248">fly-by-wire</a> and <a href="/facts/Side-stick/mjoT8lmn">side-stick</a> flight controls in airliners. Variants offer <a href="/facts/Maximum_take-off_weight/tjdrYcoo">maximum take-off weights</a> from 68 to 93.5 tonnes (150,000 to 206,000 lb), to cover a 5,740–6,940 <a href="/facts/Kilometre/hdQp79QE">kilometres</a>; 3,570–4,320 <a href="/facts/Mile/e22bY569">miles</a> (3,100–3,750 nmi) <a href="/facts/Range_(aircraft)/mgknAs6t">range</a>. The 31.4 m (103 ft) long <a href="/facts/Airbus_A318/gYvnyuGY">A318</a> typically accommodates 107 to 132 passengers. The 124-156 seat <a href="/facts/A319/vlCR9Uy0">A319</a> 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) <a href="/facts/A321/KT2r8Kpe">A321</a> offers 185 to 230 seats. The <a href="/facts/Airbus_Corporate_Jets/TE7eXNpa">Airbus Corporate Jets</a> are modified business jet versions of the standard commercial variants. </p><p>In December 2010, Airbus announced the <a href="/facts/Re-engine/IdeNRgwQ">re-engined</a> <a href="/facts/Airbus_A320neo_family/xfFTjHrM">A320neo</a> (<i>new engine option</i>), which entered service with <a href="/facts/Lufthansa/TUsmAkwr">Lufthansa</a> in January 2016. With more efficient turbofans and improvements including <a href="/facts/Winglet/rPUr5Ju4">sharklets</a>, it offers up to 15% better <a href="/facts/Fuel_economy_in_aircraft/5ej24gpc">fuel economy</a>. The previous A320 generation is now called A320ceo (<i>current engine option</i>). </p><p><a href="/facts/American_Airlines/lpwGQXER">American Airlines</a> is the largest A320 operator with 482 aircraft in its fleet, while <a href="/facts/IndiGo/cU3AplHI">IndiGo</a> is the largest customer with 930 aircraft on order. In October 2019, the A320 family surpassed the <a href="/facts/Boeing_737/Emwxb7JI">Boeing 737</a> to become the highest-selling airliner. As of February 2025<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Airbus_A320_family&action=edit">[update]</a>, a total of 19,112 A320 family aircraft had been <a href="/facts/List_of_Airbus_A320_orders/PSDxM1bT">ordered</a> and 11,918 <a href="/facts/List_of_Airbus_A320_operators/YyocYY8J">delivered</a>, of which 10,982 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 the <a href="/facts/737_Classic/JnXMLNlQ">737 Classic</a> and the <a href="/facts/MD-80/XK4Pp83H">MD-80</a>, then their successors, the <a href="/facts/737_Next_Generation/0nldFpua">737 Next Generation</a> (737NG) and the <a href="/facts/MD-90/P977gzIn">MD-90</a> respectively, while the <a href="/facts/737_MAX/7WgIXJMh">737 MAX</a> is Boeing's response to the A320neo. </p>