Why Aer Lingus Is Swapping Its Airbus A320 For The A330 On Several European Routes

The carrier is opting for larger jets to better serve increasing demand.

Aer Lingus has decided to replace the Airbus A320 with the A330 on some of its European routes, according to a recent announcement by the Irish flag carrier. The decision comes as the airline looks to use bigger jets to meet increased demand for travel in recent months.

Affected routes

As of the time of writing, two of Aer Lingus‘ European routes will be served by Airbus A330s instead of A320s:

However, if demand for travel continues to increase as it has been for the past few months, then it is likely that the carrier will expand the usage of the A330 across a larger number of short-haul routes.

Aer Lingus typically reserves the A330 for service on transatlantic routes, such as to the United States. But with proper scheduling, the airline has found that it can operate a return flight to a European destination in the morning, an outbound flight to North America in the afternoon, and an inbound flight from North America overnight. This decision will increase the daily utilization of the A330s beyond its current levels while boosting capacity on popular routes over the summer.

Capacity up

Aer Lingus currently serves Faro and Malaga using its Airbus A320-200s. These aircraft seat 174 passengers in a 3-3 configuration, with business class offered by blocking the middle seats in the front few rows. Meanwhile, the larger A330-300s carry 317 passengers, with 30 in lie-flat business and 287 in 2-3-2 economy.

The 82% increase in capacity will allow Aer Lingus to boost revenues in the crucial summer, where demand outstrips supply for the most part. Indeed, this is made possible by Ireland’s westerly position, which allows a quick short-haul rotation (six hours) between its long-haul services.

Aer Lingus competes with Ryanair on the DUB-FAO route, with each offering four daily departures each at the peak of the summer season. It’s the two Irish carries once more on the DUB-AGP route, although Aer Lingus only offers three peak daily flights while Ryanair maintains four. Now, with the A330 on one rotation, the carrier can claw back some of that advantage.

Unlike British Airways’ plans to deploy its Boeing 777s and 787s to Frankfurt, Berlin, and Dublin in February and March to boost cargo capacity, Aer Lingus is targeting holidaymakers with its upguaging.

Transatlantic is king

While Aer Lingus tries to maximize its A330 utilization, the eye is firmly set on transatlantic flights. The carrier will offer a record 17 routes next summer, with twice-daily services to both New York JFK and Chicago O’Hare. Departures will begin from Dublin, Shannon, and Manchester (under Aer Lingus UK). These are served by a combination of A321LRs and A330s, depending on demand, creating some of the longest narrowbody routes in the world currently. Read our full analysis here!

For now, holidaymakers will have the chance to enjoy the widebody experience on the three-hour route from Dublin to their favorite holiday destinations!

What do you think about Aer Lingus’ plan this summer to use the A330 on European routes? Let us know in the comments!

Source: Irish Examiner

• 

  To increase aircraft productivity, Aer Lingus often routes its A321LRs like this: Dublin-Washington Dulles-Dublin-London Heathrow-Dublin-Toronto… Photo: Vincenzo Pace | Simple Flying.

  Aer Lingus

  IATA/ICAO Code:

  EI/EIN

  Airline Type:

  Full Service Carrier

  Hub(s):

  Dublin Airport

  Year Founded:

  1938

  Airline Group:

  IAG

  CEO:

  Lynne Embleton

  Country:

  Ireland