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Australian's A300s in their new generation livery. Taste is a rather individual thing though most consider that it would be difficult to better this very pleasant scheme.
In Australian Service – Airbus A300
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Airbus A300
Part Thirtyin a Series Examining the Airliners That Established CI Vil Aviation in Australia
The Airbus A300 has had a somewhat checkered operational career in Australian service. It was ordered on the basis of its suitability for TAA’s routes, its technical excellence and the expectations of market growth. In some ways it was the classic case of the right aircraft at the wrong time.
When the deliveries of this fine airliner commenced, they coincided with the onset of a severe market downturn. The A300’s passenger capacity, a market winner in more buoyant times, worked against it in the prevailing conditions of the early 1980s. However as the economy improved and loads increased, the Airbus A300 was then in a position to assert its predicted role in the TAA fleet.
The remarkable rise of Airbus lndustrie in such a short span of time in aeronautical terms has been one of most dramatic success stories in commercial aviation. It was officially formed on 18 December 1970 as a ‘Groupement interest Economiques’ to manage the development, manufacture and marketing of the A3008 twin engined large capacity short/medium range transport aircraft. The go-ahead for the A300 program was received during May 1969 and the prototype A30081 F-WUAB had its maiden flight on 28 October 1972. Apart from the prototype which was scrapped on 27 August 1974, only one other B 1 version was built. First flown on 5 February 1973 as F-WUAC, this aircraft is in service today with Trans European Airways as OO-TEF. The 81 version was powered by 49,000lb st (static thrust) General Electric CF6-50A engines, had a 162ft long fuselage, gross weight of 291,000lb and passenger accommodation for 259.
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