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"The Airbus A320 is a short-to-medium range commercial passenger aircraft manufactured by EADS (Airbus S.A.S.). First delivered in 1988, the A320 pioneered the use of digital fly-by-wire flight control systems in a commercial aircraft.
With more than 2800 built, it is the second best selling jet airliner family of all time, after the Boeing 737, its closest rival. The major users are United Airlines, Northwest Airlines, Air France, US Airways, and Air Canada.
Compared to other airliners of the same class, the A320 features a wider single-aisle cabin and larger overhead bins along with fly-by-wire technology.
In addition, the aircraft has a spacious cargo hold equipped with large doors to assist in expedient loading and unloading of goods. The A320 features a computerized on-board maintenance system. The avionics system is designed for easy upgrade without major rework.
The flight deck is equipped with EFIS with side-stick controllers. At the time of the aircraft's introduction, the behavior of the fly-by-wire system (equipped with full flight envelope protection) was a new experience for many pilots. Rigorous pilot training and modification of the fly-by-wire system has greatly reduced incidents related to the EFIS system."
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