10 Airliner Types You Need To See Before They Disappear

Aviation is constantly changing.

Every year, airlines retire older aircraft and replace them with newer, more efficient models. While this progress is good for the industry, it also means some fascinating airliners are gradually becoming harder to find.

For plane spotters, there is often a limited window to see certain aircraft types before they disappear from regular airline service forever. Some are already down to a handful of operators, while others still fly in reasonable numbers but are clearly approaching the twilight of their careers.

If you’re planning future spotting trips, here are ten airliner types worth prioritising while you still can.

Airbus A300 Freighter

Tamás Vékony (GFDL <http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html> or GFDL <http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html>), via Wikimedia Commons

Passenger Airbus A300s have long disappeared from the skies, but the type remains active as a freighter.

The best place to see them is Europe, where DHL Aviation still operates one of the world’s largest fleets through operators including European Air Transport Leipzig, ASL Airlines Ireland and Solinair.

Leipzig/Halle Airport is currently the world’s premier location for Airbus A300 spotting.

Boeing 717

The Boeing 717 has become increasingly rare.

The largest fleets are operated by Delta Air Lines and Hawaiian Airlines, although the latter may eventually replace the type with Boeing 737s following its merger with Alaska Airlines.

For now, Honolulu remains one of the best places anywhere in the world to see regular Boeing 717 operations.

Boeing 757-300

Only a handful of airlines continue flying the stretched Boeing 757.

Delta Air Lines and United Airlines are now the major operators, while a few examples continue flying elsewhere around the world.

With no direct replacement ever developed, the 757-300 remains one of the most unusual narrowbody aircraft still in regular service.

Boeing 767-200

The Boeing 767 remains surprisingly common, but its days are numbered – particuarly for earlier variants like -200.

Once common with most of the world’s major airlines, this original shorter variant is now only in service with a few passenger airlines, and a handful of cargo operators.

Passenger examples still fly with UTair in Russia, Eastern Airlines in the USA, and Air Zimbabwe in Africa.

Boeing 777-200

The Boeing 777 is still a widely operated airliner around the world, and one of the most popular widebody aircraft with airlines.

However, earlier variants are now quite scarce… in particular, the original 777-200 (non ER, or Extended Range) version.

At the time of writing only Austrian Airlines and United Airlines fly the Boeing 777-200, and these particular examples are getting close to 30 years old. They will not remain flying for long.

Airbus A380

The world’s largest passenger aircraft is no longer being built.

Although airlines such as Emirates, Singapore Airlines, British Airways and Qantas continue to operate substantial fleets, retirement is inevitable over the coming decades.

For many enthusiasts, the Airbus A380 is today’s equivalent of the Boeing 747 in its later years—a type worth seeing whenever possible.

Boeing 747 Passenger Variants

Former Air China 747-400 B-2445 Duan Zhu, CC BY-SA 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

The passenger Boeing 747 has become a rarity.

Lufthansa, Korean Air and Air China are among the few major airlines still operating passenger examples. The aircraft’s days are clearly numbered, making every sighting increasingly special.

Frankfurt remains one of the best airports to see passenger 747s, with Lufthansa still flying both the 747-400 and -8 variants.

McDonnell Douglas MD-11 Freighter

Dltl2010, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

Passenger MD-11 operations have disappeared, but the aircraft survives as a freighter.

FedEx and Western Global Airlines remain the most significant operators, giving enthusiasts one final chance to see this distinctive tri-jet in regular commercial service.

Memphis and Anchorage remain excellent locations for spotting them.

Ilyushin Il62

Anna Zvereva, CC BY-SA 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

Believe it or not, there are still examples of this classic 1960s Soviet airliner flying today.

In fact, there are even a couple of examples known to occasionally fly passenger services!

However, these are in North Korea and not easy for anyone to get a flight on.

Other examples are flown by the Russian government, and cargo operator Rada Airlines on charter services mostly in Asia and the Middle East.

Airbus A318

The smallest member of the Airbus A320 family has quietly become one of the rarest.

Of the relatively few airlines that ever flew the A318, only one remains – Air France. And at that, only 3 or 4 examples are still flying at the time of writing. The Airbus A318 at Air France is being replaced by modern A220-300s.

Which aircraft type would be at the top of your list before it disappears? Let us know in the comments below.

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