i’ve been wondering this ever since i heard airbus is creating a double decker aircraft called a3xx. i know the 300-340 are taken but wouldn’t it suit it better to name it 350? the name 3xx (three double x) sounds much better to me, anyway can anyone plz explain y they named it the 380?
It follows Airbus’s numbering scheme. A300, A320, A340, A360…
There are also the derivitives, A318, A319 (shorter versions of the 320) and A321 (longer version of the 320).
It is similar to the method Boeing uses starting with the 707 except for the 717. 717 was originally given to a plane in the early 60’s but it was not built. It was later given to the MD90 after Boeing bought McDonnell-Douglas. And the 7E7 will not become the 787. As a longtime Boeing employee, I sure hope they decide to build the 7E7 in Washington state.
But that is just it, I cannot find the A360 model on the Airbus website. Perhaps they skipped it to avoid the obvious circular reference?
My WAG is that “360” sounds smaller than “747”. “380” sounds hmore impressive while still retaining the naming scheme.
But there’s also the A330 (200 and 300) which is one of the more popular Airbus planes.
According to my references, 717 was the model number for the tanker and transport aircraft built for the U.S. Air Force, derived from the 707 airframe. A total of 820 were built.
Mmmm, you’re right… “360” sounds smaller than “747”, but “380” sounds much bigger than “747” 
Got to admit Hammos1, I didn’t really get that either!
Care to explain, scr4, how 360<747<380 ?
I recollect reading an article stating specifically that 360 was skipped because a “three-sixty” was the aviation term for flying a complete circle. Sorry, no cite.
The 717 is an active model number. It is the Boeing model designation for the old “MD-83” since Boeing bought out MD.
http://www.boeingphotostore.com/source/PODGallery.aspx?L1=jets&L2=11821
I’m aware of that, bernse. I still think of that plane as the DC-9; wish companies wouldn’t fiddle with their numbering systems.
However, racer72 said that no 717s were built when the number was originally assigned in the 1960s. From http://www.boeing.com/commercial/707family/
Also, production was from 1956 to 1965, so it slightly predates the “early 60’s”.
I wouldn’t be surprised if it was some strange thing like the focus groups all associated 360 with 720 which is < 747.
Focus groups do strange things.
There was an article in Aviation Week when the double-decker A3xx was named. The article quoted an Airbus executive who noted that the shape of the “8” suggested the two levels within the plane. Hence, A380. (This may be at least partially why “A360” ws skipped.)
I meat having at least one digit larger than 7 or 4 made it sound impressive. But I guess it’s just me, never mind.
i found something that says they skipped 370 because the number 7 is associated with boeing, but that still doesnt explain why they had to skip 350 and 390
BTW there was also an A310 (no longer made AFAIK). So the really skipped numbers were A350, 360 and 370.
However… it looks to me like Airbus and Boeing do not maintain a strict chronological sequence. (An example being the redesignation of the MD95 as “717”, that makes it fit as a plane “lighter” than the current-generation 737 in the scale).
So I suspect they may be reserving 350 and 370 designators for other types of aircraft that may come down the road, or for other projects that just haven’t seen the light of day. (Such as a medium-range widebody to take over from the 300)
BTW, in the early 60s, before the launch of the 727 mid-range jet, Boeing put out a “clipped” version of the '07 called the 720. So that was confusing.
You’ll need to contact the PR dept of Airbus Industrie (fill in the form on www.airbus.com) or BAE SYSTEMS (sales.marketing@baesystems.com)