A319 | |
---|---|
A Lufthansa Airbus A319 | |
Role | Narrow-body jet airliner |
National origin | Multi-national |
Manufacturer | Airbus |
First flight | 25 August 1995 |
Introduction | 1996 with Swissair |
Status | In service |
Primary users |
EasyJet American Airlines United Airlines Delta Air Lines |
Produced | 1994–present |
Number built | 1,457 as of 28 February 2017[update] |
Unit cost |
US$89.6 million
|
Developed from | Airbus A320 |
Variants | Airbus A318 |
Developed into | Airbus A320neo family |
The Airbus A319 is a member of the Airbus A320 family of short- to medium-range, narrow-body, commercial passenger twin-engine jet airliners manufactured by Airbus. The A319 carries up to 160 passengers and has a maximum range of 3,700 nmi (6,900 km; 4,300 mi). Final assembly of the aircraft takes place in Hamburg, Germany and Tianjin, China.
The A319 is a shortened-fuselage variant of the Airbus A320 and entered service in April 1996 with Swissair, around two years after the stretched Airbus A321 and eight years after the original A320. The aircraft shares a common type rating with all other Airbus A320 family variants, allowing existing A320 family pilots to fly the aircraft without the need for further training.
As of 28 February 2017, a total of 1,457 Airbus A319 aircraft have been delivered, of which 1,439 are in service. In addition, another 21 airliners are on firm order. As of 28 February 2017, EasyJet was the largest operator of the Airbus A319, operating 144 aircraft.
In December 2010, Airbus announced a new generation of the A320 family, the A320neo (new engine option). The similarly shortened fuselage A319neo variant offers new, more efficient engines, combined with airframe improvements and the addition of winglets, named Sharklets by Airbus. The aircraft will deliver fuel savings of up to 15%. The A319neo is the least popular variant of the Airbus A320neo family, with total orders for only 55 aircraft placed as of 28 February 2017, compared with 3,624 for the A320neo and 1,384 for the A321neo.
The first member of the A320 family was the A320 which was launched in March 1984 and first flew on 22 February 1987. The family was extended to include the stretched A321 (first delivered 1994), the shortened A319 (1996), and the further shortened A318 (2003). The A320 family pioneered the use of digital fly-by-wire flight control systems, as well as side stick controls, in commercial aircraft. The A319 was developed at the request of Steven Udvar-Hazy, the former president and CEO of ILFC according to The New York Times.