The Airbus A318 is the shortest passenger airliner in the Airbus A320 family. It brought the family's single-aisle cabin and flight-deck arrangement into the roughly 100-seat market. The prototype flew in January 2002, and Frontier Airlines received the first production aircraft in July 2003.[1][2]
Development and deliveries
Airbus developed the A318 after the A319 and A321 had extended the A320 family in opposite directions. The smaller aircraft retained a conventional six-abreast passenger cabin, rather than adopting the narrower cross-section of many regional jets. Airbus's 2002 annual review records the first flight and more than 500 flight-test hours by the end of that year.[1]
The first Frontier delivery, on 22 July 2003, used CFM56-5B engines. Frontier had ordered five A318s and planned to lease two more. CFM described the engine as a commonality option for airlines already using its engines on other A320-family aircraft. Air France also received A318s during 2003. Airbus gave 107 seats as the standard layout in its annual review, a representative cabin rather than a universal airline capacity.[2][3]
Airframe and engines
The fuselage is approximately 31.45 metres long and the wing spans 34.10 metres with wingtip fences. The aircraft has a low swept wing, two underwing engines and retractable tricycle landing gear. Airbus's airport-planning manual treats the A318 separately from the larger family members because its ground clearances, turning geometry and servicing positions differ.[4]
Two powerplant families were offered, the CFM56-5B and Pratt & Whitney PW6000. The CFM installation allowed an airline to retain an engine family already represented on its A319s, while the PW6000 installation required its own nacelle and maintenance provisions. Engine choice therefore affects more than the visible shape of the intake.[2][4]
Place in the A320 family
The A318 reduced the number of seats while retaining the mainline single-aisle cabin format. Its value to a mixed Airbus operator depended partly on shared equipment and training, alongside the demand on a particular route. A smaller cabin could match a thin service without filling a larger A320, but the aircraft still carried the structure and systems of the wider family. Published A318 specifications should therefore be used for the actual model and engine installation; the dimensions and performance of an A319 are not substitutes.[3][4]