This month, 40 is celebrating its first anniversary Airbus A300B2 by Air France, delivered at 10 May 1974. The Airbus A300B2 was the first widebody commercial aircraft with two engines, this being launched at a time when the industry accepted standard was with 3 or 4 engines.
The plane A300B2 it could carry up to 270 passengers, while being equipped with the latest technologies, for those times, many of them being the basis of today's modern airplanes, from the A320 family (the best-selling aircraft with a corridor in the portfolio). Airbus) and up to the giant Airbus A380.
Airbus continued to develop the family of A300 / A310 aircraft, launching models like A300B4, A310-200, A310-300, A300-600. In addition to being the first widebody two-engined model, the A300 / A310 family has been at the forefront of many advances in civil aviation, including the use of composite materials and significant steps in modernizing the cockpit.
Airbus has delivered aircraft from the A300 / A310 family to 2007, the latter being handed over to the FedEx carrier, an A300 cargo. According to statements made by Gilles Desesquelles, head of the A300 / A310 program, these aircraft could fly by the age of 30-40, with Airbus supporting the fleet of approximately 800 commercial A300 / A310 to 2050 aircraft. It is very important that the aircraft are well maintained so that they can be operated for such a long period.