Airbus's reliability record

The A320 is the world's fastest-selling jetliner

The loss of the Gulf Air A320 in the Gulf off Bahrain is the 12th time in 12 years that an Airbus has been involved in a major tragedy.

But with an Airbus taking off or landing every 10 seconds, the plane is considered in the aviation industry to have a good safety record.

A320: Hi-tech jet

150 seats

Single aisle

Range of up to 3,000 miles

First aircraft to fly by electronic flight control

Flown by two pilots

Flight GF072 had twin CFM 56-5 engines, made by General Electric and Snecma

The popular Airbus 320 is made by the European consortium Airbus Industrie, which says its aircraft have an overall reliability of 99%.

Since the A320 fleet began flying in 1988, they have been involved in six accidents.

The UK general manager for Gulf Air, John Evans, said the Airbus which crashed on Wednesday was just seven years old and part of a fleet of 13.

He said it was a "superb aircraft" and "the latest in state-of-the-art technology".

The aircraft had accumulated approximately 17,177 flight hours in some 13,848 flights.

Airbus disasters

Airbus facts

Airbus Industrie was set up in 1970

Airbus Industrie has had more than 3,200 firm orders for aircraft during its history

Approximately 1,600 are in service with about 140 operators world-wide.

Airbus Industrie announces 476 firm orders in 1999, increasing the market share to 55%

The last disaster involving an Airbus was in January of this year when an A310 belonging to Kenya Airways crashed off the Ivory Coast, killing 169 people. Ten people survived.

That tragedy brought to more than 1,400 the number of people who had lost their lives in Airbus disasters.

Most crashes have been attributed to human error rather than a fault with the aircraft.

Kenya Airways said after the January crash that its plane had "no technical problems of any significance", and there were no plans to ground any of its three remaining Airbuses.

Crash history

January 2000: 169 killed when A310 crashed off Ivory Coast.

February 1998: 197 killed when A300 crashed in Taiwan.

September 1997: 234 killed when A300 crashed in Indonesia.

July 1994: Seven killed when A330 crashed in Toulouse, France, when crew were testing simulated engine failure.

April 1994: 259 killed when A300 crashed in Japan.

March 1994: 75 killed when A310 crashed in Siberia.

September 1992: 167 killed when A300 crashed in Kathmandu, Nepal.

July 1992: 113 killed when A310 crashed in Kathmandu.

January 1992: 87 killed when A320 crashed in Strasbourg.

February 1990: 90 killed when A320 crashed in Bangalore.

June 1988: eight killed when A320 crashed in Habersheim.