Airbus Updates No.3057

 

Airbus A318	-112	4007		G-EUNA	British Airways	ferried 17feb21 MAD-ENS, for part-out & scrap	ex D-AUAC
Airbus A319	-111	906		CS-TTG	TAP Air Portugal	ferried 22feb21 FAO-ORY-EGBP, for part-out & scrap	ex D-AVYN
Airbus A319	-111	998		EC-MFP	Iberia	ferried 19feb21 MADDGX, for part-out &scrap	ex F-GRHC
Airbus A319	-112	2066		OE-INR	Avolon Aerospace	regd 17feb21, parked at HDO	ex TU-TST
Airbus A319	-111	2370		G-EZMK	easyJet	ferried 18feb21 STN-LDE, basic cs on return to lessor	ex HB-JZM
Airbus A319	-111	2495		N2301U	United Airlines	delivery 18-19feb21 QLA-KEF-CLE-GYR, basic easyJet cs	ex G-EZIM
Airbus A319	-132	3463		RP-C9388	Royal Air Charter Services	ferried 17-18feb21 CGK-CRK-MNL after storage	ex XU-963
Airbus A320	-214	1571		LY-VEB	Avion Express	ferried 22feb21 VNO-CQM for onward storage	ex G-OZBW
Airbus A320	-233	2014		PR-MBT	Latam Brasil	ferried 19-20feb 21 CNF-BAQ-MIA-GYR (+ 3156 PR-MBO CNF-BAQ-MIA-GYR)	ex HC-CDY
Airbus A320	-232	2156		PS-SFC	Itapemirim Transportes Aereos	delivery 19-20feb21 CQM-KEF-BGR-MCI, OE-reg	ex OE-IKJ
Airbus A320	-232	2589		PS-SPJ	Itapemirim Transportes Aereos	delivery 20-21feb21 MAD-SID-NAT-SJK	ex EC-LQK
Airbus A320	-232	2602		TC-JUK	Turkish Airlines	ferried 17feb21 SAW-AMM, basic cs on return to lessor	ex PR-MAX
Airbus A320	-214	2712		OE-LMM	Avolon Aerospace	at OSR 14feb21, all white, was in Lauda cs, ntu	ex VT-IHB
Airbus A320	-232	5090		VT-IES	IndiGo Airlines	ferried 20feb21 DEL-AUH prior return to lessor (+ 5190 VT-IEX 14feb21)	ex F-WWDN
Airbus A320	-232	5362		OE-IDH	Parc Aviation	regd 17feb21, parked at HKG, all white	ex B-HST
Airbus A320	-251N	10149		TC-NCR	Pegasus Airlines	delivery 17feb21 TLS-SAW “Zeynep Beren”	ex F-WWBK
Airbus A321	-211	1632		C-GIUE	Air Canada	ferried 18feb21 YYZ-MCI for storage	ex D-AVZF
Airbus A321	-232	4621		HA-LWH	Wizz Air	ferried 22feb21 BUD-SNN for paint into all white prior return to lessor	ex F-WWBV
Airbus A321	-211	6342		OY-TCE	Sunclass Airlines	ferried 20feb21 EMA-CPH after paint	ex D-AVXH
Airbus A321	-211	6468		OY-TCI	Sunclass Airlines	ferried 20feb21 GOT-EMAfor paint	ex EI-GRC

credit : Skyliner Aviation News

Airbus Updates No.3047

 British Airways A318 Baby Bus Embarks On One Final Flight

British Airways has sent its Airbus A318 Baby Bus to Twente Airport in the Netherlands. The aircraft was retired by the airline last year, after its only route from London City (LCY) to New York City (JFK) was suspended, meaning that it was no longer needed.

BA’s Baby Bus has completed its final flight. Photo: Vincenzo Pace – Simple Flying

Many aircraft have been stored or retired as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The impacts of the situation have primarily been felt by widebody aircraft types, particularly those with four engines such as the A380 and Boeing 747. Some smaller aircraft, particularly those getting a little older, have also found themselves facing a sudden retirement.

Farewell G-EUNA

At one point in time, British Airways had two Airbus A318 aircraft. Both were used to service the airline’s all-business service connecting London’s heart with New York City. The second aircraft, G-EUNB, was transferred to Titan Airways in 2017, leaving British Airways with just G-EUNA.

In late March, British Airways decided to suspend its transatlantic route from London City Airport, BA1. This also saw G-EUNA repositioned to Madrid in Spain for an extended stay in the sun. At the end of July, IAG, British Airways’ owner, revealed that it would retire its fleet of just one Airbus A318.

The airline’s final flight took over three hours. Photo: RadarBox.com

It seems that yesterday was G-EUNA’s final flight. The aircraft flew from Madrid to Twente Airport in Enschede. While some of Lufthansa’s now-retired Boeing 747-400s left the airport after brief talk of legal action, many aircraft do not leave the facility.

G-EUNA took a particularly interesting route to reach Enschede. One would expect the aircraft to route directly over France to get to the Netherlands. Instead, the A318 initially flew North West before flying north up the Bay of Biscay. This allowed the aircraft to pass overhead the United Kingdom one last time. It’s unclear exactly why this route was chosen, and a British Airways spokesperson declined to comment. Excluding this flight, G-EUNA clocked 38075 flight hours during its life, according to data from the Civil Aviation Authority.

Looking back at BA001

The British Airways A318 flew exclusively between London City Airport during its time in service. However, unlike British Airways’ other long-haul aircraft, this baby bus was more akin to a private jet. That’s because the aircraft had just 32 lie-flat business class seats in a 2-2 configuration.

Given the COVID-19 pandemic, demand for the service plummeted, especially from business travelers, who were the primary target market. BA001, the callsign formerly used by the New York Concorde service, could not take off from City with enough fuel to cross the Atlantic due to the short runway. As a result, it would stop in Shannon to fully refuel. As a US Preclearance Facility, BA passengers would clear immigration procedures in Ireland, landing in New York as a domestic arrival.