Airbus A320 jet history and how its became Boeing 737 rival

A Virgin America Airbus A320.Flickr/Tomas Del Coro

• The Airbus A320 is the second best selling airliner of all time behind the Boeing 737.
• Through the end of August, Airbus has sold 14,281 aircraft belonging to the A320-family compared to 14,956 orders for the Boeing 737. 
• Over the years, Airbus has expanded the A320 into a family of jets including the stretched A321 as well as the smaller A319 and A318.
• The A320 family is also known for its innovative use of fly-by-wire control systems as well as a pioneering of cockpit commonality. 

The Airbus A320 is one of the most popular airliners in the world. 

It’s also Europe’s answer to Boeing’s stalwart 737, still the best selling airliner of all time. However, the A320 is quickly catching up. 

Through the end of August, Boeing has sold a whopping 14,956 737s. The A320 and its derivatives are close behind with 14,281 orders. However, it should be noted that Boeing began selling the 737 nearly two decades before the A320’s launch in 1984.

Since then, the European jetliner has actually outpaced the venerable Boeing in sales. From 1984 to the present, the A320 has outsold the 737 by 438 planes. 

The A320’s sales prowess is not the aircraft’s only claim to fame. At the time of its debut, the narrow-body Airbus was also one of the most complex and innovative airliners ever attempted.

In an interview with Business Insider, Teal Group aviation industry analyst Richard Aboulafia called the A320 and its many technological innovations “Airbus’s greatest contribution to commercial aviation.”

The A320 helped push forward the adoption of fly-by-wire technology, side-stick controls, and cockpit commonality in commercial airliners. 

Since its first flight in 1987, the A320 family has become a short and medium-haul workhorse for airlines around the world. With the introduction of the next generation A320neo and A321neo, the aircraft can now add trans-Atlantic long-haul to its long repertoire of capabilities. 

The list prices for the A320 family of jets range from $77.4 million for the A318ceo to $129.5 million for the A321neo. The A320 lists for $101 million while the A320neo has a $110.6 million entry price. 

Here’s a look back at how the Airbus A320 came to become to the Boeing 737’s greatest foe. 

The A320 also ushered in the era of cockpit commonality for Airbus. This means Airbus intentionally designs all of its cockpits to look and feel similar in operation. Thus, making it easier for pilots to transition between different Airbus models.

REUTERS/Damir Sagolj

Cockpit commonality has certainly affected decision making on the part of Airbus customers. For instance, JetBlue founder, TAP Portugal co-owner, and long-time loyal Airbus customer David Neeleman told Business Insider in a recent interview that lower pilot training costs created by cockpit commonality is one of the reasons why TAP decided to order the A330neo.

“Airbus is really good at cockpit commonality, so when we go to train a pilot between an A320 and an A330, it’s a pretty easy step up,” Neeleman said.

Leahy was also instrumental in the Airbus A320 sales campaign.

In an interview with the Seattle Times, Leahy recounted how he got Northwest Airlines, a loyal Boeing customer, to buy Airbus in 1986.

Leahy went with a strategy called “Buy small, think big” in which he told Northwest it could order just 10 A320s but receive the bulk discount of a 100 plane order. However, Leahy also told Northwest it would reserve delivery dates for 100 planes in case it wanted more.

And if Northwest didn’t like the A320s, it’s simply stuck with 10 planes while Airbus absorbs the risk for the rest.

The strategy worked. Northwest really liked the A320.

“They didn’t just take 100, I think they got up to 145,” Leahy told the Times.