The Airbus A318 is a narrow-body twin-engine airliner belonging to the family of A320 aircraft designed and manufactured by Airbus Commercial Aircraft. The A318 is intended for short and medium-haul flights, it can carry up to 132 passengers and its maximum range is 5,700 km. Its final assembly is done in Hamburg, Germany1. It made its first flight on January 15, 2002 and entered service with Frontier Airlines on July 22, 2003,2,3,4.

The aircraft shares a common operation with all other variants of the Airbus A320 family, allowing pilots trained on one to fly the aircraft without additional training. It is the largest commercial aircraft certified by the European Aviation Safety Agency for steep approach operations, allowing flights to airports such as London City Airport. Intended primarily for short haul, however, it is used on a transatlantic route by British Airways (from London City Airport to John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York with refueling at Shannon Airport). , and vice versa).