Aer Lingus Fleet/ Routes Discussion Pt 2 (ALL possible routes included)

WishUWereHere

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123472625#Comment_123472625

Having lived for a couple of years in the greater Joburg/Pta region 30 years ago, it’s so depressing reading Your link and discovering just how far a once great region has degenerated to this.

Lapmo_Dancer

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123482852#Comment_123482852

The 200 does have a trim tank. Same capacity as the 300 ~4900kg

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123482975#Comment_123482975

No, the whole point was to increase the Max Take Off Weight to allow more fuel in the tanks at Max Zero Fuel Weight.

The MZFW of the HGW 300s is 171 tonnes. EI’s are configured for 313 paxs. A full load of paxs plus a decent cargo load will have you up towards MZFW. At MZFW you’re limited to ~71 tonnes of fuel which is ~5 tonnes less than full tanks without activating the centre tank.

For that reason, I believe very few (if any?) operators have activated the centre fuel tank option on the 300s. Any extra fuel in an activated centre tank would have to be traded for payload. Perhaps, the economics might work on a premium heavy configuration.

The 200s are configured for ~60 less paxs but the MZFW is ~1 tonne less. The tanks carry ~30 tonnes more fuel albeit the MTOW is ~9 tonnes less.

Qaanaaq

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123485426#Comment_123485426

Thanks for the details.👍️

Just looking into this a little bit more i didn't realise EI had such a dense A333 config compared to other airlines. A quick check online i found the following seat count comparisons:

• EI 313
• DL 282
• AY 279
• IB 292
• KL 292
• HU 292
• LH 255
• SK 266
• VS 264
• AC 297
• SN 295
• 4Y 283
• HX 303
• TS 352

I wonder when premium economy is introduced will we see much change in seat count?

Also would anybody speculate what kind of config EI will go with on the A339?

I see that Hong Kong airlines are flying YVR-HKG daily with a 303 seat A333 + 13hr flight westbound, so they must have the center tank option activated. Its 169NM longer than DUB-CPT

Shamrockj

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123489535#Comment_123489535

And the ones fitted for east coast are 317, definitely at the higher end of configurations , the A321neo is similar in that sense very dense configurations. The introduction of premium economy should bring that down a bit.

The old old configuration with only 24 in business had 327 total!

sherology

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123489822#Comment_123489822

And one would assume the new business class product (retrofit from 2026? on whatever-300s they're planning on keeping) will take up more floorspace if the new industry and IAG standard 1-2-1 layout is adopted, and/or have a reduced seat count than the space efficient current Vantage product.

Now that we know the future fleet make-up (330-900, 321XLR/LR, and 320neo), excited to see what the cabin will look like. Recaro R3 in LH economy as per XLR, and then... ??

jwm121

LAX reduced from 5 to 4 weekly from 9th of Jan to 28th of Feb 2026.

Lapmo_Dancer

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123489535#Comment_123489535

Yeah, it would be interesting to know if they have the centre tanks. The HGW 333 might just about do it without, assuming there is a very close-by alternate at HKG. Not sure what the winds are typically like on the North Pacific. The centre tanks would certainly make it more comfortable.

Interestingly, Qantas are using their A332s on LAX-BNE which is 836 nm longer than DUB-CPT on a great circle track.

sherology

EI's HGW a330s (the latest models - last 4 I think) have requested 'paper weight limitations' meaning they are 'documented' to fly at a certain maximum weight (230T or something like that) which allows the airline to reduce it's airport/landing/navigation charges etc. They don't need any more than that so why pay more.

The actual airframe is capable of 242T operations, with a change to the documentation, and has all the bits and bobs, and certainly the centre fuel tank which is a core structural component the wings are bolted onto and traverses the entire aircraft centre width. It is deactivated as a fuel store as per previous posts (I'm guessing... I would have thought it was just limited... But don't have that definitive knowledge).

If you have to fully fuel an aircraft (all tanks) to get to your destination you are in fact burning fuel purely to carry that extra fuel, as that extra fuel has enormous weight, so very long routes that require a full load of fuel (all tanks filled) are suboptimal in terms of fuel efficiency. Every aircraft has a sweet spot/curve for fuel per passenger per km.

The fuel in trim tanks in the tail is used to balance the aircraft and adjust it's center of gravity by pumping fuel to/from the back to the center/wing tanks dynamically to ensure that aircraft is optimally balanced during flight, controller by the flight computer.

Lapmo_Dancer

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123494828#Comment_123494828

No, GAJ, GCF, EIM and EIN are 242 tonnes MTOW. On days when they’ve a full load and lots of cargo, it’s needed on LAX and SFO.

FNG and FNH have the paper limitation of 233 tonnes to save on navigation charges.

KB77

can anyone shed any light of possible new routes out of Cork. Friend of mine works there and he’s hearing Paris ( CDG) been looked at and maybe Prague with Ei. I read today that Air France are going to run CDG all year round, so that route sounds odd for EI.

Also I read EI going to use A330 on Dublin to Madrid in the winter, twice weekly, Fridays and Sundays. If 330 is been used either they are doing very well on that route or they are linking up with Iberia to South America

Kev11491

A330s being put on certain Madrid rotations for the winter

Locker10a

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123495005#Comment_123495005

For Cargo reasons I’ve heard