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#OnThisDay in 1972, the first Airbus A300 took off on its maiden flight. The Airbus A300 was the first wide-body airliner produced by Airbus Industries, a European aerospace manufacturing consortium formed in 1970, as well as the first two-engine widebody airliner to be introduced. The fuselage of the A300 was wide enough to seat eight across in economy, which was arranged in a two-four-two configuration with two aisles. The first-class cabin seated six across, also with two aisles, in a two-two-two arrangement. The A300 could carry as many as 260 passengers in this two-class configuration. The two engines on the A300, as compared to four-engines on the Boeing 747 and three engines on the McDonnell Douglas DC-10 and the Lockheed L-1011, amounted to a substantial reduction in fuel consumption and operating costs for airlines flying the aircraft and was one of the major reasons for the aircraft’s success. The A300 established Airbus as a major European airliner manufacturer. 📸: poster: Singapore Airlines, Airbus A300; c. 1981 Gift of the William Hough Collection 2006.010.273 https://bit.ly/3BVU4nh
This image was posted on October 28, 2024.