Airbus A310-300

193 SEATS ■ 875km/h (540mph)

Development History

The first truly European airliner project, the wide-bodied 250/280-seat Airbus A300B made its maiden flight on 28 October 1972, and entered service with Air France in May 1974. After a slow start, the order book began to fill up after the twin had proved its economic worth and operational reliability. To compete effectively with US manufacturers, Airbus built up a family of twin-jet derivatives of the A300B, each incorporating the most modem technology.

Launched in spring 1979, the 200/220-seat A310-200 (originally called A300B10), designed for short-to-medium-range routes, featured a two-crew digital or so-called ‘glass cockpit’ and an advanced wing. A long-range version, the A310-300, which incorporated an additional fuel tank in the tailplane, made its first flight on 8 July 1985 and proved to be a popular choice with airlines as ETOPS (Extended-range Twin-engine Operations), pioneered by Airbus, became commonplace.

Aeroflot’s First Western Jetliner

Although much improved over the original model, the Il-62M’s long-range nonstop capability was limited (see page 55) and Aeroflot turned to the West to solve the problem. In October 1989, it announced its intention to order five A310-300s (plus five options) and confirmed its plan on the following January 24, with deliveries between November 1991 and June 1992. Following guarantees by the Russian government to the French creditors, the first aircraft was handed over on 2 July 1992.

Following a period of crew familiarization (some pilots had already been trained in anticipa­tion of the lease arrangement), the A310 entered service with Aeroflot on 4 August 1992 on European routes. Eleven days later it flew the inaugural service from Moscow to Hong Kong.

The five Aeroflot АЗ10-308s were originally painted at Toulouse with Aeroflot’s blue-winged hammer – and-sickle logo on the forward fuselage as shown in this photo ofF-OGQR (the fourth aircraft delivered to Aeroflot). Before handover to Aeroflot, a small Russian flag was applied to the tip of the rudder, but the third aircraft (F-OGQQ Tchaikovski), illustrated in Mike Macliat’s sideview above, adopted the new double-eagle logo of Aeroflot-Russian International Airlines, (photograph: Airbus Industrie)