Irish flag carrier Aer Lingus has received its second Airbus A320neo aircraft this week. EI-NSA departed Ostrava in Czechia bound for Dublin on Thursday. In August, EI-NSB left Ostrava and landed in Shannon, where it remains today. EI-NSA will leave Dublin for the first time bound for London Heathrow on its first-ever commercial flight this week.

The inaugural flight

On Friday, Aer Lingus confirmed the inaugural flight on LinkedIn. EI-NSA will be leaving Dublin on the 6:30 EI152 flight to London Heathrow. Typically, Aer Lingus uses an A320 for this early morning flight. The flight is expected to be just over an hour. It is unknown whether the airline will host a special event for the inaugural flight.

Simple Flying reached out to Aer Lingus for comment. However, we have not received a reply at the time of publishing.

Once the aircraft lands, it will depart on the 8:50 flight back to Dublin, where it will most likely operate another European flight. The Dublin to Heathrow route is Aer Lingus' flagship European route. With up to 11 daily flights on the Dublin to London route and 11 from London to Dublin, this is Aer Lingus' moneymaker.

Aer Lingus also uses an Airbus A320neo to fly this route. The A321neo allows the airline to sell business and premium economy seats compared to the A320ceo. This aircraft type is typically used on the 9:50 flight out of Dublin. During rare occasions and high-demand scenarios, the airline will consider using an A330. This aircraft was a common sight during the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to Aer Lingus, the aircraft will "service high demand routes on the Aer Lingus short-haul network" alongside flights to London.

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Why does Aer Lingus have an A320neo?

Destined initially for Smartavia, the Russian airline had to cancel its delivery due to sanctions on Russia. Both aircraft are owned by the Irish leasing firm CBD Aviation which currently owns 60 Airbus A320neo aircraft. According to ch-aviation, both EI-NSA and EI-NSB are leased out to Aer Lingus until 2034.

When Aer Lingus saw that there were 2 A320neos on the market, they grabbed the opportunity with both hands and signed a leasing agreement.

Back in July, Simple Flying reported that sights of an A320neo in the Aer Lingus livery surfaced online. Both aircraft were manufactured in Toulouse at the Airbus factory. Then, it moved to Leoš Janáček Airport (OSR), Ostrava, receiving its iconic Aer Lingus livery.

In August, EI-NSB left Leoš Janáček Airport and was destined for Shannon Airport in Shannon, Ireland. EI-NSB is still on a remote stand with its engines covered up at Shannon. This delay is believed to be because the aircraft is awaiting release by the Aer Lingus engineering department before entering revenue service.

A great choice

The A320neois the perfect plane choice for Aer Lingus. Its fuel efficiency, capacity and overall passenger comfort are ideal for Aer Lingus' customers.

According to ch-aviation, the aircraft has a capacity of 188 and is in a 3x3 configuration. Both aircraft are operating the CFM LEAP-1A26 engines, allowing the type to fly more economically and efficiently.

Concerning the cabin, Aer Lingus says, "the cabin in our A320neo aircraft is fitted with comfortable modern seats with an average 29" pitch."

Aer Lingus CEO Lynne Embleton shared the following in a company statement about the new addition to the fleet:

"This is a great opportunity to bring new, state-of-the-art aircraft into our short-haul fleet. Renewing our fleet is one of the key ways for Aer Lingus to meet our sustainability targets, which is a priority for us over the coming years. The new generation Airbus A320neo aircraft is much more sustainable in terms of fuel burn and CO2 emissions and this is not only important to Aer Lingus but also to our customers. Equally, these more environmentally-friendly aircraft incur lower landing charges in some key airports so the new A320neos will help us to reduce costs."

What do you think about Aer Lingus' A320neo? Would you like to fly on it? Let us know in the comments below.

Source: Aer Lingus, ch-aviation.com