What is the failure rate of the Airbus A320?

As of August 2023, the global A320 fleet had 99.7 percent operational reliability in the last 12 months and completed more than 167 million flights over 307 million block hours since its entry into service.



The Airbus A320 family is statistically one of the safest aircraft series in aviation history. As of 2026, the A320 "ceo" (current engine option) has a fatal accident rate of approximately 0.08 per million departures, which is exceptionally low compared to the industry average. The newer A320"neo" (new engine option) has maintained an even cleaner record with virtually zero fatal accidents attributed to mechanical failure since its introduction. While there have been 180 occurrences involving the family over several decades, the vast majority were non-fatal incidents or hull losses due to external factors like bird strikes or pilot error rather than inherent design flaws. The airframe is designed with multiple redundant fly-by-wire systems, making a total "system failure" extremely improbable. In modern aviation, the A320 is a benchmark for narrow-body reliability, facilitating millions of safe flights annually across the globe.

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As of October 2023, a total of 17,907 A320 family aircraft had been ordered and 11,134 delivered, of which 10,422 aircraft were in service with more than 340 operators. The global A320 fleet had completed more than 167 million flights over 307 million block hours since its entry into service.

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Airbus has confirmed plans to hike production rates of its popular A320 family to 75 jets per month by 2025, up from its current rate of 50 per month. The proposal comes despite the company facing warnings and pushback from some suppliers over previous plans to boost A320 production to 65 by Summer 2023.

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But if we just compare the 737 NG with the A320, this advantage is reversed, and still the A320 comes out slightly ahead. But thankfully, there are very few accidents for each type per year, so the statistical base is too low for a meaningful comparison.

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Airbus A380 It is an aviation safety-focused aircraft that has never experienced a fatal crash. It has experienced 3 accidents and all of them were about engine problems that were put under control. In spite of the accidents, it has maintained its reputation as one of the safest commercial aircrafts to travel in.

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What I do find noisy on A320 series aircraft are the brake fans. Sometimes used on taxi out, and almost always used on taxi in, they can be very very noisy.

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It was found that Boeing had more accidents than expected, while Airbus had fewer (p = 0.015). In terms of fatalities, Boeing had more than expected, with Airbus fewer (p < 0.001). Looking at accidents alone, only the number of fatalities was statistically significantly different.

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Boeing aircraft often incorporate more tactile feedback and manual controls in their cockpit systems, which appeal to pilots who prefer a traditional flying experience. Airbus planes emphasize automation and computerized systems, reducing pilot workload but offering less hands-on control.

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A320`s can actually travel just under 4000 nautical miles with no payload and the maximum fuel load on board. So crossings can be made non stop on delivery flights.

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Orders and deliveries. The A320 family, which includes the A318, A319, A320, and A321 variants, has consistently been one of the best-selling aircraft families in the world. As of September 2021, Airbus had received over 16,873 orders for the A320 family, with more than 10,798 aircraft delivered.

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The Airbus A220-500 is Coming: A320 Replacement, Boeing 737 MAX Rival. After years of contemplation following the acquisition of Bombardier's C-Series, Airbus would be finally advancing with the A220-500, a larger variant of the A220 series.

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