Aer Lingus Fleet/Routes Discussion

Its quite a new airframe - is it possible it was sent to Airbus to ensure the repair didn't prevent any claims for manufacturing issues in future?

I think Aer Lingus used to do it all in house, it then became an independent subsidiary known as TEAM Aer Lingus and eventually SR Technics. It was around 2009 when SR Technics lost its contracts with Aer Lingus that the closure of the facility was announced with over 1000 jobs lost. I remember Aer Lingus was seen as the bad guy for "outsourcing" to Sabena in Bordeaux despite the fact they'd technically outsourced the work decades before. 


It's pretty certain the aircraft in question wasn't repaired by Airbus, firstly it's almost unheard of to send a damaged aircraft back to the manufacturer for repairs and secondly Airbus don't even have the facilities in Bordeaux to handle that, it would have be Toulouse and I think Airbus are too busy building new aircraft down there!


Aer Lingus still actually carry out a large portion of day to day maintenance on the fleet in house, Hanger 6 is full of aircraft each night but the major stuff is done in Bordeaux and that usually waits for the winter when you'll often see an A330 disappear for a few weeks at a time.

kevinandrew wrote: »

I think Aer Lingus used to do it all in house, it then became an independent subsidiary known as TEAM Aer Lingus and eventually SR Technics. It was around 2009 when SR Technics lost its contracts with Aer Lingus that the closure of the facility was announced with over 1000 jobs lost. I remember Aer Lingus was seen as the bad guy for "outsourcing" to Sabena in Bordeaux despite the fact they'd technically outsourced the work decades before. 


It's pretty certain the aircraft in question wasn't repaired by Airbus, firstly it's almost unheard of to send a damaged aircraft back to the manufacturer for repairs and secondly Airbus don't even have the facilities in Bordeaux to handle that, it would have be Toulouse and I think Airbus are too busy building new aircraft down there!


Aer Lingus still actually carry out a large portion of day to day maintenance on the fleet in house, Hanger 6 is full of aircraft each night but the major stuff is done in Bordeaux and that usually waits for the winter when you'll often see an A330 disappear for a few weeks at a time.

Airbus have an AOG team who travel worldwide to carry out major repairs that would be beyond the capabilities of most operators, this A/C was sufficiently undamaged as to be able to ferry trans Atlantic and be back in service in a few days. That suggests the damage was relatively minor and not sufficient to require their services. Surely EI have the resources and capability to carry out repairs at their main base or do they have to go to BOD every time one of their A/C picks up a knock?

billy few mates wrote: »

Surely EI have the resources and capability to carry out repairs at their main base or do they have to go to BOD every time one of their A/C picks up a knock?

Simple economics, they get heavy maintenance done in BOD and have done for years, & H6 is full of aircraft every night that are required the next morning. It makes more sense to have one aircraft go to BOD instead of uprooting several aircraft out of H6 for a few days.

Despite being the biggest hanger in DUB, H6 on the grand scheme of things isn't huge and the space is better served with nightly maintenance as opposed to one heavy repair

G-POWH is currently en route on EI776/7 to/from Lanzarote today and then is scheduled to do EI348/9 to/from Zurich later before returning to Stansted (per FR24 - that of course is subject to change) .

It's been flying to Lanzarote, Lisbon, Berlin since 1 June, so I would assume that EI must be down an A320.

From everything I've heard/seen, EI-GAM should have been in the fleet by now so that might explain the subs

Locker10a wrote: »

This mornings Gatwick flights were operated by the 757 EI-LBT

And yesterday. Good use of the hull between arriving DUB and going back to BDL.

Also matches the A320 seating capacity

It's really just a 321 with bigger engines and larger tanks. More cargo capacity but passenger capacity is pretty much the same.

Flew on one to the Canaries 10 or 12 years ago (First Choice Airlines, as it was then) and it was the same as the usual 737 or 320 flight except for one thing. We were right at the back and the visible vertical flexing of the fuselage was quite noticeable. All normal and that but the less knowledgeable flyer might be a little put out by it, it was kind of funny watching the front toilet sign visibly move up and down by quite a way.

321s are also a long thin somewhat flexible tube, but I've never been seated right at the back when flying on one.