TAROM, Romania’s national airline, is set to retire its last active Airbus A318 by the end of October 2024, marking the end of an era for the carrier and leaving Air France as the sole commercial operator of the aircraft type in Europe.
The 18-year-old aircraft, registered as YR-ASA, primarily operates routes between Bucharest (OTP) and London Heathrow (LHR), as well as Istanbul (IST). According to AeroRoutes, the final A318 service is scheduled as flight RO266 from Istanbul to Bucharest on October 26, 2024, departing at 23:15 local time.
TAROM’s decision to retire its A318 fleet is part of a broader restructuring effort tied to €95.3 million in state aid received by the carrier. The airline is set to reduce its fleet from 18 to 14 aircraft as part of the compensatory measures associated with the aid.
The A318, nicknamed the “Baby Bus,” is the smallest member of the Airbus A320 family. It was launched to compete with regional jets but faced challenges due to its high operating costs relative to its passenger capacity. Only 80 A318s were ever produced, making it one of Airbus’ least successful commercial aircraft.
Following TAROM’s retirement of the A318, Air France will remain the only commercial airline operating the type, with six active aircraft primarily serving domestic routes from Paris Charles de Gaulle (CDG) to destinations like Nice (NCE) and Marseille (MRS).
As part of its fleet modernization strategy, TAROM plans to replace its older Boeing 737 Next Generation models with leased Boeing 737-8 aircraft, expected to join the fleet in 2025.
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