The Airbus A318 is the smallest member of the Airbus A320 family and the least popular model with only 80 built. Air France was the largest operator of the A318 with up to 18 planes in its fleet. However, the A318’s role as a commercial passenger jet has diminished over the years. As of this year, there are only two scheduled commercial operators of the A318—Air France and Romania’s TAROM. TAROM initially planned to retire its final A318 on October 26th but has delayed it to November 22nd.
Air France is set to become the last A318 operator in the world after TAROM’s retirement. The French carrier has been operating A318s for 21 years and currently has six A318s in its fleet. Air France’s A318s can seat up to 131 passengers in an all-economy layout or 118 in a two-class setup. The airline has not given a firm date for when it will retire its A318s, but with the expansion of its A220 fleet, the A318’s days are numbered.
In December, Air France’s A318 schedule includes over 30 short-haul European destinations from its Paris bases. Some of the top routes include Paris to Florence, Amsterdam, Toulouse, Nice, and Marseille. Other notable routes for the A318 next month include Paris-Bodrum, Paris-Oslo, Nice-London Heathrow, Paris-Barcelona, and Paris-Milan.
The A220 aircraft has proven to be a superior replacement for the A318 for Air France. The A220 can carry more passengers, fly longer distances, and operate with greater fuel efficiency. Air France began operating A220s in September 2021 and expects to have 60 of them in its fleet by the end of 2025.
While the A318’s commercial use has declined, it remains popular as an executive jet. There are currently around 20 A318s listed as active, with most flown by private operators and governments. Some notable operators of VIP A318s include the governments of Brunei, Mexico, and Saudi Arabia. British Airways previously operated A318s for an all-Business service between London City Airport and New York JFK.
As the A318 era comes to an end, Air France remains the last operator standing, continuing its operations with the aging aircraft until the A220 fleet fully takes over.