Why Airbus Never Built a Trijet

My thoughts on why Airbus evaded the trijet market.

Today, Airbus is one of the most dominant aircraft manufacturers in the commercial aviation sector. They have produced a wide range of aircraft, from short-haul narrow-body aircraft to the largest passenger airliner ever made. However, Airbus never built a three-engined airliner. Why?

From the beginning, Airbus has tried to outperform the competition. For instance, the A$300$ (their first aircraft) was designed to compete with the American trijets, specifically the DC-$10$ and L-$1011$ TriStar. So, it wouldn’t look good for Airbus if they developed a trijet later on.

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Airbus A$300$


Also, creating a new aircraft that would fit three engines might not have been feasible. The A$300$ was well-designed, and Airbus instead chose to slightly improve its design in subsequent aircraft models, such as the A$330$ family.

Now, let’s fast-forward to the A$340$, Airbus’ first four-engined airliner aimed toward the ultra-long-haul market. It was only able to achieve its range through the addition of fuel tanks. So, it makes sense that Airbus decided to go with four engines - to provide the power necessary to carry the additional weight of the fuel.

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Singapore Airlines A$340$


At the end of the day, Airbus’ absence in the trijet market has worked out well for them. Airbus has never been much of a cargo aircraft manufacturer, so it’s probably better for them to develop more efficient two-engined airliners.