Advertisement:

Following on from BA’s recent announcement that it will be ending it’s Boeing 767-300 operations in the fourth quarter of 2018, the airline has now scheduled the final flight of this iconic aircraft.

The British Airways 767 has been in operation for more than 28 years under the BA flag. However, it was officially launched as the 767-200 back in 1978, with the maiden flight taking place in 1981. This model relied upon Pratt and Whitney twin jet engines and served American Airlines throughout the 80’s.

In true British Style, when the first British Airways 767 order went in, it featured Rolls Royce RB211 engines. After this, the 767-300 served for many years with airlines such as Continental, Delta, Japan Airlines and many more.

The very last flight for British Airways 767

According to British Airways, their last flight is scheduled to take to the skies on the 25th November 2018. The route will fly from Larnaca (LCA) to London Heathrow (LHR) and will almost certainly be flight BA 663.

It is not yet known what will become of the final aircraft after BA retire it from its fleet. Currently the carrier has five remaining 767s on their fleet, which will be retired one by one until this final flight.

Over the years, BA 767 routes have serviced many popular destinations, including Amsterdam, Frankfurt, Athens and Rome. It was once the most popular aircraft for transatlantic flights, flying between the UK and the US more frequently than any other aircraft type throughout the 1990’s.

Advertisement:

What will replace the BA 767 routes?

It’s likely that a number of aircraft models will take over from the 767 to maintain the routes this craft typically operated. BA currently has 68 Airbus A320s and 4 A320neo in service, with a further 21 A320neo on order. They also have 18 Airbus A321s in service and a total of 28 A321neos and A350s on order. Their last five 767s and 747s are due to retire in 2019 and 2024 respectively.

The Boeing-BA relationship has been a long and fruitful partnership over the years. However, it seems that, with the way things are heading, we’re seeing a firm move towards the Airbus technology for the BA flights of the future.

Does the BA 767 retirement spell the end for the 767-300?

It’s tempting to think that, with a major airline like BA giving up on the 767 that perhaps the aircraft is coming to the end of its useful life. Other commercial carriers such as Delta, American and United have also slowly retired their 767s, opting instead for the more feature laden, fuel efficient models of craft.

Advertisement:

However, despite the BA 767 retirement, other aircraft operators still value the benefits of this classic workhorse model.

In 2018, so far, 20 767s have already been ordered. Many of these are the 767-300F, proving how popular this aircraft is with freight flyers. Between 2011 and 2015, FedEx ordered a total of 96 767-300F freighters, with deliveries due between 2018 and 2023.

Used aircraft are frequently bought by cargo airlines too, offering an economical route to increasing their long-distance capabilities without the need to invest in brand new craft. Amazon Prime Air operate 31 767s currently and are converting 18 retired passenger craft into freighters for their fleet.

We’ll almost certainly continue to see plenty of 767s in our skies for many years to come, although the opportunity to fly on them may be less frequent.