Flights security

Airbus A320 safety record in spotlight after Russia plane crash

The plane crash in Egypt has focused attention on the safety record of the plane involved.

The Airbus A321 had just taken off from the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, on its way to St Petersburg, Russia, a route it covered regularly.

The plane is one of the A320 fleet, which includes the A318 and A319. A jet from the A320 family, of which there are about 6,200, takes off or lands every 2.5 seconds somewhere in the world

The A321 is the largest member of the A320 family. The company says the aircraft “offers airline customers the best seat-mile costs of any single-aisle aircraft and seating capacities comparable to that of a widebody jetliner”.