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Here is our guide to British Airways’ short haul fleet across London airports.
Unlike long haul aircraft, BA’s short haul fleet is relatively unscathed from COVID-19. As at June 2023, its short haul fleet stands at 157 aircraft, compared to 167 before COVID-19.
The majority of BA’s short haul fleet is equipped with WiFi. Details of how to connect and charges are available on ba.com
Here’s a breakdown of the different types of aircraft in BA’s short haul fleet:
You can also see our dedicated short haul network pages for London City, Gatwick and Heathrow.
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Fleet Summary
| Aircraft Type | Total June 2023 | Future Deliveries | Options |
|---|---|---|---|
| Airbus A319 | 30 | ||
| Airbus A320ceo | 67 | ||
| Airbus A320neo | 20 | 4 | 10 |
| Airbus A321ceo | 11 | ||
| Airbus A321neo | 10 | 3 | |
| Embraer E190 | 20 | ||
| Total | 158 | 8 | 10 |
Airbus A319, A320, A321 ceo Aircraft
As at 31 December 2022, BA has 30 Airbus A319, 67 A320, & 11 A321 aircraft.
Most A320 and A321 aircraft have been subject to “densification”. The number of seats on A320s increased from 168 to 180. The number of seats on A321s increased from 205 to 218.
All Airbus short haul aircraft operate in a flexible configuration with 3-3 seating in Euro Traveller economy, which can be converted to a 2-2 configuration for Club Europe business class passengers at the front of the aircraft.
A number of A321 have been retired. These include 4 Airbus A321 in a “mid-haul” configuration with a dedicated 23 seat Club World cabin. These carried registration numbers G-MEDF, G-MEDG, G-MEDJ and G-MEDU.
BA is in the process of transferring aircraft to its subsidiary airline at Gatwick, BA EuroFlyer. These bear the decal “Operated by BA EuroFlyer Ltd.”
Airbus A320 and A321neo Aircraft
There are 20 Airbus A320neo and 10 Airbus 321neo aircraft at Heathrow.
BA plans to take delivery of 4 more Airbus A320neo aircraft and 5 more A321neo aircraft.
On 30 June 2022, IAG confirmed its converted options for 17 Airbus A320neo & 5 Airbus A321neo aircraft to firm orders for delivery in 2024 and 2025.
IAG followed this up in July with a further order for 37 Airbus A320neo family aircraft for delivery between 2025 and 2028. IAG also acquired options for 50 more aircraft for delivery between 2028 and 2030.
The Airbus A320 and A321neo aircraft have a different layout to the rest of BA’s fleet. They have 180 and 220 seats respectively.
IAG adopted a “zero base” approach to have as much commonality as possible with its subsidiaries. This is to take advantage of economies of scale and move aircraft between airlines should economic conditions dictate.
Boeing 737-8 / 10
In June 2019, IAG signed a Letter Of Intent to order 200 Boeing 737-8 / 10 aircraft.
This was in part driven by a perceived need to introduce competition between Airbus and Boeing for short haul aircraft.
It was planned that these would be used by BA at Gatwick as well as fellow IAG airline Vueling.
On 19 May 2022, IAG converted this to a firm order for 25 737-8200 and 25 737-10 aircraft, with options for 100 more. IAG has not confirmed which airlines in the group these will be allocated to. The first candidate is most likely Vueling.
Embraer E-190
BA has 20 Embraer E-190 aircraft.
These are operated by BA CityFlyer at London City Airport. Prior to COVID-19, it was planned that its fleet of Embraer aircraft would increase to 30. No further deliveries are planned.
Retired Aircraft Types
BA retired its last Boeing 767 from short haul operations on 25 November 2018.
BA retired its last Boeing 737 at Gatwick in 2015.
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