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Top Ten industry Changing Airliners |
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Articles
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Written by Courtney Miller
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Friday, 20 July 2007 |
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Page 7 of 11
#5 - Airbus A320
 For years, Douglas and Boeing fought for control of the commercial skies. Smaller manufacturers including Lockheed, Vickers, Fokker, and de Havilland produced their own successful aircraft, but none could rival the big two. In 1972, another of these small manufacturers emerged with the announcement of a new wide-body twinjet, the A300. Airbus enjoyed moderate success with the A300 and A310, but it wasn’t until the A320 that Airbus became a serious threat to Boeing and McDonnell-Douglas. The A320 reshaped the competitive look of the industry, with Douglas eventually becoming the casualty after the buyout by Boeing in 1997.
The catalyst for the continued success of Airbus through the A330, and A340 series, the A320 was the first serious competition to Boeing, and as a result Airbus surpassed Boeing in aircraft sales in 2003. With the A318, A319, and A321 variants, the A320 series became the most common fleet type which continued in the design of the A330 and A340 projects. This has had its affects across the industry as Boeing and other manufacturers have scrambled to match the fleet commonality Airbus has been able to provide.
The next aircraft proved that bigger isn’t always better, and challenged the traditional hub-and-spoke philosiphy.
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