50 Years of History: The Airbus A300

It is undeniable that the Airbus A300 shaped the aviation industry for years to come, with its revolutionary electronic cockpit, and formed the foundations for Airbus as a company. To think that Airbus has, since the first flight of the A300, developed into one of the world’s most successful aircraft manufacturers, is simply phenomenal. Airbus is practically a household name in today’s society, and it was thanks to the A300 that the company is where it is today.

The origins of the aircraft are derived from July 1967, when German, British and French ministers agreed that ‘for the purpose of strengthening European co-operation in the field of aviation technology and thereby promoting economic and technological progress in Europe, to take appropriate measures for the joint development and production of an airbus’.

However, the A300 did not have an easy journey to success; after the agreement was signed at the Paris Airshow on the 29th of May 1969, and European governments signed up for a taste of the action, the UK government pulled out of the Airbus project.

The aircraft was designed with just two engines, which was, at the time, a ground-breaking thought for a long haul aircraft. Other competitors like the DC-10 and the L1011 were the direct market competition for the A300, and they had three powerplants. This was yet another challenge for the manufacturers to overcome!

Despite the various issues that arose with producing the type, the A300 first took to the skies on the 28th of October 1972. There were many different variants of the widebody that rolled off the line in Toulouse, including the B1, B2, B3, B4,-600 and  the world-famous Beluga (-600ST).

In total, there were 567 A300s delivered in total, with over 200 still in service with cargo and passenger airlines such as DHL, Mahan Air, Iran Air, Air HongKong and FedEx.

The A300 has truly paved the way for European aviation as an industry, and it is because of the historic events that led to the monumental first flight of the type that Airbus exists today, and continues to provide excellent aircraft for the airlines of the world.