The Airbus A318 passenger airliner, the smallest of the medium-haul narrow-body aircraft in the A320 family, is on the brink of becoming a part of history. Romania’s largest national airline, TAROM, has announced the retirement of its Airbus A318 aircraft fleet.
Six of the eleven A318 aircraft in Air France’s fleet are employed for commercial passenger flights, while the remaining three are operated as business jets and government aircraft. One A318 has been out of service since 2022, another since 2023, a third was retired at the end of July this year, and the fourth is scheduled to be grounded on October 26. TAROM’s fleet consists of four A318s.
The final active A318 in the Romanian national carrier’s fleet will reach the end of its service life, as previously announced by TAROM, with the transition from the summer to the winter flight schedule at the end of October. Air France, which will soon become the sole commercial airline in the world with an A318 fleet, anticipates that the final aircraft will be retired by 2027.
It is important to mention that the Airbus A318 was first introduced at the Farnborough Airshow in 1998, and Airbus had high expectations for it. Hamburg-Finkenwerder was the site of the assembly of all A318 aircraft. The A318 has a seating capacity of up to 132 passengers and a range of up to 5,700 km in this modification. It is certified under a common type, which enables pilots of the A320 and A321 to operate it without the need for additional training.
One of its advantages is that it is the largest commercial aircraft that has been certified by the European Aviation Safety Agency for steep approach landings. This certification is essential for flights to small regional and island airports, which are specifically designed for aircraft with limited takeoff and landing capabilities. This is especially useful at places like London City Airport, which needs a steeper-than-usual 5.5-degree approach because of its short runway and other obstacles in the area.
Nevertheless, the A318 is the sole aircraft in the A320 family that did not receive the New-generation upgrade, as it did not achieve the anticipated level of popularity among consumers.
Even though it had some new features, the Airbus A318 wasn’t as popular as other A320 models for a number of reasons.
One of the main reasons was that it cost more to run. The A318 cost more per seat-mile than bigger planes in the A320 family. This made it less cost-effective for airlines to run, especially as fuel prices rose over time. This economic disadvantage was made worse by the fact that regional jets like the Embraer E-Jets and the Bombardier CRJ series were often cheaper for the areas the A318 was meant to fly.
There were many planes in the Airbus family that were better than the A318, but not always. Airlines chose the A319 and A320 more often because they were more cost-effective and flexible. These planes were often more appealing to airlines because they could carry a little more. In addition, there wasn’t as much desire for a 100-120 seat airliner as was first thought. Many airlines would rather have smaller regional jets or larger narrowbody aircraft.
There were also technical issues with the A318 that made it not very successful. It was basically a shorter A319, but it kept a lot of the structure and features of the bigger plane. This made it pretty heavy for how many people it could carry, which hurt its fuel economy. This plane had a good range for its size, but not as good of a range as some of its competitors, which meant it wasn’t as useful on some routes.
It was also a bad idea for the A318 to go into service at that time. It came out on the market in 2003, just as many companies were getting back on their feet after the downturn after 9/11. This made it hard for companies to see why they should buy a new type of plane. Over time, both Airbus and Boeing made planes that used less fuel, like the A320neo family and the 737 MAX series. This made the original A318 less appealing.
The low number of orders had an effect on the cost of making the goods. Because there wasn’t much demand, Airbus couldn’t get the same savings in terms of scale in production as other A320 family members. This could have affected the price, making it even less appealing to airlines.
Due to an absence of bookings for this model, the Airbus A318 has not been manufactured since 2013. Approximately 80 units of this series were produced over time, with one presently serving as a business jet in the fleet of the Russian airline “Northwest.”
The A220, which was developed by the Canadian company Bombardier, has since succeeded the A318. There are a few reasons why the Airbus A220 has been successful while the A318 has not. The A220 was better because it was designed specifically for the 100–150 seat market, instead of being a copy of a bigger plane like the A318. This made it possible to improve economy and aerodynamics from the very beginning. Advanced materials and technology are also used in the A220. It has more modern features and uses composites a lot. In turn, this makes the structure lighter and much more fuel-efficient than its predecessors. These choices about design directly lead to better economics for planes. The A220 uses less fuel and has lower upkeep costs per seat, which makes it a good choice for operators who want to cut costs. In terms of capacity, the A220 seems to have found the perfect balance between regional jets and bigger narrowbody aircraft, which many airlines found to be very useful for their hubs. The timing and state of the market were also very important to the success of the A220.
When it went into service, airlines were focusing more on saving fuel and making sure their fleets were the right size for each route. The plane has a very long range for its size, which lets airlines use it on longer routes that were previously covered by bigger, less fuel-efficient planes. This gives them more options for planning routes and making the best use of their fleet.
Another area where the A220 did very well was passenger comfort. It has a wider cabin, bigger windows, and other features that make the experience of flying better than on smaller planes in the same class. Focusing on passenger comfort fits well with airlines’ attempts to make their products stand out.
When Airbus bought a majority stake in the program, it got a big boost. This gave the company financial stability and market trust, which helped it get past some of the problems it had when it was first released as the Bombardier C Series. Potential buyers were even more interested in the A220 because Airbus has a world reach and support network.
More and more, the aircraft industry is caring about the environment, and the A220’s lower noise and emissions have become big selling points. More and more people are pushing carriers to be more eco-friendly, which makes the A220’s efficiency gains even more appealing. Additionally, the A220 gives companies a level of adaptability that was harder to achieve with older planes. It lets airlines go to new places that bigger planes might not be able to reach, and it’s also a good way to replace older models of smaller mainline jets.
Air France will use only six of the 22 A318 aircraft that will be in service worldwide by the end of October for commercial passenger flights.
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