hotplane From UK - England, joined Jul 2006, 783 posts, RR: 0 Posted (3 months 1 week 3 days 19 hours ago) and read 23409 times:
Japan's Universal Entertainment has taken delivery of the 79th and last A318. Apparently there were two order cancellations recently that enabled them to take one of the aircraft.
art From Lebanon, joined Feb 2005, 2937 posts, RR: 0 Reply 6, posted (3 months 1 week 3 days 18 hours ago) and read 22351 times:
Quoting oldeuropean (Reply 4): Airbus is still offering the A318 and the A318ACJ – so I don't think that this was the last one.
Why carry on offering them? If an airline should choose to order one or two at a minimal discount off list price, Airbus would make a nice profit. I don't know but I guess that ordering one business jet does not get you much of a discount off the list price either.
Now if my employer would raise my wages with a mere 1000%, and retrospectively pay this for my last 15 years of service......this beauty would have been mine!
Nice lil' aircraft....almost like a "real" plane!
FH
I feel like the A318 at times: I am probably worth more parted out than as a whole.
na From Germany, joined Dec 1999, 9614 posts, RR: 10 Reply 8, posted (3 months 1 week 3 days 17 hours ago) and read 22090 times:
Quoting oldeuropean (Reply 4): Airbus is still offering the A318 and the A318ACJ – so I don't think that this was the last one.
Its the last one on order, and only possibly the very last one to be built. As the A318 now only attracts corporate clients and almost certainly no airline anymore there might be the odd one now and then being ordered in the future.
NWAROOSTER From United States of America, joined Feb 2005, 849 posts, RR: 3 Reply 10, posted (3 months 1 week 3 days 17 hours ago) and read 21817 times:
Frontier Airlines had bought eleven A318s. Nine of these aircraft have been scrapped, even though they are relatively new aircraft. Frontier is still flying two A318s. I think they will also be scrapped.
That shows what most airlines think of the A318. Their parts are worth more than the complete aircraft.
ACdreamliner From United Kingdom, joined May 2005, 515 posts, RR: 1 Reply 12, posted (3 months 1 week 3 days 17 hours ago) and read 21693 times:
Sad day... looks like I'm going to have to go to the used market when my Euromillions Jackpot comes up... It was a close thing between the 736 or A318...
connies4ever From Canada, joined Feb 2006, 3857 posts, RR: 13 Reply 14, posted (3 months 1 week 3 days 16 hours ago) and read 21583 times:
Reminds me of the DC9-21. Only 10 ever ordered by SAS. Have to wonder what the field performance was like with the -30 wing and engines and the fuse of the -10. Would change the power-to-weight ratio quite a lot.
If it could have been offered as a combi, could it have done OK in the Canadian Arctic and Alaska ? I am fairly certain it could operate off a gravel runway. Probably would need some slight mods, like a nose gear gravel deflector, but the 737 was OK with it. I think the 727 as well.
LH526 From Germany, joined Aug 2000, 2257 posts, RR: 17 Reply 15, posted (3 months 1 week 3 days 16 hours ago) and read 21553 times:
AIRLINERS.NET CREW FORUM MODERATOR
cargo in the cargo-hold was the main issue here. The advantage in performance over the A319 was a weak argument against the massive loss in cargo revenue compared to the A319
Trittst im Morgenrot daher, seh ich dich im Strahlenmeer ...
factsonly From Montserrat, joined Aug 2012, 323 posts, RR: 0 Reply 16, posted (3 months 1 week 3 days 16 hours ago) and read 20053 times:
The A318 was only launched in 1997 after the demise of the Fokker 100 and BAe RJ100 - true 100-seat short-haul aircraft. Airbus knew its Babybus, designed to fill a gap in the 100-seat market, could never compete with these dedicated 100-seaters when they were alive. So it got launched after their departure.
The A318 is a shrink of a shrink, i.e. a baby A319, while the A319 is already a baby A320. So it carries all the design weight of the larger aircraft and is very heavy & uneconomic as a result and in addition has no cargo capacity. Shrinking an aircraft seldom makes economic sense, that's why we stretch to our hearts delight. This explains its unpopularity of the A318 with most airlines, a classic example of 'over-shrink'.
Airbus decided to built the A318 thinking commonality advantages of a family A321/A320/A319/A318 would overcome the disadvantageous operating economics. Clearly this proved not the case, the aircraft proved an economic disaster.
Aesma From France, joined Nov 2009, 4790 posts, RR: 9 Reply 18, posted (3 months 1 week 3 days 15 hours ago) and read 18643 times:
The A318 has several differences with the others so it might not make sense to keep it on the catalog. The tail is taller, the belly is laser welded...
New Technology is the name we give to stuff that doesn't work yet. Douglas Adams
Viscount724 From Switzerland, joined Oct 2006, 21495 posts, RR: 24 Reply 19, posted (3 months 1 week 3 days 15 hours ago) and read 18586 times:
Quoting connies4ever (Reply 14): If it could have been offered as a combi, could it have done OK in the Canadian Arctic and Alaska ? I am fairly certain it could operate off a gravel runway.
There may have been some DC-9 test flights to gravel runways but as far as I know, no DC-9s were ever certified for that type of operation. The much narrower fuselage also never made the DC-9 very popular as a freighter/combi although they were offered and some were built in that configuration. The 737 combi could handle the same main deck containers as a 707 or DC-8 which was a big advantage over the DC-9.
Not certain but I think the rear engines on the DC-9 may also be more prone to ingestion of stones and other debris when operating from unpaved runways. Some 727s of course operated from gravel runways but the DC-9 sits at least a foot closer to the ground than the 727 with less clearance below the engines also.
"Although there has been no decision on the future of the ACJ318 following its exclusion from Airbus's re-engining plans for commercial A320-family jets, Chazelle says production will continue at least until 2018-2019 despite the overall transition to assembly of the Neo range from 2015. "There's no real obstacle to build the two in parallel," he says."
AA777223 From United States of America, joined Feb 2006, 1112 posts, RR: 7 Reply 22, posted (3 months 1 week 3 days 12 hours ago) and read 14212 times:
Quoting Aesma (Reply 18): the belly is laser welded...
Why is this? I would have thought, apart from the tail, assembly would have been largely the same.
mjoelnir From Iceland, joined Feb 2013, 362 posts, RR: 0 Reply 24, posted (3 months 1 week 3 days 11 hours ago) and read 12970 times:
How sure are you about that the last A 318 is delivered. Do you include the A 318 CJ?
According to planetspotter.net there is on A 318 CJ MSN 5478 still on order undelivered.
First flight on the 2/11/2013.
25 Devilfish: Another ACJ318 Elite which does..... .....even added Chinese titles and the logo of its operator . The c/n over the delivery registration on the OP's
26 Burkhard: This is true on first glance. On second the A318 got one very significant order: British Airways. While converted to the larger model later, it opene
27 SEA: I think that we will see a more A318 orders for business jets. I can't forsee any more airline orders though.
28 Cure: Yeah indeed, facts only please, and not just plain defenses for nationalism...why are some people (often Germans) defending some positions just out o
29 Cure: I guess this is the pure and simple explanation of the decision to stop the production of the A318 Regards
30 mjoelnir: When we talk of facts here. Were is the information that the production of the B 318 has been stopped? At least the A 318 CJ is still offered even wi
31 carpethead: This is probably the first large aircraft bizjet (non-airline aircraft) registered in Japan. I don't think there's even a large Gulfstream or Bombardi
32 lightsaber: I'll join the chorus wishing I could afford one. I agree that the differences probably mean it isn't worth offering the type. The issue is the latest
33 Aesma: I think they wanted to prove that technology for the A380, it is advantageous, and they needed a new certificate anyway for the A318.
34 Pugman211: They are still making the A318ACJ, another one has just come down the line in the UK (MSN5545). It is also the second A318 sharklet i've seen now.
35 r2rho: The thread title is misleading. This is not the last A318 to be ever delivered. This is the last A318 on the 79-aircraft order book, which means the b
36 71Zulu: The -600 has not been killed and is still available from Boeing.
37 UALWN: Jusst like the A318 has not been killed either. However, there are no outstanding orders for either of them...
38 Polot: You might want to take a close look at the link from the OP. Specifically look at the numbers above the registration Well if they are currently produ
39 KarelXWB: As of 2012, Boeing has removed the 737-600 from their list of aircraft prices, presumably indicating the variant is now out of production. http://www
40 unityofsaints: I'm with you on this one. If BA expands its LCY A318 service I think they will order new-built planes. I expect airport to continue to offer the A318
41 Pugman211: The first A318 ACJ sharklet went to the FAL with standard wingtip fences, cant remember the MSN but it was listed as Private Customer which is usually
42 Devilfish: It seems Airbus Corporate Jets want to join the discussion here ... http://www.flightglobal.com/news/art...13-hopes-on-market-rebound-382222/ Quote:
43 mjoelnir: That bird on that picture is not delivered jet, MSN 5478 is still in Hamburg. That picture posted by hotplane could be from the first flight. On that
44 Pugman211: My apologies, I misunderstood your title as to say no more A318 are on order. I didnt realise you were only referring to the passenger variant.
45 71Zulu: Didn't notice that. It still shows under the commercial planes section and the column for last delivery shows blank, meaning there might be future de
46 KarelXWB: Those pages are not always up-to-date, it's better to check the price list. Another example: Airbus still shows the A340 on their website but they do
47 mjoelnir: AIRBUS AIRCRAFT 2013 AVERAGE LIST PRICES (mio USD) A318 70.1 A319 83.6 A320 91.5 A321 107.3 A319neo 92.0 A320neo 100.2 A321neo 117.4 A330-200 216.1 A3
48 N14AZ: Woaw, in my Iife I have never ever been accused of being a nationalist. So thank you for this new experience! If you can read this I haven’t been b
49 r2rho: Looks like this could be the first A318 sharklet prototype aircraft. We have seen A319/20/21 sharklet flight tests at Airbus so far, but no A318 yet.
50 JerseyFlyer: Some facts please. Airbus planned the A319 as the smallest member of the A320 family. They planned a joint venture with the Chinese for the 100 seate
51 mjoelnir: The next A 318 in the works has MSN 5545. The Airbus test flight registration is D-AUAA. Future Owner: private
52 mjoelnir: A 318 MSN 5478 delivered from Airbus for cabin configuration in TUL today. http://www.skyliner-aviation.de/regdb.main?LC=nav4
53 B777LRF: They were pocket rockets; you'd have to strap yourself to a Lear 24 to get something better. Much loved by the guys who flew them. One of my instruct
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No!!!...am just several million $$$ short saving for the downpayment... 
...
.....
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Do you know this for sure? Maybe they made some clever accounting...
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