The Airbus A320 family is one of the most common aircraft types currently in service. With more than 11,000 aircraft in operation, the narrow-body aircraft series is widely regarded as a commercial success. However, of the four variants in the series, one did not earn fame as much as its siblings. In fact, only 80 were built due to its low demand.
The A320 Family
The Airbus A320 family is a series of four narrowbody jets designed and manufactured by Airbus. The Airbus A320 was introduced on 18 April 1988, with Air France as the launch customer. Since then, multiple variants of the Airbus A320 have been launched. The longer A321 was introduced to service on 27 January 1994, while the shorter A319 was introduced in 1996. In 2003, an even shorter version of the A320 — shorter than the already-shortened A319 — was unveiled: the Airbus A318.
| Model | A318 | A319 | A320 | A321 |
| Passengers (Typical Layout) | 107 | 124 | 150 | 185 |
| Passengers (Maximum) | 132 | 156 | 186 | 230 |
| Length | 103ft 2 in | 111 ft 0 in | 123ft 3 in | 146ft 0in |
| Range | 3,600 mi | 4,320 mi | 3,860 mi | 3,700 mi |
| Avg. Max. Takeoff Weight (MTOW) | 68 tons | 75.5 tons | 78 tons | 93.5 ton |
Airbus A318: A Project Gone Wrong
In May 1997, Aviation Industries of China (AVIC), Singapore Technologies Aerospace (STAe), Airbus, and Alenia wanted to produce a new, smaller-sized aircraft with a seating capacity of 105-125 passengers and 2,300 miles (3,700 kilometers) of range. However, AVIC wanted a larger aircraft, while airlines wanted a smaller 70-80 passenger aircraft. As negotiations fell through, STAe withdrew from the project following questions regarding whether the deal was worthwhile. Just two months later, in July 1997, the program was cancelled. However, despite the lack of support from the AVIC and STAe firms, Airbus decided to continue the project on its own. This aircraft eventually became the Airbus A318.
However, Airbus faced many challenges during the development of the A318.
Following the September 11 attacks, the aviation industry came to a near standstill. The demand for short- and medium-haul air travel was at an all-time low, and airlines did not have the resources to purchase new aircraft. Thus, a combination of bad timing and lack of funding resulted in very little interest by airlines in this new aircraft.
Unfortunately, the situation only worsened when Airbus discovered that the Pratt & Whitney PW6000 — the only engine option available at the time — was not as efficient as expected. In theory, the engine was designed with minimum complexity to reduce maintenance costs while saving weight and fuel. These decreased long-term costs were expected to be a primary selling point for the aircraft. However, in reality, the fuel burn performance was not as expected, and many customers subsequently changed their orders to the larger A319, or simply canceled. By the time an alternative engine, the CFM56, was available for the A318, there were few customers still interested.
Airbus also found challenges with the certification and rollout of the aircraft itself. The A318 was developed to be smaller in order to operate on shorter routes, with Airbus initially trying to market the aircraft as a regional jet alternative. However, laws in the U.S. and Europe did not classify the A318 as a regional jet, which meant that the A318 would not be able to benefit from the lower landing fees and facility fees of regional jets.
Another major issue with the A318 was its incompatibility with Unit Load Devices (ULDs), the standardized containers used to efficiently load cargo into an aircraft's cargo hold. ULDs streamline ground handling by eliminating the need for ground crews to manually enter the cargo hold. While the A319, A320, and A321 can all accommodate ULDs, the A318 cannot. Thus, cargo operations for the A318 are more labor-intensive and time-consuming, creating inefficiencies during ground handling and quick airport turnarounds.
The A318's Short-Lived Successes
Despite initial controversy, the A318 entered service with Frontier Airlines in 2003. The airline had intended to use the A318 as an alternative to its aging regional jet fleet. However, the A318 proved to be an uneconomical choice. Although smaller, it required the same number of crew members as the larger A319, undermining its cost-effectiveness.
Frontier began phasing out the A318 shortly after receiving its final unit, N812FR, in June 2007. The retirement process began in August 2009 with N808FR — which was a mere 2.5 years old at the time — and continued until the last A318, N803FR, was withdrawn in August 2013. All former Frontier Airlines A318s were scrapped soon after retirement, including N808FR, which became one of the youngest aircraft ever retired by the airline. These aircraft were replaced with newer A319, A320, and A321s, which comprise the entirety of Frontier's 164-frame fleet today.
In 2006, the aircraft was certified for steep-angle approach at London City Airport (LCY), making it the largest commercial airliner to be able to operate scheduled flights to the airport at the time. This certification led to British Airways's purchase of two Airbus A318s, which they began flying to New York City in 2009. This unique transatlantic service — called "Club World London City" — lasted until March 2020, when the service was discontinued due to the COVID-19 pandemic. By 2021, both A318s had been scrapped. These were the last two commercial Airbus A318s to be delivered new to an airline.
The Steep-Angle Approach
A steep-angle approach is when an aircraft descends toward a runway at a sharper angle than usual. For reference, while standard aircraft generally approach runways at a 3° angle, aircraft following LCY's steep-angle approach use a 5.5° angle.
This steep-angle approach is important for aircraft servicing London City specifically, as it reduces noise pollution, considering the airport’s proximity to Central London. Other reasons for such certification include mountainous terrain near the airport, such as at Toncontin International Airport, which is surrounded by mountains and has elevated terrain immediately in front of the runway threshold.
British Airways' Unique Club World London City Service
Not only was British Airways unique in its operation of an A318 transatlantic service, but it also operated the aircraft with an all-business-class cabin.
British Airways' Club World London City flew daily between London City (LCY) and New York-JFK (JFK). Because of LCY's short runway, the aircraft could not be fully loaded with fuel, so the westbound leg had to make a stop at Shannon Airport in Ireland (SNN). During this refueling stop, passengers would deplane and clear customs at the U.S. Pre-Clearance facility before completing the trip. This preclearance option appealed to many business travelers, as completing customs in Shannon meant that they could bypass the long lines at JFK. Additionally, the departure from a smaller airport in London meant that passengers could check bags up to 20 minutes prior to departure, considerably more convenient than London's Heathrow and Gatwick airports, which required passengers to check bags at least 60 minutes before departure. On the east-bound return segment from JFK to LCY, the A318 could be fully fueled, enabling it to complete the flight non-stop.
In 2012, the United States changed the operating hours of its pre-clearance facility in Shannon, forcing British Airways to reduce the twice-daily service to once daily. Thus, there was no need for its second A318, so the airline sold it to British charter operator Titan Airways. The Club World London City service was discontinued in March 2020 due to low demand as a direct result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The End of an Era for the A318
In the end, Airbus managed to sell only 80 A318s from 2001 to 2013. For comparison, Boeing delivered 4,006 Boeing 737s in the same period, while Airbus delivered 2,651 A320s and 1,077 A319s. Of those 80, only 21 remain in operation as of August 2025.
| Orders | Deliveries | |||||||||||
| Type | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | Total |
| A318 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 17 | 13 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 81 |
The A318's replacement aircraft is widely recognized to be the Airbus A220.
The A220, originally designed and engineered by Bombardier and launched as the Bombardier CS100/CS300, is a smaller airliner that was built to compete with the A319neo and Boeing 737 MAX 7. Just as the A318 was ultimately overshadowed by the more efficient A319, the A319neo faced a similar fate, with airlines favoring the larger and more economical A320neo. Meanwhile, delays in the launch of Boeing's anticipated 737 MAX 7 aircraft further opened the door for A220 orders, which quickly gained popularity as a modern replacement for the 737-700s, A319s, and, now, the A318. Since its launch, more than 430 A220s have been built, with 514 more on order (as of August 2025).
Although both the A318 and the A220 have similar capacities and steep-angle approach capabilities, the A220 is considerably more fuel efficient. Air France has already announced its plans to gradually replace the A318 with the A220.
A Flop for Boeing: The 737-600
Boeing had similar difficulties with its Boeing 737-600 program, which was launched in March 1995. The manufacturer built only 69 aircraft of the type.
The Boeing 737-600 was similar to the A318 in many aspects. They were both introduced in the late 90s, had a capacity of around 100~120 passengers, and could fly up to 3500 miles. They were also both variants of a popular lineup, but were unsuccessful in sales numbers.
The Boeing 737-600 and the Airbus A318 had similar reasons for their lack of commercial success. The larger variants of both aircraft were more economical, and regional jets were slightly smaller yet were still economical too as they did not require as much crew for operations. Therefore, airlines either went for the bigger A319 and 737-700, or the smaller regional jets like the Bombardier CRJ Series.
Boeing's final 737-600, C-GEWJ, was delivered to WestJet in September 2006. It was scrapped in 2023, being only 16 years old.
It's Possible to Fly on an A318 Today
Nowadays, the A318 is an endangered species, only being flown by Air France out of its Paris-Orly and Paris-Charles de Gaulle hubs. Until recently, TAROM also operated the A318 from its hub in Bucharest, Romania. However, TAROM retired its sole A318 in November 2024, making Air France the last airline standing.
Air France currently operates five A318s as of July 2025:
| Delivery Date | Age | Base | Avg flights per day | Configuration | |
| F-GUGM | 13 April 2006 | 19.3y | CDG | 5.5 | 131 seats total (Business+Economy) |
| F-GUGN | 26 October 2006 | 18.8y | ORY/CDG | 6 | 131 seats total (Business+Economy) |
| F-GUGO | 27 November 2006 | 18.7y | CDG | 5.5 | 131 seats total (Business+Economy) |
| F-GUGP | 14 December 2006 | 18.6y | CDG/ORY | 6 | 131 seats total (Business+Economy) |
| F-GUGQ | 11 January 2007 | 18.6y | CDG | 6 | 131 seats total (Business+Economy) |
Most of these aircraft are based at both airports in Paris: Paris-Charles de Gaulle (CDG) and Paris-Orly (ORY). The baby jets are mostly seen flying routes between Paris and Marseille (MRS), Nice (NCE), Lyon (LYS), and Toulouse (TLS). However, the CDG-based A318s often fly internationally to destinations such as London-Heathrow (LHR), Florence (FLR), Amsterdam (AMS), Naples (NAP), Bordeaux (BOD), Oslo (OSL), Barcelona (BCN), and Munich (MUC).
However, with such a small fleet, booking flights for the sole purpose of flying on an A318 may be tricky. Last-minute aircraft changes occur often, making it difficult to predict which routes will still be operated by the aircraft on departure day. With luck, persistence, and flexibility, however, a trip on this "baby bus" is definitely possible.
For passengers with extra cash lying around, a flight on the A318 could be more predictable. Several companies operate special A318s for charter flights, configured for business use. These "A318 Elites" can be chartered for personal use, but the flight is likely to carry a hefty price tag. Price per flight hour varies from $18,600 to $27,830, so a flight from Los Angeles to New York is expected to cost around $90k~$110k depending on which airport is used and what company is operating the charter service.
These A318 Elites are usually configured to carry fewer than 20 passengers, including lounge chairs, tabletops, and refrigerators. As the slightly larger ACJ319 can fit a bedroom, it can be expected that the A318 Elite can also fit a bed inside.
How I flew on the A318
I was lucky enough to fly on the A318 in the summer of 2023 from Paris-Orly to Nice.
When summer schedules were released by Air France, my friend and I were happy to see the A318s scheduled on several flights between Paris and Nice. However, the day after we booked our flights, we saw that the aircraft was changed to an Airbus A319. Other flights, which were previously displayed as being operated by the A318, had also been changed to be flown by either A319s or A220s.
We both thought Air France was retiring the A318 early, as no other routes showed any flights operated by an A318. My friend decided to rebook his ticket on EasyJet, as he saw no use in paying a premium for a standard A319. However, I decided to remain on the Air France ticket, as my status — along with a $50 voucher I had received from a previous flight — granted me perks that would ultimately make it cheaper than changing my reservation.
After waiting with seemingly meaningless hope, a miracle occurred one week later: Air France assigned their A318s back to their schedule, and my flight was switched back to the A318. It seemed as though Air France decided to give the baby bus another French summer.
Another four months passed with fingers crossed, praying against another equipment change. Luck struck, and the day arrived when I had a boarding pass for Air France Flight 6204, operated by an Airbus A318. While just a routine domestic service, the flight itself was extremely meaningful and rewarding.
The most common route operated by Air France's A318s is currently from Paris-Charles de Gaulle (CDG) to Florence (FLR) (as of August 2025). While everyone has their own travel plans and itineraries, if you plan to fly the A318, then you may want to add Paris and Florence to your travel plans. Good luck!
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