A pioneer of fly-by-wire flight controls and sidesticks, the Airbus A320 family, when it was introduced into service in 1988, represented an enormous technological leap for a company that was then still a distant competitor to Boeing. Fast-forward to today, and the airplane has earned a spot as one of the best-selling airliners of all time, with production numbers approaching the 5,000 mark. Design of the A320 actually began much earlier, in 1981, and was envisioned as a modern design that would outperform the Boeing 737. Today, Airbus is a strong competitor to Boeing, producing an entire line of FBW airliners.