Aer Lingus Regional

[cornishsimon]

I wonder how long until Regional try out relinking DUB-NQY even if summer seasonal



cs

[bigjim99]

First -600 is reg EI-FAS

[COBHC]

Is it possible to see the -600 on the DUB flight to/from BLK at some point?

[bigjim99]

Not likely, the route is usually operated by the 42's.

[Hangar6]

600

Well if my understanding is correct re fleet plan then only 8 600s will be in EIR so by next S14 you will be visited upon by a 600 , could even be sooner depending on the Dub asked schedule !

[quantumofcheese]

This time next year the fleet will only consist of 3 72-500s and 8 72-600s

Will be great to wipe out the regular occurrence of the 42s going tech

[rallye parachute]

But they only have three 500s now.

Which means the two 200s will stay for a while yet.

[quantumofcheese]

It's all stated here: Aer Arann extends Aer Lingus deal until 2022 - RTÉ News

[Ondale]

I understand the ATR 42s are staying for the thin routes and PSO operation, certainly that is what is on sale

Two new routes this year for 2 of the 600s (MAN and BIR from DUB)
Four to replace 4 of the older aircraft (72-200 with 600s)
3 500s to remain
Two 600 unknown where they will operate yet - maybe to phase out 42s

Would leave fleet after all deliveries

8 * 600
3 * 500
4 * 42

[mikkie4]

any idea of pax numbers on the retimed dublin-SEN flights?

[mart901]

I did figure they would use the 600's for BHX/MAN-DUB because vexing existing passengers with tatty old a/c wouldn't really help the cause.

[rowly6339]

It could be Stobart at work as they renew all there trucks after 3 years, they say it's all about image so maybe that is the way they want things to go.

[dublinaviator]

Hate to be the cynic in the room but even though the franchise has been extended to 2022, Aer Lingus will have the option to end it any time they want, with due notice given to Aer Arann obviously. As Lufthansa showed in Germany recently, what may have worked at one point won't always be the case and several regional airlines in Germany have gone into liquidation as a result of Lufthansa's decision to end it's franchising contracts. And in the years to come there's every chance that Aer Arann could find itself in the high court again applying for an examiner to be appointed because Aer Lingus decided to end it's franchise because of a change in it's business model.

So while it's great to see the airline expanding after coming so close to collapse, it shouldn't get complacent about the risks posed by relying entirely on a franchisor for it's business.

[vulcanised]

Don't forget that Aer Arann is now wholly owned by Stobart.

[Mayfly1]

But I understood EI have put €11m or something like that into a third party company that is leasing the aircraft to Aer Arran as part of the deal so clearly they must be very committed to making it work for the lease term at least

[Angry Rebel]

@vulcanised - Stobart do not own all of RE, Invesco also own a significant portion of it.

@dublinaviator - EI cannot terminate the franchise agreement at any time. No airline (RE or anyone else) would enter such a deal as it gives them no certainty, particularly having given up on their own brand and hitched it completely to EI.

[vulcanised]

Invesco also own a significant portion of Stobart shares.

[dublinaviator]

Originally Posted by Angry Rebel

@dublinaviator - EI cannot terminate the franchise agreement at any time. No airline (RE or anyone else) would enter such a deal as it gives them no certainty, particularly having given up on their own brand and hitched it completely to EI.

Nonsense, business models change all the time. Aer Lingus would be stupid to not have a back-out clause in the agreement. So long as sufficient notice is given, I don't see any reason why there'd be an issue with such a clause. At the end of the day, Aer Arann would be bust if not for the lifeline thrown to them by Aer Lingus, so it's not as if they're in a position to bargain...

As for no airline entering such an agreement, I refer back to my original post where I mentioned the example of Lufthansa recently ending it's own franchise contracts, which resulted in at least 1 airline going into liquidation and hundreds of jobs being lost So it can and does happen.

[Mayfly1]

If you read the article below its gives more clarity to the ownership of AA and the EI relationship. I think you will agree EI are committed for the longer term to ensure it works successfully


UK-based Invesco a major shareholder in Aer Arann - Independent.ie

[dublinaviator]

Of course they're committed to the franchise (for now) because it gives them huge benefits with little financial risk, and ties in with it's strategy of offering a high frequency product so that it can segment its market and tailor its product as such, with the added benefit of increasing connecting traffic.

I was just making the point that for Aer Arann, having all its eggs in the one basket poses a huge risk should Aer Lingus decide in 5 years time it wants to change its business model. It was only 10 years ago that Aer Lingus Commuter was wound up because it wasn't part of the airline's future strategy.

If you want another example of what could happen in 5 years just look at CityJet now which wasn't included as part of Air France's recent future regional brand strategy, which has put a large question mark over it's future in the group and any sell off could mean large job losses.

Just my 2c. Ar aon nós, moving on...