Aer Lingus Regional

[chuboy]

Regarding the PSO tenders, what are the chances EI will try and win back the rights to DUB-CFN? With aircraft potentially written off/out of service that may well be a revenue stream they can't take advantage of seeing as the route was run using 42s as well.

I would have thought EI would try and bid on it anyway given that they have potential feeder traffic from EY.

[EI-BUD]

The 42's put in an appearance on many routes including SEN, BLK, IOM, NCL, BOU plus domestics ... Standardisation of the fleet could bring benefits, but a small unit can be a good vehicle in developing new routes like NCL in the face of FR competition as they become well established on such a route, and naturally on thinner routes like domestics and IOM .

Does anybody have any details on the difference on fuel burn would be over similar sectors between the new 72's and the 42's??

[Expressflight]

Perhaps I'm missing something here, but surely if any airline's operational requirement/plans dictate that they need aircraft the size of the 42 then they number the fleet accordingly. They are not limited to the fleet size they currently have on strength.


I understood that EI-BYO was leased from NAC so surely it could be similarly replaced if it turns out to be a write-off, should a four-strong 42 fleet be deemed necessary. It strikes me that a mixed 42/72 fleet still looks eminently sensible for their route network.

[Dontgothere]

Anyhow, seeing as the SNN kerfuffle has now befallen EI-BYO, I think that we can assume that CPT may be brought back into use for the meantime. Or was 'RE considering moving on to a more modern version of the 42? Perhaps getting some 500s?

[fivejuliet]

It was always planned to dispose of three and keep one '42, for KIR and IOM.

SNN was to be 1x 72 and 1x42 this summer, though now that they are minus a 42 sooner than they planned who knows what will happen.

[Cyrano]

Originally Posted by EI-BUD

Does anybody have any details on the difference on fuel burn would be over similar sectors between the new 72's and the 42's??

I think a bigger factor than the fuel burn is likely to be the aircraft capital cost. A twenty-something-year-old ATR42 can be leased for perhaps $40k-$50k per month whereas the equivalent for a brand new ATR72-600 is probably closer to $180k. That's around $4500 extra revenue per day that the airline needs to find, just to cover the lease costs. (Of course maintenance costs will be lower for the new aircraft.)

[EI-BUD]

Thanks Cyrano, I had considered as much , I'm just curious as an aside specifically how the 2 machines actually compare on fuel burn .

If you consider Loganair, their 340's probably quite cost effective on the capital side.... Hence ideal for their thin routes..

[Expressflight]

EI-BUD


Some statistics that I gathered for a previous project suggested 610kg/hr for the ATR42-300 and 750kg/hr for the ATR72-500. I'm not sure how the -600 would compare with the latter and the sector length under study was 200nm.

[EI-BUD]

Thanks Expressflight . So about 23% extra fuel burn on 72 ...

[Hangar6]

42

Add in an extra CC for six to eight sectors per day , every day , that's a big
Leap in costs for those thin but developing routes !

[EI-BUD]

Yes Hangar6 there would be need for an extra CC, and additional cost in terms of capital costs of the aircraft etc. but my query was specifically about fuel burn...

At the rate of cost involved to deploy a 72 to some of the mentioned routes it may leave a couple of options:
1. Buy additional 42's second hand on the market at good price, if available
2. Close some of the impacted routes
3. Contract another airline to operate same with suitably sized equipment


EI-BUD

[Dontgothere]

How does an ATR 42-500 compare with 300? Danish Air Transport has some ATR 42-500s available for lease. (c/n 498 and 514 (I think)).

As much as one would wish for it, I don't see the 42-600 ever coming into service with RE.

[mart901]

Knowing RE some other old carthorse will get rolled out of somewhere.

[Jack1985]

Knowing RE some other old carthorse will get rolled out of somewhere.

Very dim view of RE, not going to happen either with EI looking over there shoulders.

[The Flying Cokeman]

Dontgothere,

It's long time ago since I flew the ATR but seem to remember the 42-500 burns about 120 kg/hr more than the -300 so quite close to the ATR 72 fuel burn. But the fastest of the 3 models. No idea about the -600.

[mart901]

Jack

I love RE and the oldest of old 42's, its not a dim view I'm just saying they will wield an old bird out of somewhere. This is the RE way. I certainly hope nothing will suffer like the additional SNN frequencies/route.

[Dontgothere]

While it seems like RE plan to cut down to one or two ATR 42s as per fivejuliet's post, shall I throw another yet another solution into the equation? Perhaps they will take on the two ATR 42-420s in the world (currently retired post-Conviasa).

For anyone wondering (although I expect most of you will know anyway), a 420 is basically a 320 in mechanical terms (aside from having 6 blade propeller), but it has a 500's interior. I suppose that's a way of improving the experience short term.

[tws123]

Aer Arann base for SEN

Jobs are being advertised for a new Aer Arann base at Southend. They are also funding training for the ATR72-600 type which suggests that the last one to be delivered will be going to SEN (EI-FCY). Contracts start at the end of March, beginning of April. Good news that effectively confirms what we suspected!


Link: ***NEW BASE*** London Southend ATR Captains with Sigma Aviation Services | 1401384315

[BHD2BFS]

Maybe they will be able to sustain routes such as Belfast and Edinburgh that ezy could not.
Atr would be perfect size for them

[Dontgothere]

EI-BYO

What do you all make of this photo I came across? AER ARRANN ATR 42 | Flickr - Photo Sharing!