Airbus aircraft types

Airbus A220-100

Bombardier CS100

Short, stocky, with surprisingly big engines: the A220-100 began as the Bombardier CS100 and is getting rarer. Here is how to identify the little sister of the A220 family with confidence.

Airbus A220-300

Bombardier CS300

Slim fuselage, huge geared turbofan engines, big windows: the A220-300 began as the Bombardier CS300 and is an everyday sight at Swiss, airBaltic and Air France. Here is how to identify it.

Airbus A318

Baby Bus

Short, stocky, with a surprisingly tall tail: the A318 is the smallest member of the A320 family and has almost vanished from scheduled service. Here is how to recognize the “Baby Bus” and still find it.

Airbus A319

A319ceo

Short, compact and in airline service since 1996: the A319 is the shrunken member of the A320 family. Here is how to reliably tell it from the A318, A320 and A319neo.

Airbus A319neo

A319-100N

Short fuselage, huge neo engines, hardly any orders: the A319neo is the rarest airline member of the A320neo family. Here you learn who flies it and how to identify it reliably.

Airbus A320 (ceo)

A320ceo

The jet with which Airbus turned the short-haul market upside down: the first-generation A320 has been in service since 1988 and is still seen at almost every airport. Here is how to recognize it and its variants.

Airbus A320neo

A320-251N

The new edition of the bestseller: the A320neo combines the proven A320 airframe with a new generation of engines and can be seen at almost every major airport today.

Airbus A321 (ceo)

A321ceo

The long Airbus from Hamburg: the A321ceo is the stretched member of the A320 family and has flown with Lufthansa since 1994. Four door pairs and slim proportions give it away – here is how to spot it with confidence.

Airbus A321neo

A321LR

The long sibling of the A320neo: the A321neo is the largest jet in the family and even crosses the Atlantic as the LR and XLR. Here is how to spot it and its variants.

Airbus A321XLR

A321neo XLR

A narrowbody jet across the Atlantic: the A321XLR is the Extra Long Range version of the A321neo with a fixed rear tank. What it can do, who flies it and how to identify it.

Airbus A310

A310-200

Short, stocky, with small fences at the wingtips: the A310 was Airbus’s second widebody and long at home in Germany. Today it is a rarity – here is how to recognize and find it.

Airbus A330-200

A330

Shorter than the A330-300, with a strikingly tall vertical stabilizer and long range: the A330-200 is a long-haul classic that is slowly disappearing from Europe’s fleets. Here is how to spot it with confidence.

Airbus A330-300

A330

Long fuselage, two engines, add-on winglets: the A330-300 has been a long-haul workhorse for over 30 years. Here is how to spot it and tell it from its siblings.

Airbus A330-800neo

A330-800

The shorter sister of the A330-900 is a true rarity: only a handful of aircraft at three airlines. Here is how to recognize the A330-800neo and where you can actually see one.

Airbus A330-900neo

A330neo

Classic A330 fuselage, but with sharklets, a black cockpit mask and much larger engines: the A330-900neo is the relaunch of a long-haul classic. Here is how to recognize it reliably.

Airbus A340-200

A340

Four engines, a center landing gear and a fuselage shorter than its own wingspan: the A340-200 is the smallest and rarest A340. Only 28 were built – today the last ones show up almost only as government and VIP jets.

Airbus A340-300

A340

Four slim engines, a third landing gear leg under the fuselage and the fuselage of an A330: the A340-300 is Airbus’s classic long-haul four-engine jet – and it is vanishing from Europe’s fleets. Here is how to recognize it while you still can.

Airbus A340-500

A340

More than 18 hours nonstop from Newark to Singapore: the A340-500 was the ultra-long-haul specialist of the 2000s. Only 34 were delivered – here is how to recognize the rare four-engine jet and where the aircraft are today.

Airbus A340-600

A340

Over 75 meters long, four engines, a center gear with four wheels: the A340-600 is the longest Airbus ever built. Lufthansa says goodbye to the type in October 2026 – here is how to recognize it and where you can still find it.

Airbus A350-1000

A350 XWB

A black cockpit mask, curved wingtips and a fuselage of almost 74 meters on six-wheel main gear: the A350-1000 is the big A350. Here is how to recognize it and tell it apart from the A350-900 and the Boeing 777.

Airbus A350-900

A350 XWB

Black cockpit mask, elegantly upswept wingtips, two massive Trent XWB engines: the A350-900 is Airbus’ modern long-haul twin. Here is how to recognize it with confidence.

Airbus A380-800

A380

Two full-length passenger decks, four engines, almost 80 meters of wingspan: the A380 is the world’s largest passenger aircraft. Production has ended, but you can still see it regularly.

CASA/Airbus C-212 Aviocar

CASA C-212

Boxy fuselage, high wing, fixed landing gear and a ramp beneath the upswept tail: the Spanish C-212 is a workhorse for short runways. Here is how to recognize it and its relatives.

Airbus A300-600

A300-600R

The world’s first widebody twin lives on today mainly as a freighter: the A300-600 flies at night for DHL, FedEx and UPS. Here is how to identify it and get it in front of your lens.

Airbus A300-600F/-600RF

A300F4-600

Windowless fuselage, big door at the front left, small fences at the wingtips: the A300-600F is the workhorse of the parcel night. Here is how to tell new-build from conversion and find it in Europe.

Airbus A300-600ST Beluga (BelugaST)

BelugaST

Airbus’s first whale: for three decades the A300-600ST Beluga carried wings and fuselage sections across Europe, flew space station modules and a painting masterpiece – and is now bowing out of service.

Airbus A320P2F

A320 P2F

An A320 with no row of windows and a big cargo door at front left: the A320P2F is the converted short-haul freighter from the program run by Elbe Flugzeugwerke, ST Engineering and Airbus. Here is how to spot it.

Airbus A321P2F

A321-200P2F

The familiar A321 fuselage, but with no row of windows and a big door at front left: the A321P2F is the converted freighter replacing the aging Boeing 757F. Here is how to spot it and where to find it in Europe.

Airbus A330-200F

A330F

A windowless A330 fuselage, cargo door at front left and a striking bulge under the nose: the A330-200F is the factory-built freighter of the A330 family. Here is how to spot it and who still flies it today.

Airbus A330-200P2F and A330-300P2F

A330P2F

A widebody Airbus without windows, but also without a bulge under the nose: that is the A330P2F, the converted freighter from Elbe Flugzeugwerke in Dresden. Here is how to recognize both versions and find them at Europe’s cargo hubs.

Airbus A350F

A350 Freighter

An A350 fuselage without a row of windows, a huge cargo door behind the wing and the mask at the cockpit: the A350F is Airbus’s new widebody freighter. The first prototype has been flying since late September 2026 – here is what sets it apart.

Airbus BelugaXL (A330-743L)

Beluga XL

A hump like a whale, a painted-on grin and a cargo bay that fits two A350 wings: the BelugaXL is Airbus’ flying parts hauler – and a favorite of every spotter.

Airbus ACJ319

A319CJ

An A319 on the outside, a flying office with a bedroom on the inside: the ACJ319 is Airbus’s corporate jet with extra tanks in the cargo hold – and in service with many governments. Here is how to recognize and catch it.

Airbus ACJ320neo

ACJ320neo

An A320neo on the outside, lounge, dining room and bedroom on the inside: the ACJ320neo is Airbus’s business and VIP jet based on the best-selling narrowbody. Here is how to recognize it and tell it from the ACJ319neo and BBJ MAX.

Airbus A310 MRTT

A310 MRT

A short gray widebody Airbus, two fuel pods under the wings and a large cargo door at the front left: the A310 MRTT was a tanker, transport and flying intensive care unit for the German Air Force and the Royal Canadian Air Force. Here is how to recognize it and its history.

Airbus A330 MRTT

Multi Role Tanker Transport

A gray A330 with fuel pods under the wings and a long boom under the tail: the A330 MRTT is the most widely used tanker outside the US. Here is how to recognize it, how to tell the NATO fleet, Voyager and Phénix apart – and where to see it.

Airbus A400M Atlas

A400M

Four turboprops with scimitar-shaped eight-blade propellers, a high-mounted wing, a T-tail and a big rear ramp: the A400M is Europe’s military transport. Here is how to identify it with confidence and where to see it.

Airbus C295

CASA C-295

High wing, rear ramp, two turboprops with six-blade propellers: the C295 is Europe’s most frequently seen tactical twin-engine transport – and, as the MPA, also a maritime patrol aircraft. Here is how to recognize it.

Airbus CN235

CASA CN-235

High wing, two turboprops with four-blade propellers, upswept tail with a cargo ramp: since the 1980s the CN235 has been the workhorse of many air forces and coast guards. Here is how to recognize it and tell it from the larger C295.

Aérospatiale SA 316/319 Alouette III

Alouette III

Exposed turbine, three blades, nose wheel and a cockpit like a goldfish bowl: the Alouette III shaped mountain rescue in the Alps, served for decades in Switzerland and Austria, and lives on in the heritage of Airbus Helicopters.

Aérospatiale SA 330 Puma

Puma

Four rotor blades, open tail rotor, retractable wheeled landing gear: the SA 330 Puma first flew in 1965 and became the ancestor of the Super Puma. Here is how to recognize the classic and tell it apart from its successors.

Aérospatiale SA 341/342 Gazelle

SA 340

Pointed glass cabin, slim tail boom and, as the first helicopter ever, a fenestron in the tail: the Gazelle is a classic of the sixties that still serves in France and keeps flying as a warbird in Britain. Here is how to recognize it.

Aérospatiale/Eurocopter AS355 Écureuil 2

AS355

It looks like an Ecureuil but has two turbines: for decades, the AS355 was the police and media helicopter par excellence. Here is how to tell it from the single-engine H125.

Aerospatiale/Eurocopter AS365 Dauphin

Dauphin 2

A slender dolphin nose, a shrouded tail rotor, a retractable nose wheel: since the seventies, the Dauphin has been the classic among medium twin-engine helicopters – from the US Coast Guard to the Bundespolizei. Here is how to recognize it and its big brother, the EC155.

Airbus Helicopters H120 (EC120 Colibri)

EC120 Colibri

Small, rounded, with a shrouded tail rotor: the EC120 Colibri was Eurocopter’s entry-level turbine helicopter. Production ended in 2017, but it keeps flying. Here is how to recognize it and tell it from the H130, H135 and Gazelle.

Airbus Helicopters H125

H125

One engine, three rotor blades, open tail rotor: the H125 – known as the AS350 Écureuil or AStar – is the workhorse of the Alps and landed on Mount Everest in 2005. Here is how to recognize it.

Airbus Helicopters H130

H130

Three rotor blades, a shrouded tail rotor and a cabin like a viewing window: the H130, formerly the EC130, is the sightseeing helicopter par excellence – from the Grand Canyon to Hawaii. Here is how to spot it.

Airbus Helicopters H135

H135

Compact, twin-engine, with a shrouded tail rotor: the H135 from Donauwörth is the backbone of air rescue in Germany and Austria. Here is how to identify it and tell it apart from the larger H145.

Airbus Helicopters H145

H145

Shrouded tail rotor, a high-mounted tail boom, large clamshell doors at the rear: the H145 is Europe’s rescue and police helicopter par excellence. Here is how to identify it and its variants.

Airbus Helicopters H160

H160

Swept rotor blades, a canted Fenestron and a double horizontal stabilizer: the H160 is the most modern twin-engine helicopter from Marignane. Here is how to identify it, its operators and the military H160M Guépard.

Airbus Helicopters H175

H175

Seven tons, five rotor blades, room for up to 18 passengers: the H175 flies offshore crews across the North Sea and rescue missions in Hong Kong. Here is how to identify it and its Chinese twin, the AC352.

Airbus Helicopters H215 (AS332 Super Puma / AS532 Cougar)

Super Puma

Four rotor blades, an open tail rotor, retractable wheeled landing gear and a long, angular fuselage: the Super Puma has flown for oil companies, police and air forces since 1978. Today it is called the H215 – here is how to identify it and its variants.

Airbus Helicopters H225

H225

Eleven tons, five rotor blades, up to 28 troops: the H225 is the youngest Super Puma. First the star of the North Sea, then grounded after the 2016 Turøy accident, today mainly flying as the military Caracal. Here is how to identify it.

Airbus Helicopters Tiger

Eurocopter Tiger

Slimmer than the Apache, with a ball above the rotor or a sight on the cockpit roof: the Tiger is Europe’s own attack helicopter. Here is how to tell the UHT, HAP and HAD apart, where it flies and why its time in Germany and Australia is running out.

MBB Bo 105

Bo 105

Small, agile, twin-engine and with a hingeless rotor: the Bo 105 from Ottobrunn founded German air rescue, hunted tanks as the PAH-1 and still flies loops today. Here is how to recognize the classic.

MBB/Kawasaki BK 117

BK 117

High tail boom, big clamshell doors at the rear, open tail rotor: the German-Japanese BK 117 shaped air rescue in the 1980s and ’90s and is the ancestor of today’s H145. Here is how to recognize the classic.

NHIndustries NH90

NH90 TTH

Angular fuselage, four rotor blades, fly-by-wire: the NH90 is the standard European helicopter of the NATO era. With the German Armed Forces it flies as the TTH, Sea Lion and Sea Tiger; elsewhere it was retired early. Here is how to identify it.

Airbus A300B2

A300B

The A300B2 started Airbus’s airline story in 1974: the world’s first twin-engine widebody, built by a European consortium. Here you learn how it came about, what makes the B2 special technically and how to tell it from the B4 and the -600.

Airbus A300B4

A300B4-100

The A300B4 was the version that really got Airbus into business: more fuel, more range, and in 1978 the breakthrough in the US. Today it is a rarity, flying almost only as a freighter.