Airbus A320-200

The Airbus A320-200 is the aircraft that defined modern short-haul flying: the standard-length member of the first fly-by-wire family, in service since 1988, with around 4,750 ordered and more than 3,100 still carrying scheduled passengers, the largest active fleet of any single airliner variant in the world. Its 150-to-180-seat cabin and transcontinental range set the template the A320neo and 737 MAX still compete to fill.

The type's operator list reads like a map of the industry it created: LATAM and China Eastern fly the biggest fleets, JetBlue built its brand on it, and Vueling and easyJet turned it into the backbone of European low-cost flying, proof that the same airframe works for full-service majors and budget carriers alike. As A320neos replace them on the line, ceo airframes cascade into second lives with leasing companies and cargo conversions.