The A319 is the shortened member of Airbus's A320 family, carrying about 124 to 156 passengers. American, United, Delta and Allegiant fly it on shorter and thinner domestic routes, so it appears over cities of all sizes.
A319 at a glance
- First flight
- 1995
- Length
- 111 ft (33.8 m)
- Wingspan
- 111 ft 10 in (34.1 m); 117 ft 5 in (35.8 m) with sharklets
- Engines
- 2 × CFM56-5B or IAE V2500 turbofans
- Seats
- 124–156
- Cruise speed
- ~450 kt (518 mph) / Mach 0.78
- Service ceiling
- 39,000–41,000 ft
- Range
- ~3,700 nmi
How to recognize the A319
The A319 looks like an A320 with a section of fuselage removed. Its wing and tail are full-size, so the body looks short and stocky, especially in a side view.
- Proportions: the wing root sits near the middle of a short fuselage, and there is very little cabin behind the wing.
- Exits: usually just one overwing exit per side (the A320 has two).
- Engines: fully round intakes with good ground clearance. CFM56-5B engines have a short nacelle with the hot core exhaust poking out the back; IAE V2500 engines have a long, tube-like nacelle that encloses the exhaust.
- Wingtips: small triangular wingtip fences above and below the tip, or tall curved sharklets on later-built aircraft.
- Gear: taller landing gear than a 737, so the plane looks perched rather than crouched. Main gear doors cover the wheels in flight.
- Nose and tail: a rounded, blunt nose and a tail cone that tapers into a vertical blade.
- Sound: older A320-family jets can make a distinctive whistle or howl on approach from fuel-vent openings under the wing, though many have been modified.
Against the 737-700, which is similar in size, check the engine shape and the ground clearance.
Where and when you'll see it
American (callsign AAL), United (UAL) and Delta (DAL) all fly A319s on domestic routes, often to mid-size cities or on hub-to-hub flights with lighter demand. Allegiant (AAY) flies A319s alongside A320s to leisure destinations like Las Vegas, Orlando, Phoenix-Mesa and Florida's Gulf Coast, often from smaller airports. Corporate and government versions, known as ACJ319s, occasionally appear as well.
Cruise is typically FL330 to FL390, and approach speeds are among the lowest of the family, so arrivals often seem to float on final. On ADS-B it appears as type A319 with an airline callsign. You will spot it over Charlotte, Phoenix and Washington-area airports on a regular basis.
Because the A319 carries fewer seats than an A320, airlines often use it on early-morning, late-night or off-peak flights, and on routes into smaller airports with shorter runways or lower demand.
Easily confused with
- Airbus A320: The A320 is about 12 ft longer and has two overwing exits per side.
- Boeing 737-700: The 737-700 sits lower, with flat-bottomed engine intakes and exposed main wheels.
- Airbus A220-300: The A220-300 has a slimmer fuselage, much larger windows and very large engines for its size.
Quick facts
- The A319 is about 12 ft (3.7 m) shorter than the A320, created by removing fuselage sections ahead of and behind the wing.
- Pilots qualified on the A320 can fly the A319 and A321 with minimal extra training because the cockpits are nearly identical.
- A private ACJ319 version is popular with governments and wealthy owners for long-range VIP trips.
A319 questions
Is the A319 smaller than the A320?
Yes. The A319 is about 12 ft shorter and typically seats 20 to 30 fewer passengers, though it uses the same wing, engines and cockpit.
Does Allegiant fly the A319?
Yes. Allegiant has long flown a fleet of A319s and A320s, mainly on leisure routes from smaller cities.
Cities where it's a regular
Washington, D.C. · Philadelphia · Charlotte · Pittsburgh
Spot one live
Open the live sky tool and look for A319 in the type column, or browse the live map on airplanes.live.