AIRBUS A300

Production of the A300 Airbus is truly an international effort. Aerospatiale is responsible for building the nose section, flight deck, lower center fuselage, and engine pylons. Deutsche Airbus of Germany, made up of MBB and VFW-Fokker, manufactures the forward fuselage from the flight deck to the wings, the upper center fuselage, the rear fuselage and the vertical tail. Hawker Siddeley makes the wings, while VFWFokker of the Netherlands manufactures the moving wing surfaces. CASA of Spain is responsible for the horizontal tail surfaces, landing gear doors, and the main doors. The General Electric turbofans are built under license by SNECMA and MTU. The A300B1 was the initial version powered by 49,000-lb. s.t. engines. The B2 is the first production model and the B4 is the long-range version of the wide-bodied transport. Standard all-tourist seating accommodations are for 281 passengers, and a high-density arrangement allows for 331 passengers.