BA Fleet Status
 

I realise there are a ton of BA fleet topics scattered around the forum, but I thought a dedicated thread on where BA's fleet are currently located and whether they are active or stored might be of interest to some on here, at least until the majority of the fleet is back in service.

I will create a wiki at the top of this thread so aircraft movements can be tracked and would encourage people to edit it as they note updates (there are a lot of movements in the short-haul fleet between LHR-LGW at present as they try to rotate aircraft), while BCN is the latest storage airport being used by BA for the next few months.

To help keep the thread active and up to date please find related links:
BA Fleet Deliveries & Retirements https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/brit...tirements.html
Boeing 777 Club Suites: Route Info and updates https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/brit...o-updates.html

Prospero - If you wish I am happy to collaborate on breaking out each fleet into the sub-types and we can add pictures from some of your other threads, but opted to try and keep it simple initially and get feedback on how people would like it to be displayed.

Hopefully some find this thread useful!

Pilot37

LEC is due back from TEV on Tuesday.

Probably not exactly what you are trying to do, but I have some info on aircraft last seen/last flights on https://speedbird.online/fleet.php

Many thanks LCY8737 - this is a fantastic resource you are maintaining!
It will definitely help with looking at last flights of the stored aircraft!

Pilot37

Pilot37 and I have been updating the A380 wikipost from time to time: BA 388 locations and maintenance movements. I usually check the last flight via flightaware.com - but then I am mostly just looking to see whether the stored/maintenance aircraft have moved since I last looked.

As we predicted elsewhere, VIIW should depart TEV on Friday leaving no current BA aircraft there.

G-XLEC is indeed now on it's way back to LHR - there was an RTO (not sure if a test or a problem) yesterday at TEV, but she has made it out 420 days after her last flight. I would assume, like G-XLEB, she will be flown at under 30K due to the gear remaining down for the journey back to LHR?

Pilot37

She's at 28,000 feet (I assume it's actually FL280) and a ground speed of about 340 knots.

Yes, gear down like the others as far as I am aware.

G-VIIW has indeed just left TEV bound for AUH as BA9174, so no more BA aircraft at TEV but still a bit to go before the majority of the fleet is back in service!

Pilot37

On it's way to AUH now at 40,000 ft. Out of interest, I note from the thread about the 380s that they fly out of storage at max 28000 then do a gear swing back at base. Why would the 777 not do the same?

Because a 777 is not an A380? Totally different aircraft, maintenance procedures etc.

The number of stored A320 family jets is striking. 66 out of a fleet of 140. Some of these might be in maintenance etc but the point remains.

It shows just how far short haul has to recover.

To be fair it is the quietest time of a normal year, I would imagine that number would be a lot lower if all else were equal and it was August.

Somebody with far greater knowledge will be along to advise I’m sure, but two opinions:

1) The last flight by G-VIIW was Apr’21 vs Dec’20 for the A380 - so if the plane cycles the gear within a specific time limit (less then 1yr for example) it is okay. In my view however that time span is still a bit too long - so I wouldn’t think this is correct
2) TEV has the ability to perform a gear swing on a B777, but the A380 is just too large and rare an aircraft for them to invest in the jacks necessary for such a large operation - so BA flies the plane with the gear down and does it back at base.
3) Some completely other reason!

Pilot37

No more live ones, plenty of dead ones.

Is that right? FL280 with gear down? Isn't the gear down overspeed around 200+ kts?

This piece suggests 250kts is max gear down speed for the A380 - a lot slower then the speed G-XLEC flew back from TEV. Any BA pilots out there who could advise?

https://talk.pafs.wf/viewtopic.php?t=376

Pilot37

250kts / M0.55.

777 has a much higher margin at 270kts / M0.82

The limitation is 250kts IAS (indicated air speed). The speed you’ll see on FR24 is Ground speed, which is essentially True Air Speed +/- wind component.

A320 G-GATH - Is planned to be flown to LHR tomorrow for final checks prior to returning to service later this week. The aircraft had been in long term storage in MAD since late 2020

A320 G-GATP - Is currently being prepared to return to service in MAD where it has been stored since November 2020. Planned to be returned to service in the next week or two.

Many thanks Scotflyer80, really appreciate the updates and I saw on the B777 thread you posted that G-YMML is due to return to LHR today and has been fitted with the new CS. I've a few updates to make on the Wiki from weekend movements - so wil aim to do them today or tomorrow (as G-XLEJ is off to MNL from DOH and XLEF is due back to LHR tomorrow / Wednesday.

Pilot37

Just noticed your Wiki updates Scotflyer80 - very interesting that BA have picked G-STBD to go for storage in LGW given this is only 1 of 5 B77W's in the fleet!

Pilot37

Maintenance not storage.

Seems like G-LCYS had a hard 23 minute think about re-entering service and then returned to working from home in NWI:

https://flightaware.com/live/flight/GLCYS

Noticed a couple of 319/320s (bit far away to tell!) parked up at NCL today.

Are these here for a while or are they rotated in and out with the LHR services?
https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...228638876.jpeg

Many thanks for this, I'm actually in the process of updating the WIKI on the current positions of the fleet, so will see if I can find why these planes are there.

Pilot37

LCY8737 's Speedbird Online: Aircraft - BA Fleet shows 3 aircraft having landed at NCL (including today's rotation)... It looks like TraumaDoc may have seen EUYB and TTOB which both seem to be being rotated in and out of LHR rather than stored.

Wiki updated as of 4rd Feb.

Main changes are some additional A319 and A320's seem to have been brought back from LGW to LHR to rotate through services, perhaps ahead of the February mid-term holidays? There has been quite a few A380 movements over the past week, with 6 A380's currently in LHR, but as per Airprox, G-XLEL will head to MNL after the weekend and G-XLEB will come back to head into short term storage at MAD. Finally, as noted above, there are some current NCL temporary residents, G-EUYD headed up on Feb 1st and has stayed there since, while G-TTOB only went up yesterday (3rd), so we'll see how quickly both rotate out from there.

Pilot37

EUYB comes back tomorrow, TTOB on Tuesday. This NCL rotation thing has been going on for a while during COVID, on and off, just a few days at a time.

Oh also keep an eye out for everyones favourite UnParkableJet making a reappearance next week, despite the blogs having written her off ;)

G-EUPJ (BEA retro scheme) moved back to LHR this morning to return to active service, so I've updated that in the Wiki.

Pilot37

;)

Many thanks for the updates Airprox. Would you happen to know if G-STBI, which headed to CWL yesterday, is just going for a C / D check or is it also planned to have the new CS installed while it is there?

Pilot37

Sorry I have no clue on that I'm afraid. We can only hope so!

I’m fairly sure that VIIV/W have gone to Abu Dhabi for heavy maintenance with Etihad engineering, not for storage. The decision to put these two aircraft into storage at TEV whilst the rest of the fleet was being brought back suggests they were due a major check, and they’re both in the schedule for the Summer.

VIIV was also fired up in AUH earlier this afternoon outside the Etihad hangar.

Anyone know the status of G-VIID - I saw it being towed around LHR at the beginning of the week, and hasn't flown since, so just wondering where it was going. (And I realize this is not unusual at all - I'm just curious.)

rb211.

Might be in for a bit of light maintenance. G-VIIL is the strange one having not flown since Dec 5th, but it’s still at LHR!

I have updated some of the WIKI, for example I see all planes which were in BCN are now back at LHR and a few planes transferred from LGW today - but I still need to do a full inventory of LGW and LHR reg numbers to confirm which planes are where!

Pilot37

Thank you.

rb211.

VIID is planned to fly again from Sunday