The A320 program, launched in March 1984 in anticipation of the airlines' fleet expansion, marked Airbus Industrie's entry into the single aisle aircraft market. 1989 marked the beginning of A321 development, an enlarged version of the A320, and in 1994 production got underway on A321-200, a modified version featuring an increased take-off weight and a longer range, which will enter service in 1997. The Airbus A319/A320/321 family (the A319 is a smaller version of the A320) has received more than 1,110 firm orders from 54 different customers. Major operators of the A321 presently include Lufthansa, Alitalia, Air Inter, Air Macau, Austrian Airlines, Swissair and TransAsia Airways.

Airbus Industrie was formed in 1970 as a multinational effort between Germany, England and France to create a high-capacity twin-jet transport (this developed into the A300). Today Airbus Industrie has become the world's second largest manufacturer of civil airliners which seat over 100 passengers. In it's first 25 years Airbus has sold over 2,100 aircraft, with more than 1400 in service worldwide. The consortium is headquartered in southwest France near the city of Toulouse and owned by Europe's four leading aerospace companies (Aerospatiale of France, Daimler-Benz Aerospace Airbus of Germany, British Aerospace, and Casa of Spain).