The A310 was the smallest and longest-lasting successor to the original A300, which put Airbus on the aircraft map. The two models paved the way for a real competitor of Boeing. However, after 15 years of production, Airbus has completed the A310 series, creating only larger aircraft, such as the A330 and A340, as long-lasting products.

The A310 series is a medium-sized aircraft. The A310 was the successor to the original A300. The A300 was the first ETOPS compatible in the world, being the first with two engines. It has been sold in over 800 copies, being considered a high performance option for medium-long distances.

However, for some airlines, the A300 was too big. While some operators did not have the traffic necessary to travel all seats for a flight so as to justify its capacity, others needed a larger capacity of seats. That’s how the creation of the A310 model began. Thus, the capacity of the number of seats has been reduced from 250 to 220 or even less. The decrease in the number of passengers automatically implies an increased speed, a higher efficiency.

Over time, Airbus has introduced, through its models, the concept of community. Thus, the pilots could, after only one day of training, pilot any model between the A300 and A310. Also, maintenance and spare parts fit these two models, which allowed airlines to run a common maintenance budget.

Over time, Airbus has developed 6 A310 models. The first was version 200, followed by version 300, which later became standard. In 15 years of production, the Airbus A310 has sold 225 models, but in 1998 it stopped production of this model. Why? Because, compared to the A300, the A310 had relatively low sales. From 1983 to 1993, about 20 aircraft were delivered per year. And in the late 1990s, airlines ordered more of the A330. Thus the manufacturer stopped the production of A310.

From then until today, however, things have changed. Today, airlines are looking for aircraft that are much better developed, more efficient and technologically adapted, more efficient in terms of consumption. And for this reason, so far there is no interest in restarting the production of the original A310 concept, even in an updated version.