Emirates Airlines Dublin route breaks record ©

                                                             

Emirates Airlines has broken all records with the performance of its Dublin route with the carrier upgrading the route a Boeing 777-300ER such is the level of demand two months ahead of schedule originally which was planned for the 1^st of July with A6-EBC Boeing 777-36NER c/n 32790 operating the first flight yesterday.

                                            

The carrier commenced the route on the 9^th of January with an Airbus A330-200 with the carrier having consistently having load factors in excess of 90% from the first day of operation, thus the Dublin route has exceeded all expectations as an A330-200 would serve the route for 2 to 3 years before being upgraded to an Boeing 777-300ER despite the competition from Etihad Airways in the market for connecting traffic via their respective hubs.

                                            


The introduction of the Boeing 777-300ER on the route will increase average daily capacity by 52% in a three class configuration with 25 tones of cargo capacity which will be of benefit to export market. The airline is the world’s largest operator of the Boeing 777 with 106 in service including 3 Boeing 777-200, 6 Boeing 777-200ER, 10 Boeing 777-200LR, 12 Boeing 777-300 and 70 Boeing 777-300ER with a further 78 on order and its cargo subsidiary Emirates Sky Cargo operates 5 Boeing 777-200F.

On the Newstalk 106-108FM Breakfast Show with Ian Guider on the 20^th of October 2011 the Emirates VP Ireland & UK Laurie Berryman stated ‘Never say never’ to the airline using the Airbus A380 on Dublin, adding talks where held with the Dublin Airport Authority (DAA) on the type using Terminal 2. The airline has a policy of increasing aircraft size rather than increasing frequency (Business Travel News).

Irish Aviation Research Institute © 2nd May 2012

Etihad Airways acquires a 3% stake in Aer Lingus ©

                                                             

On Tuesday 1^st of May it was announced that Etihad Airways acquired a 2.987% stake in Aer Lingus for an undisclosed sum, a week after Transaero Airlines acquired Air Atlanta Aero Engineering in Shannon which is a further endorsement of the strength of the aviation industry in Ireland.

Aer Lingus issued a statement ‘Aer Lingus and Etihad are engaged in discussions which to date have focused on reciprocal code-share opportunities, Future discussions may explore additional commercial and cost opportunities to develop a closer working relationship in areas such as joint procurement’.

Their could be immense opportunities for Aer Lingus and Etihad Airways out of a possible commercial agreement,firstly a new code-share agreement would leverage the strengths of each perspective hub as Aer Lingus has a strong brand presence in North America and UK Provincial markets (Aer Lingus Regional) and the competitive advantage of Terminal 2 US CBP in Dublin. Their has been media reports Etihad Airways intends to increase the frequency of Dublin route from 10 to 14 flights per week which could open potential mutually beneficial connecting traffic flows over Dublin.

Aer Lingus has the fourth largest slot portfolio in London Heathrow which could be mutually commercial opportunity for Etihad Airways planning to increase Abu Dhabi route from three to five flights daily. Etihad Airways has a strong market presence in Asia and Australia with the carrier signalling recently China and India will be strategically important markets in the next 10 to 15 years with strong outbound traffic from those markets.

                                      

Aer Lingus and Etihad Airways share a common fleet platform with A320 family for short-haul and A330 for long-haul both carriers have the A350 on order so there could be potential synergies as part of a larger airline group. Aer Lingus plans to place an order to replace its 37 A320/1s in the next 18-24 months it is currently evaluating the A320NEO and B737 Max.

There could be potential joint procurement synergies with Etihad Airways in airport costs, aircraft acquisition/financing, distribution/GDS (Sabre),  fuel, ground handling, and supply chain, sales & marketing also to leverage code-share opportunities with Etihad Airways partners such as Virgin Australia.Their could be scope for Aer Lingus to address the increasingly counter-cycle seasonality of the business through sub-leasing aircraft for the winter period.

Interestingly Aer Lingus and Etihad Airways share a multiple partnership strategy which could potentially ensure Aer Lingus independence as part of a larger airline group. Etihad Airways acquired 29.21% of Air Berlin in December 2011 and 40% of Air Seychelles last January. We await with interest the next developments with this story as a new chapter begins for Aer Lingus.

Irish Aviation Research Institute © 2nd May 2012

Boeing 737-200 Experienced Technical People require for Missionary Project ©

Experienced technical people required: retired or available technicians, both mechanical and avionic (but preferably avionic) experienced people who could assist a missionary project in Botswana. No license required.

It would suit somebody who could train a few young guys in the fine art of reading wiring diagrams, troubleshooting, locating wiring snags, etc.

Botswana is a nice, peaceful place, plenty of sunshine and relaxed atmosphere for somebody who would like to take on a little adventure, be it for a short, medium or long term commitment, ideal for the guy that would like to give something back or just do something different for a while.

These people operate on a not for profit basis, so if you want to make a lot of money, it’s not for you.

They will obviously, cover expenses, flights, bed and board, etc. for the right person. Anybody with any interest can contact me, Hugh Kelly, via email at aerhugh@yahoo.ie and I will explain in more detail the operation and expectations.



















Irish Aviation Research Institute © 2nd May 2012 All Rights Reserved.