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The Airbus A310 is a medium- to long-range widebody airliner developed from the Airbus A300 and manufactured by Airbus SAS.
Perhaps the greatest attribute of the A310 is that of range. The A310-300's range exceeds all A300 models and the -200 exceeds all A300 models in range except the A300-600. This quality has led to the aircraft being used extensively on transatlantic routes. The A300 and A310 introduced the concept of commonality which has become one of the Airbus family's greatest marketing points: A300-600 and A310 pilots can qualify for the other aircraft with only one day of training.
Like its sister aircraft, the Airbus A300, the A310 is reaching the end of its market life as a passenger and cargo aircraft. There have been no new A310 passenger orders since the late 1990s, and only a few freighter orders remain. The A310 (along with the A300) will cease production in July of 2007. Freighter sales are to be fulfilled by a new A330-200F derivative.
Although production of the A310 has been scheduled to cease in July 2005, there have been no orders or deliveries since 1998. At the end of 1998 there had been 260 A310 orders and 255 delivered.
Beginnings
The aircraft was formally launched in July 1978 for Lufthansa and Swissair. A further development of the A300, the aircraft was initially designated the A300 B10. Essentially a "baby" A300, the main differences in the two aircraft are
- Shortened fuselage - same cross section, providing capacity of about 200.
- Redesigned wing - designed by British Aerospace who rejoined Airbus consortium
- Smaller vertical fin
The A310 is marketed as an excellent introduction to widebody operations for developing airlines. With the Airbus A330 now a major success, further orders for the A310 are unlikely. Between 1983 and 1997, 255 A310s were delivered by Airbus. The A300 and A310 established Airbus as a major competitor to Boeing and allowed it to go ahead with the more ambitious A330/A340 family.
Models
- A310-200:The first A310 was the 162nd Airbus off the production line, the aircraft made its maiden flight in April 1982 powered by Pratt & Whitney JT9D engines. The -200 entered service with Swissair and Lufthansa a year later.
- A310-300:First flown in July 1985, the -300 has an increased MTOW and an increase in range, provided by additional centre and horizontal stabilizer (trim-tank) fuel tanks. This model also introduced wingtip fences to improve aerodynamic efficiency, a feature that has since been retrofitted to some -200s. The aircraft entered service in 1986, again with Swissair.
- A310-C:The convertible model can be produced from either model, taking the designations A310-200C and A310-300C.
- A310-F:No production freighters were produced, operators (e.g. FedEx) instead adapting ex-airline A310s.
- A310 MRTT:The A310 has long been operated by many of the world's airforces as a pure transport, however some are now being converted to the Multi Role Tanker Transport configuration by EADS, providing an aerial refueling capability. Six have been ordered; four by the German Luftwaffe and two by the Canadian Forces. Deliveries began in 2004. Three are being converted at EADS' Elbe Flugzeugwerke (EFW) in Dresden, Germany; the other three at Lufthansa Technik in Hamburg, Germany.
Accident summary
- Hull-loss Accidents: 6 with a total of 518 fatalities
- Hijackings: 10 with a total of 5 fatalities
- S7 Airlines Flight 778, an Airbus A310-324 jet from Moscow carrying 196 passengers and eight crew, overshot the runway at Irkutsk in Siberia, plowed through a concrete barrier and caught fire as it crashed into buildings. Latest reports say 70 of the 204 on board survived, with 12 still missing Since the accident, casualty figures have fluctuated, in part due to three people boarding the aircraft that were not on the passenger manifest, and some survivors having walked home and assumed to be trapped in the wreckage. (10 July 2006 02:15 UTC) [http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/10/world/europe/10russiacnd.html?ex=1310184000&en=928c64e05d14da10&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss The airline has set up a website with information for relatives and a passenger list at www.bort778.info.
- Other Incidents: Rudder partially fell off an Air Transat flight
Military Operators
- Belgium
- Canada
- France
- Germany
- Thailand
Specifications (A310)
References
External links
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Airbus | Airbus aircraft | International airliners 1970-1979
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