The First Steps

In 1965 the governments of the UK and France discussed a large short-haul jet for BEA and Air France (with Hawker Siddeley, Breguet and Nord designing the HBN.100 to meet the requirement), while a German group called ARGE Airbus studied a similar project for Lufthansa. On September 26, 1967 a Memorandum of Understanding was signed which created a Groupement d'Interèt Economique (later called Airbus Industries), to build the A300. It was understood that the three national airlines (BEA, Air France and Lufthansa) would each order 75 aircraft. Sud (later Aérospatiale) took design leadership and assumed responsibility for the nose and centre section and for assembly and test, Hawker Siddeley for the wings, ARGE Airbus for the fuselage, and Rolls-Royce for the 222kN (50,000lb) thrust RB.207 engines.

The wings were highly efficient with a modest sweep of 28º, but the fuselage diameter of 6.4m (21ft) seemed excessive. Airline interest was minimal, Rolls-Royce decided US trijets were far more important to it's future and never built the RB.207, and in March 1969 the British Government pulled out. With enormous courage, Hawker Siddeley itself funded the wings, with slats, double-slotted and both low-speed and high-speed ailerons plus spoilers as a private venture.

In 1969, the new programme was launched at the Paris Air show. The projected aircraft would carry 226 passengers in a comfortable, two class layout.

With the 20/20 vision of hindsight it is easy to say, "That was obvious." But at the time the men behind the consortium were visionaries: Henri Ziegler, President of Sud-Aviation, Roger Beteille, Technical Manager of the Airbus programme at Sud-Aviation, Franz-Joseph Strauss, Bavarian Prime Minister and President of Deutsche Airbus and Felix Kracht, Senior VP of sales and production of Deutsche Airbus. All took enormous risks. For many, it was Roger Beteille who was the key. Again, his decisions appear simple today; he scaled down the fuselage diameter to 5.64m (18ft 6in) and raised the cabin floor slightly. It was the configuration that airlines wanted; he knew because he listened to their needs.

Other equally practical and far-reaching decisions were taken in the early days. The first was to assign the founding partners with specific production and sub-assembly responsibilities which cut out any duplication of effort. Another decision that has benefited the group over the years was to use the initial consortium as the centre of co-ordination and the single point of contact for both clients and certification authorities.

The Airbus A300B2

Eventually the aircraft ultimately ending up being produced was the A300B2 the A300B1 of which only two were built featured a shorter fuselage. The A300B1 could seat 252 passengers and was powered by two 217kN (49,000lb) General Electric CF6-50A engines. First flight of the A300B1 prototype took place on October 28, 1972. The second example flew later the same year (it served with Trans European and Air Algerie) with a 51m (167ft 2½in) long fuselage. Two A300B2 followed, with 226kN (51,000lb) CF6-50C engines, a fuselage stretched to 53,6m (175ft 9½in) and maximum weight increased from 132t (219,000lb) to 142t (313,000lb). The range increased from 2,200km (1,187nm) to 3,335km (1,800nm).

Despite the obvious superiority of this wide-body over narrow-body aircraft with less efficient engines, sales were extremely depressing (in 1976 only one aircraft were sold). In 1975 South African had bought a version called B2K (later A300B2-200) with wing root Krüger flaps to assist operation from 'hot and high' airfields. Production of the B2 reached 57 aircraft plus the two B1s.