Baby bus: Do any airlines still fly the Airbus A318?
February 7, 2026
French flag carrier Air France is the only commercial airline to operate scheduled flights on the Airbus A318. Dubbed “Baby Bus”, the airline primarily offers scheduled short-haul flights from its hubs in Paris Charles de Gaulle (CDG), Paris Orly (ORY), and Nice (NICE) airports.
The airline plans to phase out its A318 fleet entirely in 2026 in favour of the modern A220-300 aircraft. In its last few months of service, the type was deployed on several regional routes from Paris airports.
AeroRoutes shows that some of the A318 routes scheduled by Air France in 2026 are between Paris Charles de Gaulle and Amsterdam, Barcelona, Berlin, Bordeaux, Birmingham, Bologna, Copenhagen, Dublin, Nice, Porto, Prague, and Zurich.
Similarly, the airline will operate scheduled A318 flights connecting Paris Orly to Calvi, Marseille, Nice, and Toulouse.
Air France’s history with the Airbus A318
The French carrier has historically been the largest operator of the type, having operated 18 examples of the A318 – that is 22.5% of all A318s produced by Airbus. As the launch customer of the CFM56-powered A318s, the airline took delivery of its first aircraft (Registration F-GUGJ) in October 2003.
With more aircraft delivered over several years, the airline utilised the fleet on short-haul European and North African routes. The A318’s superior low-speed handling characteristics made it ideal for short-runway operations. The type served as a vital connector aircraft for regional routes, connecting its major hubs to smaller cities across Europe.
Air France Airbus A318 fleet in service
Data from Planespotters.net shows that Air France currently has four Airbus A318 aircraft in service. The type is configured with 131 seats in two classes: 18 seats in Business and 113 in Economy. The middle seats in the Business class, located at the front of the cabin, are blocked off and not sold. Notably, the Business section can be sized with movable curtains based on demand.
| Aircraft Type | Manufacturer Serial Number (MSN) | Registration | Delivered | Age |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Airbus A318-100 | 2750 | F-GUGM | April 2006 | 19.8 years |
| Airbus A318-100i | 2918 | F-GUGN | October 2006 | 19.3 years |
| Airbus A318-100 | 2951 | F-GUGO | November 2006 | 19.2 years |
| Airbus A318-100 | 2967 | F-GUGP | December 2006 | 19.1 years |
Source: Planespotters.net
The modified control enhancement package of the A318
Air France took advantage of the modified control software enhancement package for the A318, certified by the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) in 2006. The modification enabled the type to perform steep approach operations.
With the modification, the A318 could perform approaches at descent angles of up to 5.5°, significantly greater than the standard 3° approach.
The software allows the crew to select the steep approach configuration when needed. The selection would automatically modify control surfaces, deploying spoiler panels to deliver additional drag in the landing configuration.
The automatic spoiler deployment occurs below 120 ft on landing, alerting the cockpit crew of the selected configuration.
The modification was tested at London City Airport, one of many European airports requiring steep approach operations. While the test flight confirmed the A318’s landing capability, it also showed superiority in low-speed handling of the aircraft.
British Airways operated two Airbus A318s between London City Airport and John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York. The westbound leg made a stopover in Shannon, Ireland, to accommodate weight restrictions at LCY; the return flight from New York remained a nonstop service to London. The all-business class service was discontinued in 2020.
Featured image: Adrian Pingstone / Wikimedia Commons
