Airbus A310 - Greatest Airliners Provided by DutchOps.com

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Airbus A310 General

Aircraft

Airbus A310 Series

Type

Short/Medium range airliner

Crew

Unit Cost

Unknown

Main Operator

FedEx

Number Built

255

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Airbus A310 Program Milestones

Launch

1970's

First Flight

October 10, 1972

First delivery

May 30, 1974

Launch Customer

Air France

Airbus A310 Aircraft Dimensions

Cross Section

18 feet 6 inch (5,64 m)

Wing Span

144 feet 0 inch (43,90 m)

Length

153 feet 1 inch (46,66 m)

Height

51 feet 10 inch (15,80 m)

Airbus A310 Weights

Maximum Taxi Weight

172.600 kg

Max Take-off Weight

171.700 kg

Max Landing Weight

140.000 kg

Max Zero Fuel Weight

130.000 kg

Operating Empty Weight

90.900 kg

Max Structural Payload

34.900 kg

Usable Fuel

68.150 Litres

Airbus A310 Seating

One Class

361 Passengers

Mixed Class

266 Passengers

Airbus A310 Powerplants

Example of the PW4000

CF6-80C2

249 kN

PW4000

267 kN

Airbus A310 Range

4000 nautical miles (7.700 km)

Prices all variants - ($ in Millions)

Model out of production - no prices current

Airbus A310

The Airbus A310 was launched in 1978 as a medium to long-range widebody airliner, and was the second aircraft built and designed by the Airbus consortium of European aerospace companies. The Airbus A310 is a shortened derivative of the Airbus A300, which was the first twin-engined widebody airliner ever built. Production of the A310 ceased in July 2007 after a total of 255 were built.

The A310's range exceeds that of all the A300 models, except for the A300-600, which actually surpases the A310-200. Its long-range eventually led to the aircraft being used on transatlantic routes. With the design of the Airbus A300 and A310, Airbus introduced the concept of commonality ,which means that pilots flying on either one of the aircraft can qualify on the other aircraft with one day of training.

The A310 was formally launched in July 1978 for Lufthansa and Swissair. Since the aircraft was a further development of the A300, it was initially designated as the A300 B10. Essentially a "baby" A300, the main differences between the two aircraft are: a shortened fuselage, a redesigned wing and a smaller vertical fin. The A310 was initially marketed as an introduction for developing airlines who sought aircraft that were able to fly the Atlantic. At this moment, the A310 has been replaced by the Airbus A330-200 in Airbus' lineup, which shares the same fuselage cross-section.


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Airbus A310 Design

Since the design of the A310 is based on its larger brother, the A300, the description below describes the design characteristics of the latter.

The A300 was used as a design basis for the Airbus A310, A330, A340 and A300-600ST (Beluga) while the aircraft itself is nearing the end of its market life. In February 2007 over 550 Airbus A300 aircraft have been delivered while a total of 560 were ordered. Overall the A300 was a big step in aircraft technology since it employed latest technologies, some derived from the supersonic Concorde, and incorporated:

a super critical airfoil in order to improve overall efficiency
wind shear protection (first aircraft ever)
advanced auto-pilot systems
advanced aerodynamics
dual pilot cockpit (later versions)
CoG control
wingtip fences (aerodynamic improvement)

Overall this made the A300 a suitable replacement for current widebodied aircraft like the Lockheed L-1011 Tristar and Douglas DC-10.

Airbus A300 Versions

Airbus A300B1	A total of two were built and included the first prototype. The second airframe was sold to Air Algérie who scrapped the aircraft a few years later. The aircraft could accomodate 259 passengers and had a maximum take-off weight (MTOW) of 132.000 kg. The aircraft was powered by two General Electric CF6-50A engines, each producing 220 kN of thrust.

Airbus A300B2	The Airbus A300B2 was the first production version of the A300. It was powered by either two CF6 or Pratt & Whitney JT9D engines. The A300B2 first entered service with Air France in May 1974. Airbus A300B2-100: MTOW 137.000 kg Airbus A300B2-200: MTOW 142.000 kg with Kruger flaps Airbus A300B2-300: Iincreased MZFW and MLAW.

Airbus A300B4	The Airbus A300B4 is the major production version of the A300. It featured a center fuel tank, increasing fuel capacity to 48.000 kg. A300B4-100: MTOW 157.500 kg A300B4-200: MTOW 165.000 kg A300B4-200FF: Features a "Forward-Facing" (FF) crewcompartment and is the first two-crew widebody aircraft. It includes A310 and A300-600 avionic technology. First delivered to Garuda in 1982. A300B4-600: Known as the A300-600 A300C4: "Convertible freighter" featuring a large cargo to on the port side of the aircraft. A300F4-203: Freighter version of the A300B4-200. First delivered in 1986.

Airbus A300-600	The A300-600 is officially designated as the the A300B4-600. Although the aircraft has the same length as the B2 and B4 it has increased cargo volume as it uses the A310 tail and rear fuselage. It features more powerful CF6-80 engines and entered service with Saudi Arabian Airlines in 1983. A300-600: Baseline model A300-620C: Convertible freighter version A300-600F: Freighter version of the -600 A300-600R: Features increased range compared to the baseline -600. A300-600RF: Freighter version of the -600R A300-600ST: Commonly referred to as the "Airbus Super Transporter" or "Beluga" due to its characteristic bulge. A total of five have been produced all used to transport parts between manufacturing facilities and the final assembly facility.

Airbus A300B10	Known as the Airbus A310. Features a shorter fuselage compared to the baseline A300 together with a higher aspect ratio wing and smaller tail. Check out the specifications of this type.