The A319 is one of the smaller members of Airbus' highly successful single aisle airliner family currently in service, and competes with Boeing's 737-300 and 737-700.
The A319 program was launched at the Paris Airshow in June 1993 on the basis of just six orders placed by ILFC late in 1992 and the predicted better prospects of the commercial airliner market, which were certainly realised. The first A319 airline order came from French carrier Air Inter (since merged into Air France), whose order for six was announced in February 1994. Since then Swissair, Air Canada, Lufthansa, Northwest, United, US Airways and British Airways are among the major customers that have ordered more than 500 A319s (all also operate or have on order A320s).