Airbus A310 facts for kids

Quick facts for kids A310
Biman Bangladesh Airlines A310-325/ET
Role	Wide-body jet airliner
National origin	Many
Manufacturer	Airbus
First flight	3 April 1982
Introduction	April 1983 with Swissair
Status	Out of production, in service
Primary users	FedEx Express Pakistan International Air Transat Mahan Air
Produced	1983–1998
Number built	255
Developed from	Airbus A300
Variants	A310 MRTT CC-150 Polaris

The Airbus A310 is a jet airliner built by Airbus. It was first announced in July 1978. This plane was the second aircraft ever made by Airbus. The A310 is a shorter version of the Airbus A300, which was Airbus's very first airplane.

History of the A310

Why the A310 Was Created

When Airbus was designing its first plane, the Airbus A300, they looked at many different sizes. They chose the A300B, which was one of the smaller designs. After the first A300B prototypes were built, many airlines asked for a plane that could carry more passengers. Airbus then made the A300B2, which was the first type to be produced.

However, Airbus also noticed that some airlines wanted smaller planes. The A300 was too big for some routes because they didn't have enough passengers to fill it. Airbus wanted to design a smaller A300 without spending too much money. They decided the new plane should hold about 220 passengers, which was what many airlines needed.

Designing the A310

In late 1977, a company called BAe started designing the wings for the new A310 in Hatfield, UK.

At an air show in Hanover in April 1978, Airbus showed off a model of the A310. Its wing area was about 219.25 square meters. If the plane had two classes (like first class and economy), it could carry 195 passengers. If it was all economy class, it could fit 245 passengers.

Airlines quickly became interested. On March 15, Swissair decided to buy 10 A310s and had options for 10 more. They planned to use them to replace their older McDonnell Douglas DC-9 planes. Lufthansa also bought ten planes for $240 million. Soon after, Air France and Iberia placed orders too. By April 1979, Lufthansa increased its order to 25 planes. Other airlines like KLM, Martinair, Sabena, and Air Afrique also bought the A310 that year.

At first, Airbus planned two versions: the A310-100 and the A310-200. The A310-100 could fly about 2,000 nautical miles (3,700 km) with 200 passengers. The A310-200 could carry the same number of passengers but fly 1,000 nautical miles (1,850 km) farther.

Building the A310

The first A310-200 took its first flight on April 3, 1982. By then, Airbus had received orders and options for 181 aircraft. This was a much better start than their first plane, the A300. Airbus soon realized that the longer-range −200 version was much more popular than the -100. So, in 1979, Airbus decided to stop making the A310-100.

No airlines bought the A310 in the late 1990s because Airbus had started making the newer Airbus A330. Airbus stopped producing both the A300 and the A310 in July 2007. The cargo version of the A310 was replaced by the A330-200F.

The A310 was eventually replaced by the A330-200. Between 1983 and 1998, a total of 255 A310 planes were built. The A300 and A310 planes helped Airbus compete with Boeing, another big airplane maker.

A310 Design Features

The A310 was an updated version of the A300. It was even called the A300B10 at first. The main differences between the A300 and the A310 are:

• It is shorter.
• The back of the plane was redesigned.
• The wings were changed.
• It has redesigned wheels with carbon brakes.
• It has a better auxiliary power unit (a small engine that powers the plane when its main engines are off).

The Cockpit

The A310 has a modern "glass cockpit". This means it uses computer screens instead of many traditional dials and gauges. The A300-600 also has the same type of cockpit as the A310. This cockpit can even hold up to two extra seats for observers or trainers.

Different Types of Airbus A310

Two main versions of the A310 were made: the −200 and the −300. The −200 was the first one designed.

• A310-200: The first A310 of this type flew on April 3, 1982. It used Pratt & Whitney JT9D-7R4D1 engines. Swissair and Lufthansa were among the first airlines to use the −200.

• A310-200C: This version is special because it can be changed from a passenger plane to a cargo plane and back again.

• A310-200F / -300F: These are cargo (freighter) versions. They can carry about 39 tons of freight for up to 5,950 km. No A310 freighters were built from scratch. All A310 cargo planes are actually normal A310s that were changed into freighters later.

• A310-300: This version is very similar to the −200, but it can fly for much longer distances. Swissair was the first airline to use this plane in 1986.

• A310-300C: This is like the A310-200C, but it's based on the longer-range -300 version.

• A310 MRT/MRTT: Many air forces use the A310 as a transport plane (A310-300 MRT). However, some have been changed into a "Multi Role Tanker Transport" (MRTT) by EADS. These planes can refuel other planes while flying in the air. At least six of these special planes have been bought by different countries.

Who Uses the A310?

Military Users

The militaries of these countries use the A310:

•  Belgium Belgian Air Component
•  Canada Royal Canadian Air Force
•  Egypt Egyptian Air Force
•  France French Air Force
•  Germany German Air Force
•  Mongolia Mongolian Air Force
•  Jordan Royal Jordanian Air Force (used the A310 in the past)
•  Spain Spanish Air Force
•  Pakistan Pakistan Air Force
•  Thailand Royal Thai Air Force

When Airbus stopped making A310s, a total of 255 planes had been ordered and delivered to customers around the world.

Accidents Involving the A310

The A310 has been involved in ten "hull-loss" accidents. A hull-loss accident means the plane was so badly damaged it couldn't be fixed, or it was completely destroyed. Sadly, 825 people have died in these accidents.

The A310 has also been involved in ten hijackings. Five people have died during these events.

A310 Details

Related pages

Aircraft related to this one

• Airbus A300
• Airbus A330
• Airbus A340

Similar aircraft

• Boeing 767

Bibliography

• Gunston, Bill. Airbus: The Complete Story. Sparkford, Yeovil, Somerset, UK,: Haynes Publishing, 2009. ISBN 978-1-84425-585-6.
• Norris, Guy and Mark Wagner. Airbus. St. Paul, Minnesota: MBI Publishing, 1999. ISBN 0-7603-0677-X.

Images for kids

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  Air Paradise International A310-300 landing at Perth Airport (2003)

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  Air Transat A310-300 at Frankfurt Airport

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  TAROM Airbus A310-325 "Transilvania" at London Heathrow Airport

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  A Mahan Air Airbus A310-300 departing from Dusseldorf International Airport, Germany to Tehran-IKA International, Iran. (2007)

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  Czech Airlines A310-304 during boarding

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  Yemenia Airbus A310-324 at airport in Paris in 2005

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  A310 MRTT of the German Air Force

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  The Konrad Adenauer A310-304

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  Royal Canadian Air Force CC-150 Polaris leaving Ottawa Airport

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  FedEx Express A310-200F

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  Hapagfly A310-304 landing at Stuttgart Airport

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  The A310 (background) is a shrunken version of the Airbus A300 (foreground)

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  The A310-200 prototype, featuring the liveries of Swissair (left) and Lufthansa (right), the first customers.

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  Maiden flight of the Airbus A310, 3 April 1982

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  In 1988, an A310 was delivered to Interflug: the first Airbus for an Eastern-bloc airline.

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  The A310 has front and rear main doors, and a smaller emergency exit wing door over the wing.

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  2-4-2 economy cabin

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  Two-crew cockpit

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  FedEx Express A310-200F without wingtip fences

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  Air Transat A310-300 with wingtip fences

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  Airbus A310 MRTT of the German Air Force

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  Mahan Air A310

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  The first Airbus delivered in China was this A310, to China Eastern Airlines in 1985, retired in 2006 and displayed at the Beijing Civil Aviation Museum.

See also

In Spanish: Airbus A310 para niños