Airbus Aircraft

Europe's aerospace champion and, with Boeing, one of the two dominant forces in commercial aviation, maker of the best-selling A320 family and the flagship A350.
By Ian Molyneaux
✓ Verified against manufacturer & regulator data

About Airbus

Airbus SE is a European aerospace manufacturer formed in 1970 as a consortium of European aviation firms, now one of the world's two dominant commercial aircraft makers alongside Boeing. Registered in Leiden, Netherlands, its commercial aircraft division is headquartered in Toulouse, France, with major production sites across France, Germany, Spain and the United Kingdom, alongside defence, space and helicopter divisions.

Airbus's commercial line-up is organised into model families: the regional A220, the original fly-by-wire A320 and its best-selling A320neo successor with the long-range A321XLR offshoot, and the widebody A330 and A330neo, A350 and double-deck A380. Each family is covered variant by variant: the specifications, the operators flying them, and how the models compare against their rivals.

Airbus a glance
Founded
1970
Headquarters
Toulouse, France
Registered
Leiden, Netherlands
Commercial families
A220 Family , A320 Family , A320neo Family , A321XLR Family , A330 Family , A330neo Family , A350 Family , A380 Family
Best-seller
A320neo Family
Main rival
Boeing

A320 FamilyNarrowbody
The first fly-by-wire airliner and the family that built Airbus: 8,000+ sold and still the most numerous airliner flying.
Airbus A321-200
The stretch that became the flagship: nearly 1,700 sold and the second-largest active airliner fleet in the world.
3,200
Range
185-220
Seats
Airbus A320-200
The standard-bearer of the fly-by-wire era: 4,750 ordered and the largest active fleet of any single airliner variant.
3,300
Range
150-180
Seats

A330 FamilyWidebody
The affordable widebody: 1,400+ sold since 1994, the twin that made medium-haul widebody flying the global default.
Airbus A330-200
The long-range shrink: 7,250 nautical miles that opened the thin intercontinental routes widebodies used to skip.
7,250
Range
210-250
Seats
Airbus A330-300
The original A330 and its best-seller: 500+ still flying the trunk routes of Asia and the Atlantic three decades on.
6,350
Range
250-300
Seats

A380 FamilyWidebody
The world's largest passenger airliner, a full-length double-deck widebody, now out of production but still in front-line service.
Airbus A380-800
The only production variant of the world's largest airliner.
8,000
Range
525-615
Seats

A350 FamilyWidebody
Airbus's clean-sheet carbon-composite long-haul widebody, spanning the A350-900 and the stretched A350-1000.
Airbus A350-1000
The stretched, high-capacity A350 variant.
8,900
Range
369-410
Seats
Airbus A350-900
The founding and most widely operated A350 variant.
8,500
Range
315-350
Seats

A330neo FamilyWidebody
Airbus's re-engined widebody for medium and long-haul routes, spanning the A330-800 and the volume-selling A330-900.
Airbus A330-900
The dominant, higher-capacity A330neo variant.
7,350
Range
287-310
Seats
Airbus A330-800
The rare, longer-range member of the A330neo family.
8,150
Range
257-260
Seats

A321XLR FamilyNarrowbody
The extra-long-range member of the A320neo family, a single-aisle that opens transatlantic routes to narrowbody economics.
Airbus A321XLR
The extra-long-range single-aisle, opening transatlantic routes.
4,700
Range
200-244
Seats

A320neo FamilyNarrowbody
The best-selling single-aisle family in aviation, the re-engined new engine option A320, spanning three variants from the A319neo to the A321neo.
Airbus A321neo
The largest core A320neo family variant, rival to the 737 MAX 10.
4,000
Range
200-244
Seats
Airbus A320neo
The volume seller at the heart of the A320neo family.
3,400
Range
165-194
Seats
Airbus A319neo
The smallest and rarest core A320neo family variant.
3,700
Range
140-160
Seats

A220 FamilyNarrowbody
Airbus's five-abreast regional single-aisle for the 100-160 seat market, spanning the A220-100 and the stretched A220-300.
Airbus A220-300
The larger, best-selling A220 variant.
3,400
Range
140-160
Seats
Airbus A220-100
The smaller A220 variant, built for thinner short-haul routes.
3,600
Range
120-135
Seats