C O M M E R C I A L A I R C R A F T

OF T H E W O R L D

A300 B9 B10 6 seats rows longer than B2 2 x 54,000 lb thrust engines 322<Eur)/280(US)p 1,500/1,800 nm range.

7 seats rows shorter than B2 2 engines CF 6 or RB 211 216 (Eur)/1B5 (US) passengers 1,900 nm range (A 300B10-1) 3,000 nm range (A 300B10-2)

FLIGHT International, 24 October 1974

B11 Span increased by centre section insert 6,000 nautical mile range 180-200 passengers in short­ened fuselage Four 25,000-30,000 lb thrust engines.

Airbus Industrie likes to point out that the A300R2 and B4 form part of a family of designs. Also on offer are freight and con­vertible versions of the basic aircraft. The participants in Airbus Industrie are also taking part in the six-manufacturer group studying European airline requirements for the 1980s

still to be given. Air Siam has placed an order for one B4 with an option on a second and leased a B2 pending delivery of the B4. French certification for landings in Cat 3a weather con­ditions was received at the end of last month.

Airbus sees a number of advantages for the A300, includ­ing low operating costs, low fuel consumption per seat-mile, commonality with the wide-bodied trijets, cargo potential and low noise. The British Board of Trade, which monitors all landings at London Heathrow, found that none of the first 50 Air France flights registered on its noise-receiving equipment.

Airbus Industrie salesmen told Flight at Farnborough that the order book now stands at 48, including one undisclosed customer. The aircraft now has a firm order base within the Atlas group (Air France, Alitalia, Lufthansa, Sabena and Iberia) and Air France has already indicated its intention to operate 18 A300s by the end of the decade (see "Airbus into Service," Flight for March 28, page 385).

A number of major sales targets remain; Airbus would dearly like to receive an order from North America, from the KSSU group (KLM, SAS, Swissair and UTA) and from British Airways. Airbus Industrie-North America Inc has already been set up and a trade-in deal would probably be accepted as a way of breaking into the market. Salesmen are realistic, however, accepting that as much as possible has already been done—in terms of demonstration flights, setting up a US-style training programme within Aeroforma-tion, arranging financial terms to match Eximbank, and ensuring that 50 per cent of spares are from US sources— and that from now on it is a waiting game. Of the KSSU air­lines, Swissair seems the most immediate prospect. British Airways has recently expressed a lack of interest in both the standard A300 B2/B4 and a cut-back 200-seater. In any case, British Airways would probably insist on the RB.211 as an alternative powerplant to the CF6. Airlines which have ex­pressed definite interest in the European Airbus include Syrian Arab, South African Airways, Ansett, Trans-Australia Airlines and Korean Air Lines. The latter is expected to confirm an order for six aircraft shortly.

The first prototype A300, the first of only two short-bodied Bis produced, is now inactive at Toulouse. It could be used for certification of the RB.211-powered version if i t should go ahead. Aircraft No 2 is being refurbished and will be leased to Trans-European Airwaysfrom Novemberfor Hadj pilgrimage flights. The next two aircraft off the production line, both B2s, are being used for development flying while aircraft 5, 6 and 7 are now in service with Air France. Airbus No 8 has just flown and will be leased to Air Siam from November pending delivery of a B4 next year. The first B4 is aircraft No 9 and is scheduled for delivery to Iberia in the first quarter of 1975; Lufthansa will receive its first B4 in the third quarter of 1975. Air France will accept three additional B2s in January, February and April next year.

Production rate is building up to four a month by the end of 1975 and could go even higher. By the end of 1974 the rate will rise from an initial one a month to two, subsequently

increasing to three in April 1975 if the market holds. Taking the 250/300-seat aircraft into production involves a

total investment of more than $1,000 million, the financial and engineering effort involved thus being comparable with that required by the wide«bodied American trijets.

Four Governments provide development finance for the project—those of France and West Germany (which together contribute the major share) and those of the Netherlands and Spain. Multi-national banking consortia are financing production.

Principal airframe companies involved are Aerospatiale of France, Messerschmitt-Bolkow-Blohm and VFW-Fokker of West Germany (together forming the Deutsche Airbus com­bine), Hawker Siddeley Aviation of Great Britain, Fokker-VFW of the Netherlands and Casa of Spain. The American General Electric powerplants are assembled for production aircraft by Snecma in France, with some components supplied by MTU in West Germany.

Airbus Industrie management has moved its headquarters from Paris to Toulouse.

The first A300 was rolled out in the first week of August 1972 and flew for the first t ime on October 28. The flight-test programme has proved remarkably trouble-free.

A300 studies were begun by Aerospatiale, Hawker Siddeley and Deutsche Airbus in 1968, under the auspices of the three Governments and based on earlier work which the companies had carried out individually. In December 1968 the size of the aircraft was scaled down, both in response to airline demand and to match the 50,0001b thrust available from the^ RB.211-50 series and the CF6-50 which were being proposed at the time for the long-range versions of the TriStar and DC-10. The designation of the project was then changed to A300B. With the announcement of a go-ahead for the DC-10-30, the CF6-50 was adopted as the standard powerplant.

Final go-ahead for the A300B was given in June 1969 when the French and German Governments committed themselves to providing some £190 million for research and development. At a later stage the Dutch Government joined the programme while both the German industry (MBB and VFW-Fokker) and Hawker Siddeley Aviation invested their own money on a private-venture basis (though most of the HS working capital is supplied by the German Government through Airbus Indus­tr ie). Casa of Spain joined the team later still when Iberia ordered the aircraft.

Production is split with the German consortium Deutsche Airbus building the rear fuselage and fin, Aerospatiale the cockpit and wing centre-section, Hawker Siddeley the main wing box, Casa the horizontal tail plus some doors and Fokker-VFW the wing moving surfaces. Final assembly takes place at Toulouse.

A300B1 orders: Trans European Airways, 1 (long-term lease).

A300B2 orders: Air France, 7; plus 9 options; Transbrasil, 4 (subject to Government approval).