Wanderlust World Wanderlust World The Airbus A300 was the first twin-aisled, or wide-body, aircraft in the world. Instead of one aisle separating passenger seats, it has two within a larger space, allowing more people to fit aboard the plane and improving traffic flow. The A300 can carry as many as 281 passengers. Its coach cabin is configured with two seats on the left side of the plane, four seats in the middle section and two seats on the right side of the plane.
The A320 is a single-aisle, or narrow-body, plane. It has one aisle running down the middle and can carry up to 180 passengers. Its coach cabin is configured with three seats on either side of the aisle.
The Airbus A300 is 175.5 feet long and 18.5 feet wide. Its wingspan is around 147 feet. The smaller A320 measures around 123 feet in length and 12 feet in width. Its wingspan is around 111 feet.
The A300 -- and the models that it inspired, including the A300-600 and A310 -- introduced advances in aircraft technology. In a July 2007 letter to Airbus, Dr. Sven Helm listed his favorite advancements in the A300, including more efficient flight controls, improved wings, autopilots that were able to control the aircraft from climb-out to landing, advances to the braking system and the innovative use of wind shear protection, a technology that the A300 pioneered.
The A320 has continued to evolve. Airbus introduced Sharklets to the model in 2012. These upraised wingtips reduce fuel consumption by more than 3.5 per cent on long-haul flights and improve performance at take-off.
Airbus no longer produces the A300 family. The company sold more than 820 A300-family aircraft, and 650 remain in operation. Out of these, Airbus expects 200 to continue flying until 2025.
The A320 family remains in production, and 4,400 of the jetliners remain in operation across the globe. As of 2011, Airbus has orders for 2,250 more A320 models, and it is creating new models as aircraft technology advances.