The A319 is a shortened, minimum-change version of the A320. Also known as the A320M-7, it is 3.73 metres (12 ft 3 in) shorter than the A320; four frames fore of the wing and three frames aft of the wing were removed. The reduced seating allows the number of emergency exits to be reduced to six. With virtually the same fuel capacity as the A320-200, and fewer passengers, the range with 124 passengers in a two-class configuration extends to 6, 650 km (3, 590 nmi), or 6, 850 km (3, 700 nmi) with the "Sharklets".[59] Four propulsion options available on the A319 are the 23, 040-pound-force (102.5 kN) V2522-A5 and 24, 800-pound-force (110 kN) V2527M-A5 from IAE, or the 22, 000-pound-force (98 kN) CFM56-5B/A and 27, 000-pound-force (120 kN) CFM56-5B7. Although identical to those of the A320, these engines are derated because of the A319's lower MTOW. The A319 was developed at the request of Steven Udvar-Hazy, the former president and CEO of ILFC according to The New York Times. The A319's launch customer, in fact, was ILFC, which had placed an order for 6 A319s by 1993. Anticipating further orders by Swissair and Alitalia, Airbus decided to launch the programme on 10 June 1993. Final assembly of the first A319 began on 23 March 1995. The direct Boeing competitor is the 737-700.
