page_title: Airbus A300
section_title: Development
hierarchical_section_title: Airbus A300 / Development
caption_attribution_description: English: A newer model American Airlines Airbus A300-600 inbound to John F. Kennedy International Airport.
context_page_description: The Airbus A300 is a jet airliner which was made by Airbus. Airbus Industries launched the plane in 1972, and it was the first plane with two engines to have more than one isle between the seats. The A300 can hold 266 passengers in two classes. It can fly for a maximum of 4,070 nautical miles when it is full, but this depends on the type of A300.
  Air France was the first airline to get an A300. Air France began to use its A300s on 30 May 1974. Airbus stopped making A300s in July 2007. When Airbus stopped making A300s, it also stopped making A310s. The freighter version of the A300 has been replaced by the A330-200F.
context_section_description: In 1966, Frank Kolk, a member of American Airlines, asked for a plane to replace the Boeing 727. He wanted a plane which could hold 250 to 300 passengers, with two engines. American plane makers made planes with three engines, like the McDonnell Douglas DC-10 and the Lockheed L-1011 Tristar, because the FAA had banned planes with two engines from flying on certain routes.
  In September 1967, the British, French, and German governments agreed to begin designing the Airbus A300, which would have 300 seats.
  After this agreement, both the French and British governments were worried about the plane. The plane needed a new type of engine from Rolls-Royce, the RB207. In December 1968, the French and British companies (Sud Aviation and Hawker Siddeley) thought of a different design: the Airbus A250, which would have 250 seats. This design had its name changed to the A300B, and it did not need a new type of engine, which saved money. To get more U.S. airlines to buy the plane, American General Electric CF6-50 engines were used for the A300 instead of Rolls-Royce engines. The British government was upset and decided to stop supporting the A300. However, Hawker-Siddeley did not leave, and designed the wings for the A300.
  In 1972, the A300 flew for the first time. The first type of A300 to be made, the A300B2, began to be used by airlines in 1974. The A300B4 began to be used one year later. At first, Airbus Industrie did not sell many planes. However, by 1979, 81 aircraft were being used. It was the A320 which made Airbus the very big company that it is today.
  Parts of the A300 were made by many different companies from all over Europe. These were taken to Toulouse-Blagnac by some Aero Spacelines Super Guppy aircraft so that the parts could all be put together to make the plane. This method turned out to be much better than simply building the aircraft in one place. (Source?)
caption: An American Airlines A300B4-605R landing at John F. Kennedy International Airport, New York
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