EI BHX Delay
 

Anyone know why Aerlingus Birmingham flight has a 7+ hour delay? Few aircraft movements so surely not due Tech aircraft. Staff shortage? Highly unusual delay for them.

EI-GPO flew BHD-GLA last night but the return was cancelled and the aircraft is still on the ground there so I assume it’s probably something to do with that.

Thanks

Has anyone heard any more about the potential withdrawal of Aer Lingus from BHD?? Understand with the new requirements from the CAA its AL's preference to not operate from Belfast

What new requirements @Sharket7? And do they apply to Emerald as well as EI as all services are operated by Emerald?

What I heard from another site is that

EI is closing down their Belfast crew base at the end of October . Belfast Flight Crew have been offered long haul flights from Dublin to allow them to commute from Belfast.

Emerald to remain unaffected at the moment but have the same issue of not having a UK AOC

I have noticed that EI-GZY on jethroseu is going to be go on UK AOC and will be registered G-CMJN

I thought Aer Lingus had got a UK AOC for their Manchester long haul operation. Would they not be able to use this for their Belfast flights if they wanted to?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aer_Lingus_UK

https://www.ch-aviation.com/portal/n...it-secures-aoc

Is it closing or stopping for w22/23. Will BA add extra LHR rotations?

I guess they would then have to put one (or more) A320s onto that UK AOC, an issue in its own right and one which reduces fleet flexibility.

I do wonder though how it is only an issue now, and not before from the day of the end of EU membership.

Given Aer Lingus are today still selling LHR-BHD into Nov "Operated by Aer Lingus" using the current EI flight nos, is this route dropping confirmed? Or is it a case of dates TBC?

The rumour was closure of the Aer Lingus (Ireland) Belfast pilot base. No speculation about dropping the route.

Just a potential change of AOC.

Aer Lingus (UK) is a separate subsidiary, so there wouldn’t be an automatic transfer of the local pilots, unless of course they want to transfer over and have/are prepared to get a UK license.

Actually the rumour I heard was Aer Lingus were dropping it for BA. No point in having one G- A320 flying BHD-LHR with no economies of scale. So no change in sight yet it seems.

Aer Lingus don’t have a BHD pilot base. They shut it down ages ago. BHD is crewed from DUB but with local cabin crew.
Aer Lingus UK has its registered ‘office’ in BHD albeit a broom cupboard somewhere. They could easily transfer 320’s to the UK aoc and may do so with the LR’s for MAN as the 330’s might be going back to DUB.
I’ll be sorry to see the back of them if they leave the LHR route as BA are expensive and unreliable. EI do a far superior service on it.

Emerald Airlines UK Ltd made its first appearance 05 Oct, AT76 G-CMJN ( ex EI-GZY ) training between Ronaldsway, Belfast City and Southampton.

ICAO designator: EAG
RT callsign: GREENSTONE

Are easyJet closing their Belfast City/Liverpool route?

At the moment, there is nothing available after the end of March ... in fact, apart from Gatwick, all of their other routes are unavailable.

Easyjet often use BFS<>UK as a filler route to keep aircraft utilisation high. It could be that the BFS routes will be added in when the European route timetable is finalised.

Never seen a BFS to BHD route before!

We are talking about Belfast City here, not Belfast International.

And, in any case both are in the UK which includes other bits, not just England.

Me

Gillair used to.operate BFS To BHD

Indeed they did, during 1999, with the 20min sector even appearing in their printed timetables.
CAA stats recorded as many as 16 such local pax for the whole of 1999 !
Operated as part of a combined ATR72 service between NCL and both Belfast airports.
Will it be U2 or BE who revive it first? !

https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....e1db2f0ca4.jpg

I think also at one point the positioning ex skynet royal mail aircraft in the morning and evening too and from BHD also at one point was sold as commercial flight.