The Airbus A320 introduced digital fly-by-wire controls to a commercial airliner.
The A320 first flew on 22 February 1987 and entered service with Air France in 1988. Instead of connecting the pilot's controls directly to the flight-control surfaces through conventional mechanical systems, computers interpret pilot inputs and command the aircraft's control surfaces electronically.
The system also supports flight-envelope protections, helping prevent certain excessive attitudes or speeds when the aircraft is operating normally. Airbus paired this technology with a common cockpit design that became influential across later members of the A320 family.
The A320 was not the first aircraft ever to use fly-by-wire; military aircraft and experimental designs had used it earlier. Its distinction is bringing fully digital fly-by-wire control to a major commercial passenger-airliner program.