Editing Airbus A310 (section)

== Development ==
=== Background ===
[[File:Pan Am A300 and A310.jpg|thumb|The A310 (background) is a shrunken version of the [[Airbus A300]] (foreground)]]

On 26 September 1967, the governments of France, [[West Germany]] and the United Kingdom signed a [[memorandum of understanding]] to commence the joint development of the 300-seat [[Airbus A300]].<ref>Simons 2014, p. 38.</ref><ref>Endres 2004, p. 43.</ref><ref>Pitt and Norsworthy 2012, p. 57.</ref> The French and West Germans reached a firm agreement on 29 May 1969, after the British withdrew from the project on 10 April 1969. This collaborative effort between the two states resulted in the production of the consortium's first [[airliner]], known as the ''Airbus A300''.  The A300 was a [[wide-body aircraft|wide-body]] medium-to-long range passenger airliner; it holds the distinction of being the first [[Twinjet|twin-engine]] wide-body aircraft in the world.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/airbus-at-thirty-family-planning-124235/|title=Airbus at thirty – family planning|work=[[Flight International]]|date=2 January 2001}}</ref><ref>Senguttuvan 2006, p. 34.</ref><ref name=Tech-lead>{{Cite web|url=http://www.airbus.com/company/history/the-narrative/technology-leaders-1977-1979/|title=Technology leaders (1977–1979)|publisher=[[Airbus]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150925104335/http://www.airbus.com/company/history/the-narrative/technology-leaders-1977-1979/|archive-date=25 September 2015}}</ref><ref>Pitt and Norsworthy 2012, pp. 57, 60.</ref>  The design was relatively revolutionary for its time, and featured a number of industry firsts, making the first use of [[composite material]]s on a commercial aircraft; during 1977, the A300 became the first [[ETOPS]]-compliant aircraft, which was made possible due to its high performance and safety standards.<ref>Simons 2014, p. 40.</ref>  The A300 would be produced in a range of models, and sold relatively well to [[airline]]s across the world, eventually reaching a total of 816 delivered aircraft during its production life.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.airbus.com/store/mm_repository/pdf/att00011494/media_object_file_Historical_OD_74_07.xls|title=Airbus – Historical Orders and Deliveries|publisher=[[Airbus]] S.A.S.|date=January 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081221090847/http://www.airbus.com/store/mm_repository/pdf/att00011494/media_object_file_Historical_OD_74_07.xls|archive-date=21 December 2008|format=Microsoft Excel}}</ref>

During the development of the earlier A300, a range of different aircraft size and capacity were studied by the consortium; the resulting Airbus A300B proposal was one of the smaller options.  When the A300B1 prototypes emerged, a number of airlines issued requests for an aircraft with greater capacity, which resulted in the initial production A300B2 version.  As the A300 entered service, it became increasingly apparent that there was also a sizeable market for a smaller aircraft; some operators did not have enough traffic to justify the relatively large A300, while others wanted more frequency or lower aircraft-distance costs at the expense of higher seat-distance cost (specifically [[Swissair]] and [[Lufthansa]]).  At the same time, there was great pressure for Airbus to validate itself beyond the [[Aircraft design process|design]] and manufacture of a single airliner.  In response to these desires, Airbus explored the options for producing a smaller derivative of the A300B2.<ref>{{harvnb|Gunston|2009|p=85.}}</ref>

=== Design effort ===
{{Quote box
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| quote = "We showed the world we were not sitting on a nine-day wonder, and that we wanted to realise a family of planes… we won over customers we wouldn't otherwise have won… now we had two planes that had a great deal in common as far as systems and cockpits were concerned."
| source = Jean Roeder, chief engineer of [[Airbus]], speaking of the A310.<ref name=Tech-lead />
}}
In order to minimise the associated [[research and development]] costs for the tentative project, Airbus chose to examine several early design studies performed during the A300 programme. The company ultimately chose to prioritise its focus on one option, which became known as the ''A300B10MC'' (standing for ''M''inimum ''C''hange). As envisioned, the airliner's capacity was reduced to a maximum of 220 passengers, which was viewed at the time as being a desired capacity amongst many airlines. However, such a design would have resulted in a relatively small fuselage being mated to a comparatively large wing and oversized [[Landing gear|undercarriage]]; such an arrangement would have, amongst other things, made the aircraft consume an unnecessarily larger amount of fuel as it carried heavier weight than what was otherwise required.<ref name=Gun-86 />

Another problem for the programme was presented in the form of [[inflation]], the rate of which in the [[United Kingdom]] (one of the early members of the Airbus consortium) was around 35 per cent during 1979–80. This factor was responsible for significantly raising the program's development costs and, as a knock-on effect, increase the per-unit cost of the resulting airliner.<ref name=Gun-86>{{harvnb|Gunston|2009|p=86.}}</ref> During the development of the A300, British manufacturer [[Hawker Siddeley]] Aviation (HSA) had been appointed as the [[subcontractor]] to perform the manufacturing of the wing of the aircraft; shortly afterwards, the [[British government]] chose to withdraw from the newly formed venture during 1969. In 1977, HSA subsequently merged with three other British aircraft companies, resulting in the formation of [[British Aerospace]] (BAe).  By this point in time, the British government had publicly indicated its intentions to rejoin the Airbus programme. In May 1976, the [[French government]] entered into a series of discussions on cooperation, during which its representatives stated that the placing of an order by [[British Airways]] (BA) was a condition for the re-admission of the United Kingdom into [[Airbus]] Industrie as a full partner.<ref name=Gun-87 />

However, both BA and [[Rolls-Royce Limited|Rolls-Royce]] had not relinquished their will to collaborate with the Americans in future aircraft endeavours and, in BA's case, procure American aircraft.  During the late 1970s, BA sought to purchase two separate types of aircraft in development by American company [[Boeing]], initially known as the ''7N7'' and ''7X7'', which would develop into the [[Boeing 757|757]] and [[Boeing 767|767]], the latter of which being an intended rival to the upcoming A310, as well as the existing [[Boeing 747]]. Independent of the British government, BAe commenced its own dialogue between itself and American aircraft manufacturers Boeing and [[McDonnell Douglas]], for the purpose of assessing if BAe could participate in any of their future programmes, although the company's chairman, [[Frank Beswick, Baron Beswick|Lord Beswick]], publicly stated that the overall aim of the firm was to pursue collaboration in Europe.<ref name=Gun-87>{{harvnb|Gunston|2009|p=87.}}</ref>  At the 1978 [[Farnborough Air Show]], [[Eric Varley]], the [[Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills|British Secretary of State for Industry]], announced that BAe was to rejoin Airbus Industrie and participate as a full partner from 1 January 1979 onwards. Under the negotiated arrangement, BAe would be allocated a 20 per cent shareholding in Airbus Industrie, and would perform "a full part in the development and manufacturing of the A310".<ref name=Gunston-p89 />

From late 1977, prior to the Varley announcement, BAe had already commenced work on the design of the new wing at its facility in [[Hatfield Aerodrome|Hatfield]]. However, due to negotiations with Britain on its return to the Airbus consortium being protracted, alternative options were explored, including potentially manufacturing the wing elsewhere.<ref name=Tech-lead />  At the same time as the British efforts, French aerospace firm [[Aérospatiale]], German aircraft manufacturer [[Messerschmitt-Bölkow-Blohm]] (MBB), and Dutch-German joint venture company [[VFW-Fokker]] were also conducting their individual studies into possible options for the wing of the prospective airliner.{{Citation needed|date=October 2011}}

=== Programme launch ===
[[File:Lufthansa and Swissair A310-200.jpg|thumb|upright|The A310-200 prototype, featuring the liveries of [[Swissair]] ''(left)'' and [[Lufthansa]] ''(right)'', the first customers.<ref name=Gunston-p89 />]]

At the April 1978 [[Hanover Air Show]], Airbus exhibited a model of the proposed A310. Its wing area, at {{cvt|219.25|m2|}} was slightly larger than that studied, at {{cvt|209|m2}}; its passenger cabin was twelve frames shorter than the A300,{{efn|The fuselage is 14 frames (7.42&nbsp;m) shorter than the A300 fuselage, but the rear bulkhead was set 2 frames farther into the tailcone, so that only 12 frames of seating capacity were lost in the shortened version.}} accommodating typical passenger loads of 195 in two-class, or 245 in all-economy.<ref name=Gunston-p89 />  However, during the next twelve months, almost every aspect was further refined. On 9 June 1978, Swissair and Lufthansa developed a joint specification for the aircraft, and within a month, announced that they would place the launch orders. On 15 March, Swissair became the first airline to place a firm order for the type, announcing that it would acquire ten aircraft, with a further ten under option, to replace its [[McDonnell Douglas DC-9]]s on its major intra-European routes.  Lufthansa was quick to place a [[United States dollar|$]]240&nbsp;million ten-aircraft order; additional orders from French operator [[Air France]] and Spanish airline [[Iberia (airline)|Iberia]] shortly followed.<ref name=Gunston-p89 />

Increasingly strong interest in the tentative airliner, coupled with the recovery of the industry during the late 1970s, contributed to Airbus deciding to put the A310 into production on 7 July 1978.<ref name=Airbus_MBI1999 /> During the latter half of 1978, an order for ten A300s was placed by independent British airline [[Laker Airways]], satisfying Airbus's demand for the placing of a British order for their aircraft.<ref name=Tech-lead />  On 1 April 1979, Lufthansa decided to raise its commitment for the type to 25 aircraft, along with 25 options.  Two days later, Dutch operator [[KLM]] signed its order for ten aircraft and ten options at [[British pound|£]]238&nbsp;million.<ref name=Gunston-p89>{{harvnb|Gunston|2009|p=89.}}</ref><ref name=A310-history1 /><ref name=A310-history2 />  On 6 July 1979, Air France announced that it had raised its order from four to thirty-five airliners.{{Citation needed|date=April 2011}}  Other airlines announcing orders for the A310 during 1979 included [[Martinair]], [[Sabena]], and [[Air Afrique]].<ref name=A310-history1>Flight International 27 October 1979 edition.</ref><ref name=A310-history2>''Airclaims Jet Programs'' 1995.</ref>

Initially, a pair of distinct versions of the A310 had been planned by Airbus; the regional A310-100, and the transcontinental A310-200.  The A310-100 featured a range of {{cvt|2000|nmi}} with 200&nbsp;passengers, whilst the A310-200 possessed a higher [[MTOW]] and centre section fuel, being able to carry the same load a further {{cvt|1000|nmi}}.<ref name=Gunston-p91>{{harvnb|Gunston|2009|p=91.}}</ref>  Basic engines offered for the type included the [[General Electric CF6]]-45B2 and [[Pratt & Whitney JT9D]]-7R4.  At one point, British engine manufacturer Rolls-Royce was openly considering offering an engine for the A310, the [[Rolls-Royce RB211|Rolls-Royce RB.207]], however, it ultimately chose to discard such efforts in favour of a smaller three-spool design, the RB.211.

=== Entry into service ===
The range of the A310 exceeds that of the A300 series, with the exception of the A300-600R, which in turn surpasses that of the A310-200.  The greater range of the A310 contributed to the airliner being used extensively by operators on [[transatlantic flight|transatlantic]] routes.  The A300 and A310 introduced the concept of [[commonality]]: A300-600 and A310 pilots can cross-qualify for the other aircraft with one day of training.{{Citation needed|date=October 2011}}

Sales of the A310 continued through the early 1980s.  On 3 April 1982, the prototype A310-200 airliner conducted its [[maiden flight]]; by this point, the type had accumulated a combined orders and options for 181 aircraft, which had been placed by fifteen airlines worldwide, which was a better start than the original A300. The launch customer of A310, Swissair, became the launch operator in April 1983.<ref name=Airbus_MBI1999>{{Cite book |last1=Norris |first1=Guy and Mark Wagner |title=Airbus |location=St. Paul, Minnesota |publisher=MBI Publishing, 1999 |year= 1999|isbn=0-7603-0677-X |ref={{harvid|Norris|Wagner|1999}} |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/airbus0000norr }}</ref> Over time, it had become clear that the longer-range series −200 aircraft was the more popular of the two models on offer.  During 1979, in response to the lack of demand for the A310-100, Airbus decided to stop offering the lower gross weight model which had been originally proposed for Lufthansa; as a consequence, none of this variant were ultimately manufactured.<ref name=A310-history1 />

=== Sales and production end ===
[[File:Interflug Airbus A310-300 Manteufel.jpg|thumb|In 1988, an A310 was delivered to [[Interflug]]: the first Airbus for an Eastern-bloc airline.]]

During the early 1990s, demand for the aircraft began to slacken; there were no new A310 passenger orders placed during the late 1990s, in part due to the introduction of the newer and more advanced [[Airbus A330]] during this time.  As a result, on June 15, 1998, the last delivery of an A310 (msn. 706, reg.UK-31003) was made to [[Uzbekistan Airways]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.airfleets.net/ficheapp/plane-a310-706.htm|title=Mahan Air EP-MED (Airbus A310 – MSN 706) (Ex EY-704 UK31003 ) &#124; Airfleets aviation|accessdate=11 March 2023}}</ref>  The A310, along with its A300 stablemate, officially ceased production during July 2007, though an order from [[Iraqi Airways]] for five A310s had remained on the books until July 2008.  The remaining freighter sales were to be instead fulfilled by the new [[Airbus A330|A330-200F]] derivative.<ref name=FI-20060314>{{Cite web|url=http://www.flightglobal.com/Articles/2006/03/14/Navigation/177/205407/Airbus+aims+to+fill+freighter+void+with+A330+derivative.html|title=Airbus aims to fill freighter void with A330 derivative|work=[[Flight International]]|date=14 March 2006}}</ref>

The A310 had been commonly marketed as an introduction to wide-body operations for airlines based in [[developing country|developing countries]].  The airliner was replaced in Airbus' range by the highly successful [[Airbus A330|A330-200]], which shares its fuselage cross-section.  Between [[1983 in aviation|1983]], and the last aircraft produced in 1998, 255 A310s were delivered.<ref name=Airbus-deliveries />  The A300 and A310 established [[Competition between Airbus and Boeing|Airbus as a competitor to Boeing]], and allowed it to go ahead with the more ambitious [[Airbus A320 family|A320]], and [[Airbus A330|A330]] / [[Airbus A340|A340]] families.{{Citation needed|date=October 2011}}

{{As of|July 2017}}, thirty-seven A310s remain in commercial service; major operators are [[Air Transat]] and [[Mahan Air]] with nine aircraft each; [[Fedex Express]] (six), and seven other airlines operating thirteen aircraft between them.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.flightglobal.com/asset/18365|title=World Census 2017|work=[[FlightGlobal]]|language=en-GB|access-date=28 June 2018}}</ref>{{Update inline|date=December 2023}}

The [[Royal Canadian Air Force]] (RCAF) currently operates a fleet of five [[Airbus CC-150 Polaris]], civilian Airbus A310-300s, originally owned by [[Wardair]], and subsequently [[Canadian Airlines International]], after the airlines merged.  The aircraft were then sold to the [[Canadian government]], and have been converted for use as the primary long-distance transport aircraft as part of the Royal Canadian Air Force's fleet of [[Royal Canadian Air Force VIP aircraft]].

As of January 2025, only 33 remain in service, with 22 being [[Airbus Corporate Jets|ACJs]], 8 being in passenger service (with [[Ariana Afghan Airlines]](3), [[Iran Air]] (1), [[Iran Airtour]] (4) being the only remaining passenger operators) and 3 in cargo service ([[UPS Airlines]]).