Can anyone shed any light on what I think is really a rather peculiar operation?
On a Sunday evening there are TUI flights from DSA and DUB to ACE which are scheduled to arrive 25 minutes apart. As would be expected, a SWG aircraft operates DUB-ACE and a TOM aircraft operates DSA-ACE. However, every week since June, the DSA-based TOM aircraft always operates the return to DUB, with the DUB-based SWG aircraft operating the return to DSA.
On Mondays, the SWG a/c always operates DSA-IBZ-DSA-CFU-DSA under standard BY/TOM codes. The TOM a/c operates DUB-DLM-DUB under “ABR” (ASL Airlines Ireland) codes – this part confuses me most and surely must be the reason for the TOM aircraft visiting DUB? Then on Tuesdays, the SWG a/c operates DSA-REU-DUB and the TOM a/c aircraft operates DUB-REU-DSA, hence returning both aircraft to their respective ‘home’ bases.
This swapping happens every week without fail and regardless of delays to the ACE/REU rotations from either DSA or DUB. This was demonstrated yesterday evening when the SWG aircraft didn’t operate meaning DUB-ACE-DSA was postponed until tonight. The TOM aircraft operated DSA-ACE-DUB as normal and is now operating the aforementioned after its weekly Monday DUB-DLM-DUB flight. It remains to be seen whether the SWG will be positioned back over to DUB tonight or tomorrow morning, or if a TOM aircraft will position over only to swap back to DSA at REU.