not sure if there is a problem with putting in high capacity seating in any ex BA A318's as they were not built with any overwing exits IIRC

there are 4 main doors (2 fwd 2 aft but no over wing windows)

an A318 fitted with the overwing exits can max at 132Y (very cramped)

an A319 can max at 144Y with 2 over wing exits and 156Y with 4

The overwing exits are there, they're just deactivated with different panels covering them in the cabin. If you find a photograph of the exterior in the right light you can see the outline of the door is there simply without a painted frame.

It's a fairly easy to reactivate the exits should it be necessary.

Immediately aft of the "B" or "S" of "BRITISH AIRWAYS" (depending on which side you're looking at).

thank you for that

yes i see https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped...518751823).jpg

I notice that G-POWC operated from STN to FAB on 3rd March and hasn't operated since. Does anyone know if it is undergoing engineering or being stored at Farnbourgh?

Just because that's what FR24 says doesn't mean it actually happened.
G-POWC is at Lasham for maintenance.

But it was perfect for prompting you to let us know the facts, otherwise would you have commented? Or just have left us to wallow in ignorance :)

Meanwhile G-POWP has been assigned to the Belfast mail route, which is now operated solely by 737-400s and with the upgauge in capacity West Air's supplemental ATPs have accordingly been withdrawn from the route.

Titan are to acquire BA's A318 G-EUNB, According to Jethros fleet listing. The aircraft which has been stored at LHR since 1st April positioned from Heathrow to Cambridge on the 28th.

Titan do a lot of work for BA, I wonder if there's any potential of them leasing the A318 to them during the summer to operate twice daily JFK and then taking it under their wing for the winter for charter work?

Or is that too complicated/expensive. I can't see LCY-JFK services lasting very long with 1 aircraft, the economics must be through the floor on that

Surely BA wouldn't have stopped operating the 2nd JFK if it was making money? Why bother re-instating it to utilise Titan's A318 if they're going to charge a lease cost to make it even more expensive to operate. Unless you mean Titan would operate it commercially, which would be even more unlikely. I dare say Titan will be targetting the 146-sized ad-hoc charter market that Jota are increasingly picking up in.

LCY-JFK is a business route so demand doesn't peak in the summer,

If I remember correctly , even when the service operated twice daily , BA reduced frequency from late July to early Sep , to a daily operation

They were only operating it to SNN, roughly an hour? Not too many routes with less fuel than that I would think. Yes there are LCY destinations closer, but with greater holding, taxiing etc at the far end.

Good point.

So apart from not being able to either take off or land with a decent payload, they should be OK. :O

The aircraft will be staying in a VIP config.

Footballers and F1 Teams will like it like that no doubt.

By keeping it in business configuration it would be available for charter to BA to cover when G-EUNA is undergoing maintenance or has tech issues.

I have flown on the morning LCY-JFK service and it was almost full on the day that I used it. I understand that the afternoon service was not attractive, and therefore not profitable, as US customs clearance at SNN is not available in the late afternoon. Having the ability to clear US customs and arrive in the US as a domestic passenger is a major plus point.

Good luck trying to make an aircraft pay its way if use is restricted to that type of market.

Unless Titan are getting an extremely good deal from the lessor ...

I would suggest Titan know exactly what they are doing with all their experience in the charter market. They have just been ferrying F1 personnel etc to and from Sochi to Luton using a B757, B
767, A321 and A320.

Both the A318 and the B737-600 have little capital value. In most cases only the parted out value for spares and scrap.

My point exactly.

Both of those variants share the same characteristics, being in effect the runt of their respective families, both out of production with only a few dozen having been built and, in the case of the A318, with examples less than 10 years old having been scrapped already.

You can't give then away, so lessors are between a rock and a hard place. Titan are likely getting such a good deal that they will be able to afford to keep their example(s) parked for extended periods.