A300 fyller 40

Airbus' first jet marks 40 years in service


Airbus' first aircraft, an A300B for Air France. Photo: Airbus

Airbus delivered its first aircraft 40 years ago, on May 10, 1974. The A300B was also the world's first twin-engine wide-body jet.

In July 1967, France, Germany and the United Kingdom agreed to jointly develop an airliner. At the time, American companies owned more than 80 percent of the world airliner market, according to Airbus' historical narrative.

The "B" in the name of the first airliner Airbus produced refers to one of the big stumbles in the early history of the program.

The A300 was initially going to carry 300 passengers on short- to medium-distance flights. But Rolls-Royce didn't come through with the new engine required to power the aircraft. So Airbus went with an existing American engine, limiting capacity to 250 passengers, but cutting costs.


A few months after Airbus announced the revised "A300B," the United Kingdom pulled out of the program, although Britain's Hawker Siddeley remained the supplier of the jet's wings.

On Sept. 3, 1970, Air France signed a letter of intent to buy six A300s. Lufthansa followed, ordering three A300s, with four options. The A300 entered service with Air France on May 23, 1974, flying form Paris to London.

In 1973, Airbus took the A300 on a six-week tour of the Americas in an effort to win international orders. But the first non-European order came from Korean Airlines, which signed up to buy four of a longer-range version, the A300B4, in September 1974.

Airbus followed this up with sales to Indian Airlines, South African Airways and Air Inter. But then an 18-month sales drought resulted in unsold aircraft sitting in Toulouse and a production cut to one aircraft every two months.

The A300 gained market viability in 1976, when it started being able to fly as far as 90 minutes from the nearest airport under international rules. The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration still required two-engine airplanes to remain within an hour of an airport until 1985, but gave dispensation allowing longer diversion times in the Caribbean area.

Airbus' big break came in March 1978, when U.S. carrier Eastern Air Lines ordered 23 of the jets, with nine options, after leasing four A300s for six months at Airbus' behest.

In July 1978, Airbus launched the A310, which would carry fewer passengers but fly further than the A300. It entered service in 1983.

Airbus eventually built 878 A300s and A310s. It delivered the final A300, to FedEx, in 2007.

Boeing launched its first twin-engine wide-body, the 767, in 1978. The 767 was the first twin-engine airliner certified to fly 120 minutes (and then 180 mintes) from the nearest airport.

Boeing has since gone on to build the 777 and 787 Dreamliner twin-engine wide-bodies, while Airbus has added the A330 and A350 XWB.