MSN 10000 of the A320 Family on its maiden flight

Times are currently tough for the aviation industry. Nevertheless, or especially then, it is particularly important to celebrate milestones. Even if on a smaller scale. So it happened that the aircraft manufacturer Airbus announced something great in a short tweet on Friday. The MSN 10000 made its maiden flight, an A321neo and thus the 10,000th aircraft of the A320 family.

What a great milestone this is, can be seen immediately by looking at the numbers. In 1987, the first aircraft of the A320 family took off for Airbus. Now – 33 years later – there are already 10,000 members of this family. Interesting for aeronauts: A320 family member number one can be visited in the Aeroscopia Museum near Toulouse. Competitor Boeing with its 737 took a whole 50 years to build the 10,000th aircraft in 2018. The MSN 10000 is now soon to be put into service by Middle East Airlines.

We at WingMag congratulate Airbus on the MSN 10000, but there is also a downer in the number. Although Airbus has now produced 10,000 members of the A320 family, only 9,486 have been delivered so far. This means that around 500 aircraft are currently waiting to be put into service. Because even despite small pleasures, the effects of the corona crisis are still being felt.

Picture © Airbus – Stefan Kruijer

by Johanna Koyser