Airbus A320 commercial operations commenced during late March with Air France and British Airways placing the type into service within days of each other. BA inherited the order originally placed by British Caledonian and will use the aircraft on its European services in a two-class 152-seat configuration. BA will receive 4 A320s this year, 3 more in 1989 and a further 3 in 1990. The BCal purchase provides Airbus Industrie with an ironic 'back door' entry to BA's inventory with the prospect of substantial additional Al orders for a number of future Airbus products. Total A320 orders and commitments are approaching 500 units at time of entry to service effectively making the A320 the most sought-after airliner in commercial aviation history.

Newsdesk – Commercial Aviation

Shorts Prepare to Shake Up the Commuter Market With New Fanjet:

Shorts have announced their intention to develop an all-new fanjet optimised specifically for the regional commuter market.

The new jet, designated FJX (Fanjet Experi- mental) will compete directly with the plethora of turboprops in the growing 36/50 seat market. Typical seating will allow accommodation for 44 passengers in a four abreast cabin at 32in pitch with full galley, stowage and toilet facilities. The FJX will be able to fly a 1,000nm mission at max takeoff weight or alternatively operate four 150nm sectors without refuelling. Balanced field length at ISA +15 is 5,640ft at max takeoff weight while landing requirement is 4,450ft under similar conditions. The FJX will offer a high speed cruise at 36,000ft of 428kts and a long-range cruise of 395kts at 40,000ft. In all cases, Shorts claim that the new fanjet will be around 50% faster than a rival turboprop. will offer 33% more route miles per day, 28% more sectors and 20% more cruise seat miles per flight hour.

This content is available exclusively to Australian Aviation members.
Login
Become a Member
To continue reading the rest of this article, please login.

or

To unlock all Australian Aviation magazine content and again unlimited access to our daily news and features, become a member today!
A monthly membership is only $5.99 or save with our annual plans.
PRINT
$49.95 for 1 year Become a Member
See benefits
  • Australian Aviation quarterly print & digital magazines
  • Access to In Focus reports every month on our website
PRINT + DIGITAL
$99.95 for 1 year Become a Member
$179.95 for 2 years Become a Member
See benefits
  • Unlimited access to all Australian Aviation digital content
  • Access to the Australian Aviation app
  • Australian Aviation quarterly print & digital magazines
  • Access to In Focus reports every month on our website
  • Access to our Behind the Lens photo galleries and other exclusive content
  • Daily news updates via our email bulletin
DIGITAL
$5.99 Monthly Become a Member
$59.95 Annual Become a Member
See benefits
  • Unlimited access to all Australian Aviation digital content
  • Access to the Australian Aviation app
  • Australian Aviation quarterly print & digital magazines
  • Access to In Focus reports every month on our website
  • Access to our Behind the Lens photo galleries and other exclusive content
  • Daily news updates via our email bulletin
You need to be a member to post comments. Become a member today!
Momentum Media Logo
Most Innovative Company
Copyright © 2007-2025 MOMENTUMMEDIA