Country of origin:

International Consortium

Description:

Short/medium-range commercial airliner

Power Plant:

Two 25,000 lbst CFM International CFM56-5 turbofans

Specifications:

History:

In June 1981 Airbus Industrie announced that it was developing a 150 seat short/medium-range transport with deliveries to commence in 1988. Within a few days Air France announced it had signed a preliminary contract for 25 examples of the new airliner, known as the A320, with 25 options. Development proceeded and the consortium building the aircraft, comprising Aerospatiale, Deutsche Airbus (MBB and VFW), British Aerospace and CASA, set about building prototypes and putting the aircraft into production.

The A320 was an all-new short/medium-range single-aisle twin-engine aircraft which, in the 100 series version, could seat 120 to 179 passengers, depending on the customer layout, having a flight crew of two. In addition it could carry seven LD3-46 containers or palletised cargo in the four forward and three rear freight holds.

The prototype (F-WWAI) flew for the first time on 22 February 1987 and the first 20 production aircraft were model A320-100s, with a 66-tonne maximum take-off weight, powered by General Electric/Snecma CFM56-5 turbofans, these providing a range of 3,285 km (2,041 miles) with 164 passengers. These aircraft were followed on to the production line by the A320-200 series with a 72 tonne maximum take-off weight. At this time the International Aero Engines IAE V2500 engine became available.

The A320 was the world’s first ‘fly-by-wire’ airliner. Except for the rudder, all flight control surfaces were electrically rather than mechanically signalled, this system being chosen because of the reduction in weight and maintenance, and the improvement in handling qualities. In addition, as the system was computer controlled, the flight envelope was protected, thus making it virtually impossible to exceed certain flight parameters such as G limits. The flight deck had six fully integrated EFIS colour displays and side-stick controls.

More than 2,500 examples of the A320 have been produced and the type remains in production, with orders taking it past the 4,000 mark by mid 2006, and 6,200 by early 2008. The series has seen further development into the A318, A319 and A321 series.

Both Ansett Airlines and Australian Airlines ordered the A320. At the Paris Air Show in 1985 Ansett announced it had ordered 17 examples, and later in the year Australian Airlines announced it had ordered nine. The Ansett order was for the CFM56-5 engined series to be delivered commencing in 1988. Australian Airlines examples were to have the IAE V2500 engine, and deliveries were to commence in April 1989. In the event, when Qantas took over Australian Airlines, that order was cancelled, but Ansett took delivery of the type and had 20 examples at the time it went into liquidation in 2000.

Subsequent to 2000 the Ansett aircaft on lease were returned to the lessors, whereas the aircraft owned by Ansett were placed on the market for sale. However, it took some time to sell the aircraft because of the downturn in the aviation industry following September 11 and the SARS virus. The last aircraft was not disposed of until 2003.

The twenty Ansett A320-211 aircraft were: VH-HYA (c/n 022) first registered on 12 December 1988; VH-HYB (c/n 023) first registered on 18 November 1988; VH-HYC (c/n 024); VH- HYD (c/n 025); VH-HYE (c/n 026); VH-HYF (c/n 027); VH-HYG (c/n 029); VH-HYH (c/n 030); VH-HYI (c/n 140); VH-HYJ (c/n 142); VH-HYK (c/n 157); VH-HYL (c/n 229); VH-HYN (c/n 726); VH-HYO (c/n 547); VH-HYQ (c/n 615); VH-HYR (c/n 622); VH-HYS (c/n 632); VH-HYT (c/n 662); VH-HYX (c/n 288); and VH-HYY (c/n 331).

After the demise of Ansett Airlines a lot of consideration was given to the resurrection of the airline. One of the organisations involved was TESNA which proposed that Ansett II be set up with new management and a new fleet of aircraft. In February 2002 a Memorandum of Understanding was signed by Lindsay Fox on behalf of the re-constituted airline to obtain 30 A320s and A321s with an option on a further ten. However, the new airline did not get off the ground and the last revenue earning flight of an Ansett A320 was on 5 March 2002.

In 2003 Air New Zealand announced it was obtaining 15 examples of the A320-232, the first aircraft ZK-OJA (c/n 2085 – ex FWWIN) being delivered by an Air New Zealand crew to Auckland on 21 September 2003. Subsequently it and ZK-OJB (c/n 2090) were painted in Freedom Air colours and operated with that airline. The remaining aircraft subsequently were registered in the ZK-OJ block and operated on New Zealand internal routes and to Australia’s eastern States capitals. These aircraft became ZK-OJB (c/n 2090); ZK-OJC (c/n 2112); ZK-OJD (c/n 2130); ZK-OJE (c/n 2148); ZK-OJF (c/n 2153); ZK-OJG (c/n 2173); ZK-OJH (c/n 2257); ZK-OJI (c/n 2297); ZK-OJJ (c/n 2445); ZK-OJK (c/n 2533); ZK-OJL (c/n 2500) which, on 2 May 2006, after operating a service from Coolangatta, QLD to Christchurch, NZ was withdrawn and leased to Star XL German Airlines as D-AXLA; ZK-OJM (c/n 2533); ZK-OJN (c/n 2594); and ZK-OJO (c/n 2663).

Freedom Air International, based in New Zealand, and a subsidiary of Air New Zealand, also ordered the A320-232, four being initially ordered. The registrations ZK-OJI, ZK-OJJ, ZK-OJK and ZK-OJL were allotted with the first to be delivered in November 2004. In the event, the first A320-232 ZK-OJK arrived at Auckland on 4 June 2005 and entered service on 6 June, later being replaced with ZK-OJA and ZK-OJB. It seems Freedom Air used Air New Zealand aircraft when required. In mid-2006 ZK-OJO was in the company’s colours and was painted in an overall Warner Brothers cartoon livery.

On 1 December 2003 Qantas announced it was setting up a low-cost airline called Jetstar to operate in competition with Virgin Airlines, to be based in Melbourne, VIC. An order for 23 Airbus A320 airliners was placed, these aircraft to seat 177 passengers and to be delivered by mid 2006. In the meantime the company was to commence operations from May 2004, with bookings for flights from February that year, and pending delivery of the A320s, the Qantas fleet of 14 Boeing 717s was to be used for services. Later the company set up an airline known as Jetstar Asia also equipped with A320s. In mid 2006 the Western Australian operator, Skywest Airlines, announced it was acquiring up to four A320s for some of its routes.

Jetstar was initially an all A320 equipped airline and received its last A320 in June 2006. The airline has continued to grow since that time, the network expanding with services to Hobart, TAS, Cairns, QLD and all major ports along the east coast of Australia, as well as to Adelaide, SA, Perth, WA and Darwin, NT. The airline commenced international services in December 2005, operating across the Tasman Sea to Christchurch. Major maintenance base for the airline has been at Newcastle.

The initial Jetstar fleet of 2twenty-four A320-232s comprised: VH-JQG (c/n 2169); VH-JQL (c/n 2185); VH-JQX (c/n 2197); VH-VQA (c/n 2604); VH-VQG (c/n 2787); VH-VQH (c/n 2766); VH-VQI (c/n 2717); VH-VQJ (c/n 2703); VH-VQK (c/n 2651); VH-VQL (c/n 2642); VH-VQM (c/n 2608); VH-VQN (c/n 2600); VH-VQO (c/n 2587); VH-VQP (c/n 2573); VH-VQQ (c/n 2537); VH-VQR (c/n 2526); VH-VQS (c/n 2515); VH-VQT (c/n 2475); VH-VQU (c/n 2455); VH-VQV (c/n 2338); VH-VQW (c/n 2329); VH-VQX (c/n 2322); VH-VQY (c/n 2299) and VH-VQZ (c/n 2292).

In March 2007 Jetstar announced it had ordered a further nine A320s with deliveries to commence from late 2007. In  later years Jetstar further increased its fleet, replacing older models with newer aircraft as the leases expired.

In 2007 a new operator announced it would be commencing services in Australia with the Airbus A320, this being Tiger Airways Australia, commencing operations with an A320-232 VH-VNC (c/n 3275 – ex F-WWDE) on 23 November 2007, services operating from Melbourne. Later the airline received further aircraft, all registered in the VH-VN block, including VH-VND, VH-VNF etc. In late 2017 Tigerair Australia, as it had become, celebrated its 10th anniversary, its fleet by then having extended from five A320s to 14 and three Boeing 737-800s.

Strategic Airways, a Brisbane-based company, has also operated the A320. This company commenced serving as a budget carrier on leisure routes but in late 2011 re-launched as Air Australia, serving selected domestic routes and tourist destinations such as Hawaii, Bali and Thailand. It was granted access to China and the United States and commenced operations with A320 VH-YQC. The company was founded in 1991 and provided wet-leased aircraft to operators in Europe and Asia. One arm of the company had contracts to ferry Australian troops and equipment to the Middle East. It launched in 2009 as a full service carrier.

In 2009 Air New Zealand ordered a further 14 examples of the A320, these aircraft to be fitted with “Sharklet” winglets. The first of these was leased from Air Lease Corporation, becoming ZK-OXA, painted in an all-black “Crazy about Rugby” colour scheme. These winglets were 2.4 m (7 ft 8 in) high and were “weight neutral” as the wing box strengthening for them, which weighed 200 kg (441 lb), had been offset by ongoing weight saving work. The first aircraft ZK-OXA was handed over on 17 June 2013 at the Paris Air Show, the second ZK-OXB being delivered in July.  When the final aircraft of the order was delivered in 2015, Air New Zealand’s fleet totalled 27 aircraft.  Since then the fleets have regularly changed with all the major operators, aircraft on lease being returned and newer aircraft entering service.

Two A320s were added to the fleet of Regional Aviation Group in early 2011 to meet the requirements of resource companies, both aircraft being based in Port Moresby, NG. Over the years the A320 and Boeing 737 have been operated in large numbers in Australia by Jetstar, Qantas, Virgin and Tigerair Australia and have been the major aircraft operated on the domestic market.

The A320 series has continued to be developed and the Australian companies operating the type roll over their aircraft and receive newer build aircraft. The Australian operators have commenced to order the A320neo, with Qantas ordering 99 new aircraft with LEAP-1A engines with deliveries commencing in late 2017, the new model being said to offer a promise of a 14 per cent better fuel burn over the current generation A320ceo (current engine option) models.