THE A319: CHOOSING ANOTHER CAPACITY POINT
Airbus records the first A319 delivery on 25 April 1996, to Swissair. It provided a shorter family member, allowing airlines to match capacity to demand while retaining much of the shared philosophy. A larger aeroplane is not automatically a better solution if the operator cannot use its additional capacity efficiently. [183, Programme main dates; first A319 delivery]
The 1998 briefing gives the A319 a length of 33.84 metres and lists its own engine and mass combinations. It shares the family cross-section and flight-deck architecture, while mass, moment arms and available performance differ. In a simulator those differences affect the loading exercise and the aircraft response even when the preparation sequence looks familiar. [166, PDF pp. 7–8]
The technical discussion therefore starts with the selected model, engine and wingtip. Fuel capacity, loading limits and performance outputs belong to that configuration. Exit arrangements deserve the same care: an illustration of one approved real-aircraft option does not establish that every livery or simulator version uses it. Our worked A320 dataset remains a teaching case, not a substitute set of A319 figures. [147, Topic02.3; explicit A320 practice dataset]
The original-engine A320 family in Airbus’s archive: A321 at upper left, A320 at upper right and A319 in the foreground. © Airbus; original manufacturer image. No individual photographer credit is visible. [189]