Lioré et Olivier LeO 213
Illustrative image; it may differ from the actual aircraft.The Lioré et Olivier LeO 213 was a French twin-engined biplane airliner of the late 1920s, the production version of the LeO 21, which was itself derived from the LeO 20 night bomber. The prototype flew in August 1926 and the production series, powered by 450 hp Renault 12Ja engines, was built from 1928 onwards: thirteen aircraft in all, including the two prototypes. Air Union made them the flagships of its luxury Paris–London 'Rayon d'Or' (Golden Ray) service, with twelve passenger seats and, on some aircraft, an onboard restaurant or bar, and also flew them to Lyon, Marseille and Geneva. They passed to Air France in 1933, and in 1934 the French Air Force bought them and converted them into LeO 214 troop transports.
Specifications
Figures for the LeO 213 variant, the most representative of the family
The type first flew in 1926 (100 years ago) · About 13 units built · Production ended in 1931
Figures for the type, not for this particular aircraft: each variant and each configuration changes something. They are shown in both systems used in aviation.
The story of the type
Development
First flown in August 1929 the LéO 21 was a twin-engined biplane airliner with a fixed tailskid landing gear. It retained the basic structure of the LéO 20 night bomber but with a new wider fuselage. It had room for six passengers in a nose cabin and a further 12 passengers in the main cabin with an open cockpit for the pilot.
The second LéO 21 was fitted with two 450 hp (336 kW) Renault 12Ja engines and re-designated as a LéO 212. It was converted by the Wagons-Lits company as a dining aircraft. The first LéO 21 became an avion-bar in 1929 and was re-designated LéO 211; it was later modified in 1931 with Renault engines as the LéO 213. One aircraft was produced as the LéO 21S fitted as a 10-stretcher ambulance. The first production LéO 213 was built in 1928 and a total of eleven were built and operated by Air Union on routes from Paris to London, Lyons, Marseilles and Geneva. The LéO 213 had an increased wingspan, improved sound proofing and three baggage holds. When modified for night services they were re-designated as LéO 213N. In 1934 all the surviving LéO 213s were bought by the Armée de l'Air (French Air Force) and were converted to transports for 14-troops on bench seats and re-designated LéO 214.
Variants
Prototype powered by 2x 310 kW (420 hp) Gnome & Rhône 9Ab Jupiter engines
LeO 211
First prototype modified
Second prototype fitted with 2x 340 kW (450 hp) Renault 12Ja engines.
Production version with Renault 12Ja engines, some redesignated LéO 213N for night use.
Military conversions from LéO 213 for the Armée de l'Air.
Air ambulance, one built.
Overview and history adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA) · technical figures from the manufacturer’s published specifications and standard aviation references
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This page was last updated on October 11, 2026
APA
Vuelopedia. (2026, October 11). Lioré et Olivier LeO 213. Retrieved October 16, 2026, from https://vuelopedia.org/en/model/leo213
MLA
“Lioré et Olivier LeO 213.” Vuelopedia, Fundación Poderia, 11 Oct. 2026, vuelopedia.org/en/model/leo213. Accessed 16 Oct. 2026.
Chicago
Vuelopedia. “Lioré et Olivier LeO 213.” Fundación Poderia. Last modified October 11, 2026. https://vuelopedia.org/en/model/leo213.
Harvard
Vuelopedia (2026) Lioré et Olivier LeO 213. Available at: https://vuelopedia.org/en/model/leo213 (Accessed: 16 October 2026).
BibTeX
@misc{vuelopedia_en_model_leo213,
author = {{Vuelopedia}},
title = {{Lioré et Olivier LeO 213}},
publisher = {Fundación Poderia},
year = {2026},
date = {2026-10-11},
url = {https://vuelopedia.org/en/model/leo213},
howpublished = {\url{https://vuelopedia.org/en/model/leo213}},
urldate = {2026-10-16},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-16}
}Wikipedia
{{cite web |url=https://vuelopedia.org/en/model/leo213 |title=Lioré et Olivier LeO 213 |website=Vuelopedia |publisher=Fundación Poderia |date=2026-10-11 |access-date=2026-10-16 |language=en}}