TAROM Plans To Retire Its Final Airbus A318 Jet
Romanian flag carrier TAROM will retire its final Airbus A318 in operation, leaving Air France as the final operator of the “baby bus.”
TAROM Will Retire Final Airbus A318 In Late 2024
For years, TAROM has operated four Airbus A318 jets, the smallest variant of the Airbus A320 family. These 120-seat jets operate various continental routes for TAROM but were staples on routes including London Heathrow (LHR) or Istanbul (IST) to Bucharest (OTP).
TAROM has struggled financially and recently received state assistance to remain in operation. As a condition of its bailout, it will sell its remaining A318 jets. Two frames have already been sold (YR-ASB and YR-ASC), one is parked (YR-ASD), and one remains in operation (YR-ASA).
All four will be sold to 3TOP Aviation Services and will likely be used for spare parts.
As an aside, TAROM also recently sold its London Heathrow slots to Qatar Airways and will suspend service to London altogether at the end of this week on October 26, 2024.
It Won’t Be Missed All That Much…
Earlier this year I flew the A318 from London (LHR) to Bucharest (OTP) and found the product…quaint. I am thankful I tried it, though, since it was my first (and perhaps only) trip on the A318. The seat was ancient and the entire onboard product felt more like circa 1994 than 2024.
But I’d imagine economy class passengers quite liked the old-school seats with immense padding when compared to the slim-line seats of the current generation of narrowbody aircraft operating within Europe.
Still, with no power, no wi-fi, no screens, it’s not a jet I would seek out.
Next year, TAROM plans to introduce leased Boeing 737-8 jets into its fleet.
CONCLUSION
TAROM will retire its final A318 in operation in the coming days as part of its ongoing restructuring.
Air France still has six A318 jets in operation and no concrete plans to retire them, but it also had no plans to retire its Airbus A380 fleet before it did with virtually zero notice. As Air France takes more A220-300 deliveries, the A318 will certainly be retired.
If you want to fly it, now is your last chance!