The A320 is Airbus's best-known single-aisle jet, seating about 150 to 180 passengers. American, United, Delta, JetBlue and Allegiant all fly it, so it is the 737-800's main rival in US skies and one of the most common jets overhead.
A320 at a glance
- First flight
- 1987
- Length
- 123 ft 3 in (37.6 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
- 150–180
- Cruise speed
- ~450 kt (518 mph) / Mach 0.78
- Service ceiling
- 39,000–41,000 ft
- Range
- ~3,300 nmi
How to recognize the A320
The A320 and the 737-800 are the two jets you will see most often, and they are the same basic shape. These cues help tell them apart:
- Engines: the A320's nacelles are perfectly round at the front and sit higher off the ground. CFM56-5B versions show a cone-shaped core exhaust sticking out the back; IAE V2500 versions have a longer, smooth tube that hides the exhaust.
- Gear and stance: taller landing gear gives a perched look, and the main wheels are hidden behind doors in flight, unlike a 737's exposed tires.
- Nose: broad and rounded, with cockpit windows whose rear corner is cut at a distinctive angle.
- Wingtips: either small triangular wingtip fences above and below the tip or tall, curved sharklets on newer and retrofitted aircraft.
- Tail cone: the rear fuselage tapers to a thin vertical blade with the APU exhaust, rather than a 737's rounder cone.
- Exits: two overwing exits per side.
- Sound: many A320s produce a high-pitched howl on approach caused by fuel-vent cavities under the wing; aircraft with a small retrofitted deflector are quieter.
At cruise both make two thin contrails, so altitude views rarely settle it; that is what the type code in the live feed is for.
Where and when you'll see it
American (callsign AAL), United (UAL), Delta (DAL), JetBlue (JBU) and Allegiant (AAY) all fly the A320. It covers short and medium domestic routes, Caribbean and Mexico flights, and high-frequency shuttles in the Northeast.
It typically cruises at FL330 to FL390 and descends through 10,000 ft about 30 miles out, then flies final at 2,000 to 3,000 ft around 135 to 145 kt. On ADS-B it shows type code A320 with an airline callsign; JetBlue's are frequent over New York and Boston. Read how to identify a plane overhead for a quick checklist.
Because so many airlines fly the A320 on short routes, the same aircraft may make five or six flights a day. Flights to Caribbean and Mexican beach destinations also leave from East Coast and Texas airports in the morning and return in the afternoon, so you may see them heading south early and coming back north later.
Easily confused with
- Boeing 737-800: The 737-800 sits lower, has flat-bottomed engines and exposed main wheels in flight.
- Airbus A320neo: The A320neo has noticeably larger engines and always has sharklets.
- Airbus A321: The A321 is about 23 ft longer, with extra doors ahead of and behind the wing.
Quick facts
- The A320 was the first airliner with an all-digital fly-by-wire control system and sidesticks instead of control columns.
- US Airways Flight 1549, the 2009 'Miracle on the Hudson' ditching, was an A320.
- The A320 family has become one of the best-selling jet airliner families ever, with more than 10,000 delivered.
A320 questions
How can I tell an A320 from a 737?
Look at the engines and the gear. The A320 has round engine intakes and sits higher off the ground; the 737 crouches low and its engine intakes are flattened at the bottom.
What makes the whining sound some A320s make when landing?
Air flowing over circular fuel-vent openings under the wings creates a tone like blowing over a bottle. Many aircraft now have small vortex generators that suppress it.
Cities where it's a regular
New York City · Chicago · Houston · Miami · Phoenix · Boston · Riverside · San Francisco · Detroit · Minneapolis · Tampa · San Diego · Baltimore · St. Louis · Orlando · San Antonio · Portland · Austin · Sacramento · Las Vegas · Kansas City · Columbus · Indianapolis · Cleveland · Nashville · San Jose · Virginia Beach · Jacksonville · Providence · Raleigh · Milwaukee · Oklahoma City · Louisville · Richmond · Salt Lake City · Birmingham · Buffalo · Hartford · Tucson
Spot one live
Open the live sky tool and look for A320 in the type column, or browse the live map on airplanes.live.