Ever wondered about the different types of aircraft that fly in and out of Finland’s main international hub? Here are five facts about the A320, the founding member of Airbus’ single-aisle family.
1. The first Airbus A320 was rolled out of the final assembly line in Toulouse, France, in February 1987. Present at the unveiling ceremony were guests of honor such as the Prince and Princess of Wales and then French Prime Minister Jacques Chirac.
2. Its maiden flight, which took place eight days after its rollout, lasted three hours and 23 minutes. The A320 was the first airliner to fly with full digital, computer-driven fly-by-wire controls and sidestick controllers.
3. The single-aisle Airbus A320 aircraft has specialized wingtips called sharklets. These help reduce the spiral-shaped vortices that are formed at the wingtips of any aircraft during flight. Sharklets improve takeoff performance and increase payload by as much as 450 kg, allowing for more passengers to be carried.
4. This commercial passenger twin-engine jet airliner is in use by 13 airlines that fly in and out of Helsinki Airport: Aegean Airlines, Aeroflot Russian Airlines, British Airways, Air Berlin, Lufthansa, Finnair, Norwegian Air International, Scandinavian Airlines, Rossiya Airlines, Ural Airlines, TAP Portugal, Turkish Airlines and Vueling Airlines.
5. An A320 takes off or lands somewhere in the world every two seconds, with the global fleet carrying over 2.5 million passengers per day.
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