Speaking as a frequent AF passenger on that route, I'd be thrilled to see the back of the horribly uncomfortable Avros...

No, we don't assume that at all. We assume that (a) as mentioned above, AF has commercial control of the route (wet lease to WX rather than a franchise as it was before - AF has I believe switched all or almost all their subsidiary flying, with all their subsidiaries, from franchise to wet lease) so can make their own fleet decisions, and (b) that the A318/319/320 are all bigger than the Avro so would be appropriate to deploy if demand is high (it may be, I don't know, that a Paris-based Avro operated some other route on the days in question, i.e. a straight swap).

In any case I don't really understand your idea that flying an occasional few Airbuses to Dublin would somehow "protect the brand". But if you want to develop some sort of "dark forces" theory, it only remains for you to explain how this is all part of the cosmic plot to disadvantage Cork Airport... ;)

Any day now we will hear that AF will want to operate an Airbus A380 on the Paris Dublin route! :ouch:

Any news on the runway extension to enable DUB-SIN non-stop?! ;)

Any updates on Pier F and the parallel runway?
Also any news on flights to Tokyo or Sydney?

Expansion
 

Oh please tell me the new runway and Pier F issues are being raised again ? :)

Well they did operate it on LHR-CDG.

I thought virgin galactia were going to use dublin as a space port?

No. Their plan was for LHR but they didn't get the slots from BMI. :E

EK B777 to Dubai will now start on 1 May and not 1 July however the flight on 2 May will be with the A330 and then the B777 is full time.

A380
 

Is the runway(s) at Dublin long enough for an a380 ?

Emirates 777
 

That's fantastic news ! So I'll be able to see it when I'm going to Rome and Faro :) but is the runway(s) at dubllin long enough for the 777 ?

Yes, more than sufficient; DL operated 777s from DUB a few years back and EK already does 2 daily from Birmingham, which has a shorter runway than DUB.

Great to see such healthy growth; no doubt the aggressive marketing has helped; next stop, 2nd daily?

JetPhotos.Net Photo » A6-EBK (CN: 34481) Emirates Boeing 777-31HER by John Fitzpatrick

Looks like EK will use the B777 on DUB route between May and July when they can. May is showing B777 (FYJ), (PYH) but June is showing the A330.

Over .1.4 million passengers in March - level on March 2011.

Europe 690,000 down 3%
UIK 600,000 up 2%
US 110,000 up 2%
Middle East 38,500 up 114%
Domestic 4,500 down 70%

Traffic year to date is down 2% but for the next few months there should be an increase in traffic.

Latest News > More Than 1.4 Million Passengers In March At Dublin Airport

Looks like a correlation in the figures for Europe -3% and the Middle East +114%. Perhaps even UK to Middle East??

38500 x 12 = 462000. Is that possible?

The main factor for European drop is FR not starting there seasonal routes until late March. Last year Dublin and a number of other bases had some seasonal routes started from 1 March.

I think the middleast stats are just a bubble that will burst. its like the inbojnd stats from poland during the celtic tiger years. they are just a sign of the mass migration i think v soon they will level off and start to contract. a sad but tru reflection of ireland today

Has Emirates made a decision about the lounge?

Depends.......................... is it a one way or return trip :E

Wings abroad uk just gone under. will that affect dub and the tailwinds flights?