1980's

1980’s

The 1980’s was an important time for passenger aircraft. This decade pioneered glass cockpits, a new type of computer display that eliminates the need for a flight engineer. All major airlines ordered from Airbus or Boeing. Boeing introduced the narrow body 757, and the 767. Airbus came out with the A310, and the more sophisticated A320.

Boeing 757

Seeing that the 727 was becoming obsolete, Boeing designed the 757 to replace it. The narrow body jet was popular as it offered many seats for passengers. The 757 was ordered by many airlines and was known as a safe aircraft. Production was ceased in 2004 and over 1,000 757 were delivered.

Boeing 767

Boeing built the 767 as a competitor for the A310 after seeing the success of the A300. The 767 was introduced and was a popular seller. Later, Boeing discovered that the A310 wasn’t a big seller. However, the similar 767 continued and is still in production.

Airbus A310

When it was time for Airbus to create a new jet, they chose to shorten the fuselage; the A300 was too long. The A310 was introduced in 1983 and began selling well. However, orders soon dried up and the 767 was winning. When production ceased, it was almost ten years since its last delivery. The A310 was still a reliable and safe aircraft.

Airbus A320

The A320 was designed as a rival to the Boeing 737. The A320 has features like a glass cockpit that the A310 had. The A320 not only had a glass cockpit, it also had fly-by-wire technology. Fly-by-wire would not let pilots do anything it read as dangerous. This gave Airbus the advantage; Boeing didn’t starting using fly-by-wire until 1994.

McDonnell Douglas MD-80/90

After the success of the DC-9 McDonnell Douglas chose to make a larger version. The cockpit was more sophisticated than the DC-9 and the fuselage was stretched. The MD-80 series sold well and is in service today. Another variant of the DC-9, the MD-90 was built another will the 717.