In September 1967, aircraft manufacturers in the United Kingdom, France and West Germany signed a memorandum of understanding to develop a large airliner. Britain withdrew in 1969. However, Germany and France reached an agreement and the European collaborative aerospace manufacturer Airbus Industrie was formally created on 18 December 1970 to develop and produce it. The prototype first flew on 28 October 1972.
The companies first twin-engine widebody airliner, the A300 typically seated 247 passengers in two classes over a range of 5,375 to 7,500 km (2,900 to 4,050 nmi).
Launch customer Air France introduced the type on 30 March 1974. After limited demand initially, sales took off as the type was proven in early service, beginning three decades of steady orders. It has a similar capacity to the Boeing 767-300, introduced in 1986, but lacked the 767-300ER range. During the 1990s, the A300 became popular with cargo aircraft operators, as passenger airliner conversions or as original builds. Production ceased in July 2007 after 561 deliveries.
AirVenture 2024 Instanbul Turkiye to ORT South Africa
