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COURTESYAIRBUS74 | AUGUST 2019 FLYINGMAG.COM
It was a milestone year: 1969 marked, among other things, the effective birth of Airbus with the
launch of the A300. At that time, the mere thought of a long-haul passenger jet with only two en-
gines was anathema to many in the airline industry. Airbus engineers knew the secret to safe, ex-
tended twin-engine overwater flight lay in the development of a larger engine, the Rolls-Royce
RB207. But work soon came to a halt, and Airbus was left with no engine. The alternative turned
out to be the A300B (seen above)—a smaller version that Airbus launched 50 years ago, at the
1969 Paris Air Show. Airlines clamored for it, and engine options were ready to go. The milestone
marked the rise of a multinational aviation giant unlike the world had ever seen.
BIRTH OF A BEHEMOTH