The Airbus A321 is a medium-range, twin-engine airliner developed by the united European concern Airbus S.A.S, whose sole shareholder today is the European Aerospace and Defense Concern (EDSA).
The Airbus A321 is part of the A320 family of narrow-body passenger aircraft designed for medium-haul airlines. This model is the “largest” in its family - the A321 is longer than the original model, the A320, by almost seven meters. This allows the aircraft to carry 24 percent more passengers. It also has a more reinforced chassis. The flight radius, when fully loaded, is the same as that of the youngest member of the family - the Airbus A318.
The A321's performance in terms of noise levels, harmful emissions and fuel consumption are almost the same as those of the entire A320 series. The aircraft is equipped with EFIS avionics and a fly-by-wire digital control system, completely identical to the A320 aircraft.
Today, the A321 version is assembled at a plant located at the small German airport of Hamburg-Finkenwerder, in contrast to the A320, which is assembled mainly in the French town of Toulouse.
The A321 development program was launched in 1989, with the main goal of competing with the American one.
The plane was not only lengthened compared to the base model. The changes also affected the engines, the power of which was increased. The aircraft's wing was reinforced and designed to withstand higher loads compared to the A320 wing.
The first version of the aircraft was designated A321-100. The first flight of this version took place on March 11, 1993. This model used IAE-V2500 engines (International Aero Engines). The version with CFM-56 engines, power 133 kN, made its first test flight in May of the same year. The flight range of this version of the airliner averaged 4,500 kilometers. The aircraft was certified in early December 1994. After which he began to join airlines. The first airlines to receive the Airbus A321 were the German Lufthansa and the Italian airline Alitalia.
In 1995, work began on the next modification of the aircraft, designated A321-200. This model has additional fuel tanks, which made it possible to expand the flight range to 5550 kilometers. The first flight of the A321-200 took place in 1996.
Airbus A321 interior
There are several options for the layout of the passenger cabin in the Airbus A321:
- The economical version can carry up to 200 passengers.
- The charter cabin layout can accommodate 220 passenger seats.
- The two-class configuration has 185 seats.
The A321 has six passenger doors and eight emergency exits located on two sides of the aircraft.
Today, the A321 aircraft is in demand among air carriers and orders for its construction continue to arrive.
The best seats on the Airbus A321 - Aeroflot
The best seats on the Airbus A321 - Ural Airlines
Airbus A321 interior diagram
Technical characteristics of the Airbus A321 aircraft.
- First flight: March 11, 1993
- Years of production: 1993 to present
- Length: 44.51 m.
- Height: 11.76 m.
- Empty weight: 48024 kg.
- Wing area: 122.60 sq. m.
- Wingspan: 34.1 m.
- Cruising speed: 845 km/h.
- Maximum speed: 895 km/h.
- Ceiling: 12500 m.
- Flight range: 4260 to 5550 km.
- Engines: 2 turbofans CFM-56B2 or IAE-V2500
- Crew: 2 people
- Number of passenger seats: 185 seats
Airbus A321 video
On October 31, 2015, a Russian aircraft Airbus A321 of Kogalymavia Airlines (Metrojet), operating flight 9268 Sharm el-Sheikh - St. Petersburg, .
On instructions from the President, the Russian government in connection with the disaster, headed by Transport Minister Maxim Sokolov. The Interstate Aviation Committee (IAC) was under the leadership of the executive director of the committee, Viktor Sorochenko.
Cairo immediately after the disaster about the opportunity to take part in the investigation of the tragedy. A special commission of investigation was created, including: Russia, Egypt, France (the state of the aircraft’s developer), Germany (the state of the airliner’s manufacturer) and Ireland (the state of registration). Ayman al-Muqaddam was appointed head of the commission to investigate the disaster.
November 1, 2015 attorney general Egypt Nabil Ahmed Sadek participation of Russian specialists in the investigation into the causes of the crash with a Russian plane in the Sinai Peninsula.
A group of investigators and criminologists of the central office of the Investigative Committee of Russia, in agreement with the competent authorities and together with representatives of the Republic of Egypt in accordance with the norms of national and international law participated in the inspection of the plane crash site in Egypt.
On November 17, 2015, the head of the FSB of the Russian Federation, Alexander Bortnikov, during a meeting in the Kremlin on the results of the investigation into the causes of the crash of the Russian plane, that as a result of the examination of personal belongings, luggage and parts of the plane that crashed in Egypt, traces were revealed explosive foreign production. He .
In turn, the Egyptian authorities urged not to rush to conclusions. Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry said that as part of a criminal investigation.
In March 2016, the International Commission of Inquiry into the crash of the Russian A321 aircraft announced that it had received an official report from the Investigative Committee of Russia and transferred it to the Egyptian Prosecutor General's Office to complete legal procedures. The commission itself, despite the transfer of the case to the investigative authorities of the country's state security, continued the technical examination of the wreckage of the airliner.
In mid-April, Egypt's Prosecutor General Nabil Sadek announced the transfer of the case of the Russian plane crash to the country's High State Security Prosecutor's Office. The decision of the head of the supervisory agency, as noted in the text of the statement, was made on the basis of data from the report of the Investigative Committee of Russia, “which indicates a suspicion of the presence of a criminal trail.”
In June, CIA Director John Brennan, speaking in the Senate of the US Congress, said that American intelligence has information about the involvement of the Egyptian group Ansar Beit al-Maqdis, which swore allegiance to the Islamic State terrorist movement banned in many countries, in the explosion on the Russian passenger plane A321. (an organization banned in the Russian Federation), and on August 4, the Egyptian Ministry of Defense announced the elimination of the leader of this terrorist group.
At the insistence of the Investigative Committee of Russia, an international commission to investigate the aviation accident. As a result of the work carried out, the fact of the influence of high-energy elements on the skin of the aircraft in the “inside-out” direction and “explosive decompression” in flight was established.
In October 2016, an investigation commission formed by the Egyptian Prosecutor General's Office sent twelve pieces of the aircraft to a scientific alloys laboratory for a detailed study.
Work to determine the causes of the crash. To date, the parties have no understanding of what happened to the plane, how the explosive device got on board the plane, or who carried it. There are also no identified suspects or their accomplices from among the airport employees.
Airbus A321 flight 9268 of Kogalymavia Airlines (Metrojet brand) crashed and disappeared from radar on the morning of Saturday, October 31. There were 224 people on board the plane - passengers, children, 7 crew members, all of them were Russians. The airliner was operating a “tourist” flight between Sharm El-Sheikh and St. Petersburg.
The latest information about the disaster can also be read on Twitter using the hashtag #KogalymAvia And #7k9268 .
The Egyptian authorities officially confirmed the plane crash and began searching for the wreckage with the army, while the Turkish aviation authorities reported that the airliner had entered their airspace. At the same time, the media previously stated that the airliner continued its flight, but the official press of Cairo states that the plane crash did occur, and the wreckage of the airliner is in Sinai.
The most eloquent illustration is the Flightradar system, which allows you to track any civilian aircraft in the world that have special transponders. According to Flightradar it is seen that the plane "descended at approximately 6,000 feet per minute (110 km/h) before the signal was lost" 23 minutes after takeoff.
The press also reports that the airliner's crew reported malfunctions; some journalists say that the PIC and co-pilot requested an emergency landing - however, this information has not yet been confirmed.
Let us note that many pilots and aviation experts, speaking about plane crashes, recalled that an engine failure (without destroying the engine or the aircraft) does not lead to the crash of airliners - they can glide even with all engines turned off to the nearest airfield (this has also happened in the history of aviation - media they remember both the emergency landing of the Tu-204 and the “Gimli glider”).
“The plane crashed in a closed military zone. Counter-terrorism operations are being carried out there,” reports VGTRK.
A state of emergency was introduced in northern Sinai in Egypt in connection with the crash of a Russian plane; the Prime Minister of Egypt, rescuers and military personnel went to the crash site.
Reuters reports that "the screams of surviving passengers may be heard at the crash site."
“The CREW OF THE CRASHED RUSSIAN AIRLINER COMPLAINED ABOUT ENGINE PROBLEMS SEVERAL TIMES A WEEK,” news agencies report.
"Egyptian emergency services began removing the bodies of those killed in the crash of the Russian A-321 on the Sinai Peninsula," reports AFP. The disaster site is cordoned off and protected from looters.
"The bodies of five children have been found; the Russian plane that crashed in Sinai has broken into two parts," AFP said.
Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed his deepest condolences to the relatives of those killed in the Kogalymavia plane crash, ordering rescuers to be sent to the scene of the tragedy.
“The total flight time of the 48-year-old commander of the plane that crashed in Egypt was 3,682 hours. Of these, Valery Nemov flew 1,100 hours as an aircraft commander,” Lifenews.ru said.
“As it became known, before flying on an A-321 type aircraft, Valery Nemov flew a TU-154. The pilot was retrained in training center AmurAir, located in Turkey,” adds the press, calling the PIC a professional pilot.
It became known that at least one of the passengers on the flight posted a photo of the plane and her husband and daughter before takeoff, writing " we're flying home ".
“According to the Egyptian side, the plane was trying to land at El-Arish airfield,” the Russian Embassy reported.
“As it became known, about a hundred bodies of passengers were pulled out from under the wreckage of a Russian airliner that crashed 100 kilometers from El-Arish in the north of the Sinai Peninsula,” reports Egypt Independet.
“Eyewitnesses say that the plane that crashed in Egypt was burning in the air,” Kommersant FM reported.
The media reported that rescuers found one of the flight recorders- black boxes.
President Vladimir Putin declared mourning on November 1 in connection with the crash of a Russian airliner in Egypt.
The bodies of all 17 children were found at the A-321 crash site in Egypt. RIA Novosti reports with reference to a civil aviation representative.
As Gazeta.Ru found out, the travel company Brisco, whose clients were flying on the crashed plane, and the Kogalymavia airline are owned by the same persons.
“Either a fire in the central/tail section, or an engine fire spreading throughout the entire nacelle with subsequent thermal destruction of the wing,” they write on a professional pilot forum.
The local Bedouin tribe Al Tayaha saw a Russian Kogalymavia airliner crash on the Sinai Peninsula. According to the nomads, the Airbus A321 burst into flames in the air, in particular, they saw one of the plane’s engines burning.
"Many died in seats wearing seat belts," Egyptian intelligence official/Reuters
The office of the owner of the Kogalymavia airline on Stoleshnikov Lane in Moscow is being searched. Employees law enforcement documents and electronic media are being confiscated from the office, media reports.
Egyptian aviation authorities do not rule out that the crash with the Russian airline Kogalymavia in Egypt was due to a terrorist attack, CBS Extra reports. “This version is unlikely, since terrorists in the region do not have appropriate weapons - anti-aircraft missile systems, because the plane was at an altitude of more than 6 thousand meters,” experts say.
“A couple of months ago, rockets were fired at Israeli territory from Sinai. In Syria and Libya, Islamists captured dozens of C125 and C200 complexes. In Yemen, firefights are taking place using Point U, and the Saudis have deployed Patriots along the entire border,” they write on social networks.
"According to a representative of the Egyptian investigation committee aviation incidents Ayman al-Mugadem, the pilot warned ground controllers that the plane had a “technical problem” and needed to land as soon as possible,” Izvestia reported.
Egyptian authorities said no one survived the Russian plane crash, Reuters reported.
Before taking off from Sharm el-Sheikh, the crashed plane underwent the necessary technical checks and no faults were identified, said the head of the Egyptian airport company Adel Mahgoub. “A technical inspection of the aircraft was carried out and its airworthiness was confirmed,” he emphasized.
The Airbus A321 is the next generation of the Airbus A320, it has a longer version. The A321 model is the largest of the entire A320 family. The Airbus A321 can carry 16 passengers in first class and 169 in economy class. The total number of passenger seats is 185.
Airbus A321 photo
Low cost operators and charter flights Flights are carried out only in economy classes, then the number of passenger seats increases to 220 seats. If you want your flight to be comfortable, it is better to familiarize yourself with the aircraft layout in advance. The layout of the Airbus 321 aircraft is presented on the Aeroflot website, which makes it easier to find the best seats before your trip.
Now it’s worth taking a closer look at the configuration of this Airbus from Aeroflot. The most popular air carrier has 30 A321 aircraft and operates regular domestic, international, and charter flights. The figure below shows a diagram of the Airbus A321 cabin to make it easier for passengers to navigate. There are business class and economy class seats.
The best seats on the A321 plane
So, go to the website of the most popular air carrier, find the section “ reference Information", then "On Board", then "Seating Layout", and then select the Airbus A321 (cabin layout) - best places Aeroflot can be clearly seen here. It’s worth taking a closer look at the best and worst seats on the plane, and we’ll explain why it’s better to take a particular seat or not.
As can be seen from the figure, the best seats are considered to be the eighth row and seats A and F in “line” 20. Rows 1-7 are provided for business class passengers, here the distance between the seats is wider and there is more aisle. However, it is better not to choose the first and seventh rows, because the first row is located close to the toilet, and the seventh is close to economy class, and there, as a rule, it is noisier than in business class.
Good, standard, bad seats on the Airbus A321
Looking at the A321 aircraft (diagram), the best seats seem to be in eighth row. The fact is that there is an emergency exit there, so there is plenty of legroom. And when you get up from these places, you will not disturb any of your neighbors. Also, these seats are located at the front of the plane, which means that food will begin to be served from your seats. The eighth row is rightfully considered a place of increased comfort.
From 9 to 17 rows there are standard places, but now row 18 differs in that there is a toilet nearby and this is not very comfortable for passengers; near you there will almost always be:
- queue to the toilet room;
- people walk often;
- may get caught if you are sitting in the outer row.
Airbus A321 interior
Passengers 19 rows there will be enough free space to put your feet, only there is a toilet nearby, which can spoil the impression during the trip. But the seats in the 20th row are distinguished by the presence of free legroom and the presence of a porthole through which you can admire the beauty of passing countries, seas, and oceans.
From 21 to 30 rows Once again, standard places follow, not particularly distinguished by anything, either on the good or the bad side. But seats C and D of the 30th row and the whole 31st are considered bad. “Line” 31 is again located near the toilet, and the backs of the seats in the last row do not recline. Food and drinks will be brought to you last; there is no way to speed up the process; you will have to wait until the flight attendants serve all the passengers sitting in front of you. Take these places only as a last resort, if you need to fly and have no other options.
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