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Airbus A310 family

The A310 story, from first flight to lasting reputation

The shortened Airbus widebody that gave airlines a smaller long-range twin at exactly the right moment.

Airbus A310 family is a retired airliner built by Airbus. It first flew in 1982, entered service in 1983, and went on to shape airline fleets, passenger journeys, and aviation memory.

First flight

1982

Service entry

1983

Seating band

220 to 280

Airbus A310 family is a retired airliner by Airbus, first flown in 1982 and introduced in 1983, with typical seating for 220 to 280 and range up to 5,150 nautical miles.

Its history runs through the airlines that flew it, the routes it opened, the cabin experience it offered, and the variants that changed the family's role over time.

Range band

5,150 nm

Notable operators

Lufthansa · Swissair · Air France · Pakistan International

Source stack

  • Manufacturer heritage material
  • type certificate and planning data
  • museum and preservation references

Variants

Representative variants

Manufacturer pageForum hubCompare families

A313

A310-300

A310-300 is a retired member of the Airbus A310 family, known for the extended-range branch that defined the family’s long-haul role.

Range 5,150 nm · Entry 1985

Specifications

Current public facts

Manufacturer
Airbus
Program history
Class
Airliner
Aircraft category
First flight
1982-04-03
Program history
Service entry
1983-04-01
Operator records
Current status
Retired
Fleet references
Typical seating
220 to 280
Operator and cabin references
Range band
Up to 5,150 nm
Program literature
Cruise speed
470 kt
Planning data

Archive moments

Human context

The A310 sits in memory as a transitional long-haul airplane: compact by widebody standards, but still unmistakably part of the big-aircraft experience.
Passenger memory matters here because airport routine, cabin atmosphere, and route geography are part of the aircraft story rather than side notes.

Timeline

Program milestones

  1. 1982

    First flight

    The A310 begins flight testing and establishes the public shape of the family.

  2. 1983

    Service entry

    The family enters passenger or executive service and begins building its operating footprint.

  3. Today

    Archive afterlife

    Surviving aircraft, photographs, documents, and first-hand memories keep the program visible long after regular passenger service.

Related news

Editorial context

All news
No editorial dispatches are attached to this family yet. The aircraft record is live, and newsroom or archive coverage can be layered onto it later without changing the URL.

Forum threads

Community memory

Family hub