As the first civil aircraft to introduce fly-by-wire technology, the A320 Family has set the standards ever since its entry in service. The A320 Family's cockpit “front office” shares commonality with the other Airbus fly-by-wire aircraft.
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The A320's fly-by-wire technology revolutionized air travel and allowed for the development of other aircraft models, making it the most successful aircraft family with over 11,000 deliveries and widespread use by airlines worldwide.
Ever since Airbus launched its single-aisle jetliner family with the A320, it has set the standard as the world's most comfortable short-to-medium-haul aircraft – which is just one of the many reasons why it's also the most successful aircraft of all time.
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.
It's called the PTU, or Power Transfer Unit. It's basically an extra hydraulic pump that assists the system as necessary, and also does a self-test during engine start. But, it's very loud and people don't like strange, loud noises on airplanes, so I understand how it can be disconcerting!
Therefore, the ERJ135/140/145 members of the family are among the safest airliners in history. The Airbus A340 is also one of the safest, with no fatal accidents involving any of the 380 units since its introduction in March 1993.
According to experts, the model (737-800) is considered to be the safest aircraft ever made. The 737-800 belongs to the aviation giant's next-generation aircraft which also includes 600, 700, and 900.
However, the Anglo-French Concorde with 11.36 percent fatal crashes per million departures has appeared on top of the 'least safe plane' lists. The aircraft ended operations in 2003. Boeing 707/720 with 4.28 percent per million departures has been deemed as second 'least safe planes'.
According to the requirements specified in the FAA Type Certificate Data Sheet (pertinent excerpts shown below) the B737-800 requires a minimum flightcrew of 2 - a Pilot and Copilot.
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.