Aer Lingus BAC1-11s. What routes did they perform ?

[Mooncrest]

A niche fleet of just four identical aircraft for over twenty years. I'm sure Aer Lingus could have had more if they wanted but, evidently, four was the magic number. Initially, a little more than the Viscount 800 capacity-wise and then slotting in between the Viscount and the 737-200. The 1-11 turned up frequently at Leeds Bradford on the Dublin flights (along with the 737) and I believe was also used on the fifth freedom trips from Dublin to Copenhagen, Milan etc., staging through Manchester on the way. Aer Lingus must have been very satisfied with their four pocket rockets to have operated them for so long but I guess there was more to the fleet than what I've mentioned.

[42psi]

Only fifth freedom flight they regularly operated was the Hamburg.

[dixi188]

I remember being in Dublin soon after the 1-11s went to Nigeria and talking to one of the Aer Lingus engineers. He was a bit cross and said, "we never put a scratch any of them in 20 years and the F***ing ***s have written off one and damaged another within months.

[kcockayne]

The 1-11s operated the summer schedule Dublin to Jersey service for many years. The first I remember of them was, however, operating inclusive tour services from Dublin to several Spanish destinations at weekends. Later on, 1974, I flew Edinburgh to Dublin return on two of them.

[Consol]

I remember being in Dublin soon after the 1-11s went to Nigeria and talking to one of the Aer Lingus engineers. He was a bit cross and said, "we never put a scratch any of them in 20 years and the F***ing ***s have written off one and damaged another within months.
Yes but even worse. EI operated them for 24 years (65-89). Kept all four intact. I understand that three out of four were written off within eighteen months of going to Nigeria.
Flew back from LGW in one in '88.

[SpringHeeledJack]

That must have been almost heart breaking for the EI engineers who looked after them for all those years. Just an aluminium tube etc, but yet so much more. I remember seeing some photos only a few years ago of quite a few 1-11's parked together, covered in a thick layer of gunk somewhere in Nigeria, perhaps Kano (?) or Lagos. Might one of those have been the remaining EI cohort, or were these ROMBAC examples ?

[DaveReidUK]

That must have been almost heart breaking for the EI engineers who looked after them for all those years. Just an aluminium tube etc, but yet so much more. I remember seeing some photos only a few years ago of quite a few 1-11's parked together, covered in a thick layer of gunk somewhere in Nigeria, perhaps Kano (?) or Lagos. Might one of those have been the remaining EI cohort, or were these ROMBAC examples ?

Three of the four ended up at Kaduna, one being written off after it skidded off the runway there in August 1992.

The fourth was scrapped at Southend.

[bar none]

Only fifth freedom flight they regularly operated was the Hamburg.

They operated fifth freedom flights from Man to Zrh, Bru, Cph, Fra, Dus and Ams replacing Viscounts. I don't think they ever did Ham and Lin.

[Geezers of Nazareth]

I can remember seeing Aer Lingus BAC1-11 in Heathrow in the early 70s. It always seemed to be on a Sunday afternoon, and I think it was a flight from/to Cork.

[Mr Mac]

I remember seeing Aer Lingus Leeds Bradford to Dublin before the runway extension, used to look like a Cat shot
Cheers
Mr Mac

[DH106]

If I remember rightly in the late 70's/early 80's, Aer Lingus usually scheduled a 1-11 on their Sunday LBA-Dublin slot, with the 737-200 operating the same several times mid-week.
The 1-11 certainly seemed much noiser departing R15 from the Scotland Lane estate!

[42psi]

They operated fifth freedom flights from Man to Zrh, Bru, Cph, Fra, Dus and Ams replacing Viscounts. I don't think they ever did Ham and Lin.

Ahh, that was the "original" 5th freedom routes.

I was thinking of the later 1988 onwards ones :)

[moleytt]

When I was in my teens, I fly on an Aer Lingus 1-11 from Liverpool (Speke) to Dublin for my Uncles wedding. I think this was my first ever flight on a plane.

[L1649A]

They also flew domestically. I had many pleasant flights DUB-SNN. Am I correct in thinking they had no reverse thrust ?? Landings always were pleasantly quiet (by today's standards).

[Airbanda]

They also flew domestically. I had many pleasant flights DUB-SNN. Am I correct in thinking they had no reverse thrust ?? Landings always were pleasantly quiet (by today's standards).

I'm fairly sure they had reverse thrust but the reverser vanes were inside rather than the clamshell type on some other designs.

[dixi188]

All 1-11s had reverse thrust with cascade vanes on top and underneath the aft section of the nacelle and clamshell doors inside.
Some operators used them quite vigorosly while others used reverse idle and more brakes.

[Liffy 1M]

I would say that Aer Lingus 1-11s were used on most, if not all, European and on all UK routes from Dublin over their time in service with the carrier, though Aer Lingus's then network was limited by today's standards. Amsterdam, Brussels, Dusseldorf, Frankfurt and Zurich were amongst the scheduled destinations and places like Barcelona, Ibiza, Palma and Tarbes saw charter services. I also recall the type being used on a service from Belfast to Shannon (connecting with transatlantic services) amongst other non-Dublin routes.

[Doors to Automatic]

They used to fly into Birmingham quite often in the late 1980s. I remember watching one landing on 33, touching down on the threshold markings and turning off onto the cross runway after a landing run of around 2000ft!

[GAZIN]

I remember them operating to Dublin from STN in the late eighties, along with the 737-200’s.

https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/2000x1307/b39ff62a_e57a_438a_89ea_99917051363c_6fa2113688e5e2098f7b7ae f93278015928755ce.jpeg

[Repos]

https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/1000x686/shannon_1980_a073c512ed7278599fbf56185d074f9c43a27d10.jpg
From the roof terrace Shannon, 1980 I think

[pax britanica]

Like an earlier poster I remember seeing them as far back as the green stripy EI livery as one of the Sunday 'oddities' that LHR seemed to have back then.

I too thought they went to Cork or Shannon.

I remember turning up at Dublin to find a BA 1-11 500 once which was bit of a surprise but much later on found myself on EI 767 so it was route which had bit of variety from time to time .

[pax britanica]

Like an earlier poster I remember seeing them as far back as the green stripy EI livery as one of the Sunday 'oddities' that LHR seemed to have back then.

I too thought they went to Cork or Shannon.

I remember turning up at Dublin to find a BA 1-11 500 once which was bit of a surprise but much later on found myself on EI 767 so it was route which had bit of variety from time to time .

[Musket90]

As a young boy I remember seeing them at Glasgow, Renfrew airport before the new Abbotsinch airport opened in 1966.

[Liffy 1M]

https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/1000x686/shannon_1980_a073c512ed7278599fbf56185d074f9c43a27d10.jpg
From the roof terrace Shannon, 1980 I think
Looks more like Cork to me.

[Repos]

It's defnitely Shannon, the "I think" was about the year, sorry, it was a bit misleading the way I wrote it.

[nivsy]

As a young boy I remember seeing them at Glasgow, Renfrew airport before the new Abbotsinch airport opened in 1966.
Served GLA often on the EI222/3 or/and EI 224/5.

[goofer]

Sometimes the DUB-GLA and DUB-EDI flights would be amalgamated (presumably light loads) and then you could have the fun of GLA-EDI nice and low and very quick!
Mel, Malachy, Declan and Ronan - much loved.

[Flightrider]

From the Aer Lingus Amchlar an tSamraidh 1989 (Summer timetable) - the deployment of the 1-11s looks very patchy and the timetable can't be totally accurate as there is a daily Cork-Heathrow flight on a 1-11 but no return; a daily Heathrow-Dublin 1-11 but no means of moving the aircraft between Dublin and Cork.

EI712 ORK 1325 - 1440 LHR daily
EI846 DUB 1240 - 1625 AMS -----6- 03Jun30Sep
EI642 DUB 0745 - 0840 BHX 12345--
EI262 DUB 1100 - 1155 BHX -----67
EISN642 DUB 0745 - 1115 BRU 12345--
EI846 DUB 1240 - 1320 ORK -----6-
EI698 DUB 1615 - 1855 DUS 12345-7
EI652 DUB 1030 - 1330 FRA 1234567
EI458 DUB 1800 -1920 LGW 1234567
EI680 DUB 0710 - 0755 MAN 12345--
EI214 DUB 1535 - 1620 MAN ------7 04Jun24Sep
EI216 DUB 1830 -1915 MAN -----67
EI218 DUB 1905 - 1950 MAN 12345-7
EI083 DUB 1245 - 1320 SNN 12345--
EI659 DUB 1600 - 1635 SNN -----67
EI097 DUB 2200 - 2235 SNN 12345-7

Cork-Manchester back in those days was twice weekly on a Shorts 360. Cork-Birmingham had twice-weekly Sat/Sun services but one was a Fokker 50!

[42psi]

The EI680 was the DUB/MAN/HAM
returning later in the day as
The EI681 HAM/MAN/DUB

[Mr Mac]

If I remember rightly in the late 70's/early 80's, Aer Lingus usually scheduled a 1-11 on their Sunday LBA-Dublin slot, with the 737-200 operating the same several times mid-week.
The 1-11 certainly seemed much noiser departing R15 from the Scotland Lane estate!
DH106
That would be correct as I only observed that service once while driving by with my parents, and it was on a Sunday afternoon taking off in southerly direction.
Cheers
Mr Mac