Rare birds: Aircraft you can still fly today but not for long
December 25, 2025
A narrowbody Airbus A320 or a widebody Boeing 787 is a common sight at airports. However, when a rare aircraft flies by or pulls onto the apron, it catches the eye of the spectator.
From the tiny Airbus A318 to the behemoth Boeing 747, some aircraft have become the rarest types today. For anyone trying to spot or travel on one of these, there is still time before they are completely phased out of service.
Boeing 757-300 – The Flying Pencil
The Boeing 757-300, the stretched version of the original 757, is on the verge of extinction. It remains the longest narrowbody twinjet ever built, with only 55 examples produced. Of those, 52 remain in active service, primarily with major US airlines.
United Airlines operates 21 of the type while Delta Air Lines has 16 under its brand. United inherited these jets when it merged with Continental Airlines in 2010.
The airline generally operates the 757-300s on high-density hub-to-hub domestic routes. Delta also inherited its fleet of Boeing 757s in 2010, during its merger with Northwest. Delta utilises its jets on busy domestic routes, despite its relatively poor fuel efficiency.
German leisure airline Condor operates eight 757-300s, which are expected to be replaced by the Airbus A321LRs. Irrespective of the operator, these jets are ageing, with an average age of over 23 years.
Boeing 747-400 – Queen of the Skies
Fewer than 40 examples of the iconic Boeing 747-400 passenger jets are flying on scheduled service. German flag carrier Lufthansa is currently the largest operator of the type, with eight examples in service.
While its jumbo jets remain occupied on high-density long-haul routes from Frankfurt and Munich, the airline will phase them out in the coming years.
Air China has an active fleet of five 747-400s, operating alongside the carrier’s 747-8 fleet. Air China is beginning to phase out the last of its passenger 747-400s, while continuing to operate 747-8 passenger flights in the foreseeable future.
Russian carrier Rossiya operates five examples, which were initially retired but reactivated due to the 2022 sanctions.
With an average age of 25.6 years, these jets are flying their last bit on domestic routes. Atlas Air operates a handful of passenger 747-400s on non-scheduled services, including public leisure and military transport.
Airbus A318 – Baby Bus
Designed to accommodate 90-120 passengers, the Airbus A318 was the smallest type offered by Airbus before the A220. Dubbed “Baby Bus”, only 80 examples of the type were produced, and served a very niche market, particularly due to its steep approach capabilities.
Romania’s TAROM airline retired the last of its A318 aircraft in October 2024, leaving Air France as the only commercial operator of the type. The French carrier has six active aircraft operating on short-haul European routes.
Configured in a 137-seat layout, the airline primarily flies the type from its major hubs, including Paris Charles de Gaulle (CDG), Paris Orly (ORY), and Nice (NCE) airports.
There are a couple of A318s active with private and general aviation operators, fulfilling leisure and charter demand. With the type being supplanted by the A220 narrowbody, there are only a few European routes to enjoy this rare type.
Boeing 767-400ER – Largest and longest of the family
With only 38 units ever built, only United and Delta currently operate the Boeing 767-400ER passenger jets. Except for one, which is operated by Bahrain Royal Flight for VIP transport, the remaining 37 were split between Delta and United. The Bahrain Royal aircraft was produced as a military testbed for the cancelled E-10 program before it was sold to Bahrain.
Delta has 21 examples of the type currently active in its fleet with an average age of 24 years. Configured to carry 238 passengers in three classes, the airline frequently operates its fleet on transcontinental and international transatlantic routes.
United Airlines inherited its fleet of 16 767-400ERs at the time of the merger with Continental. Configured for 231 seats in three classes, the average age of United’s 767-400ER fleet is 23.5 years. United operates its fleet from its eastern hubs in Newark and Washington to Europe and South America.
Airbus A340 – The blow dryer
If you fancy flying this thin and long quad jet, your chances are greater than some of the types discussed previously. Airbus sold 377 of the iconic A340 across four variants, of which 72 examples are still active. Lufthansa was the launch customer of the type, A340-200, alongside Air France, and remains the largest operator of the type.
The German carrier operates 22 examples, including 16 A340-300 and six A340-600. Delivery delays of newer jets have forced airlines like Lufthansa to continue operating aged airframes. The airline operates the A340 fleet on a range of long-haul routes from its hubs in Munich and Frankfurt.
Iranian Mahan Air is another major operator of the type, with 15 A340s in service. The fleet comprises one -200, nine -300s, and five -600s. The A340-200 was acquired by the Tehran-based airline in September 2023. The airline operates its A340s to domestic routes as well as international destinations across Asia and Europe.
Other airlines, including SWISS and Edelweiss, operate a handful of A340s between Europe and North America. A few aircraft are utilised by private, government, and cargo customers for unscheduled specialised flights.
British Aerospace BAe 146 – The whisper jet
Iran’s Mahan Air is also the major operator of the British Aerospace 146. What became the United Kingdom’s most successful commercial jetliner in the 1990s can be seen today with a few airlines. Of the 394 units built since launch, a small percentage are airworthy as of May, including 26 that are in service with Iranian operators, as reported by Key Aero.
Apart from Mahan Air, Yazd Airways, and Qeshm Air operate the type for short-haul flights. These aircraft are anywhere between 33 and 38 years old. The Iranian Air Force also operates a handful of BAe 146 for government operations.
AeroTime states that two 146-200s are operated by Chile-based Aerovias DAP Airlines, while Air Libya operates one BAe 146-200 on domestic flights. Nonetheless, finding these aircraft in regular passenger service is becoming increasingly difficult as the fleet retires or is scrapped for parts.
Featured image: Papas Dos / Wikimedia Commons
