I was just thinking about EI's long haul fleet needs going forward and in particular, EI's interest in the new A330 Neo, which CM has praised as a very interesting aircraft.
Is it correct, as I assume, that the A330-900Neo will effectively be a warmed over version of the current A330-300? If EI were (as some have suggested) to replace its current A350-900 Regional order with the A339, won't that effectively mean that on EI's core and busiest t/a routes, DUB-BOS, JFK and ORD, that there will be no capacity increase for over twenty years; the A330-300/A330-900 having operated the route for the past twenty years and then, for the foreseeable future?
What would shareholders (and in particular, the govt) make of this. I say "particularly the govt" because of course, it also wears the hat of tourism promotion and increasing numbers. I would think it would be at least disappointed (at worst apoplectic).
Given the govt's stated aim to award more fifth freedom routes, would it not also be looking at alternatives to grow these markets? (Emirates?). Also, from EI's own perspective, given the success of the Dublin hub, I wonder if EI would be restricting its own growth potential; increasing pax feed from regional and UK routes would eat into pax numbers originating in DUB and with no capacity increase, that would only invite additional capacity.
By all means add A339s as a supplement (and if there's a joint crew type rating, all the better), but as a replacement for the A359, it doesn't seem to make sense.