Emerald Airlines.... new kid in town!

mr.anonymous · 10-12-2020 2:52pm

Any speculation as to who is the buyer? (Article has paywall)

goingnowhere · 10-12-2020 4:02pm

It isn't Emerald

smurfjed · 10-12-2020 7:08pm

As much as I would love to see Emerald purchase Stobart for the sake of the staff, it usually doesn’t make the best business sense to buy the problems of old airlines.

Stovepipe · 11-12-2020 2:31pm

Stobart laid off their apprentices recently. If you can't or won't keep on your cheapest people, what chance is there?

hurleronditch · 12-12-2020 9:33pm

Stovepipe wrote: »

Stobart laid off their apprentices recently. If you can't or won't keep on your cheapest people, what chance is there?

Often it’s not price, it’s price to get rid of, and an apprentice on a training contract could be made redundantly for close to zero euro. Someone with 10+ years experience on a healthy salary and possibly union redundancy terms can be very expensive. Also, if you get rid of all your senior staff your apprentices can’t run the place, and apprentices in most professions require an investment by employer and employee for a future long term benefit. If there’s no future for stobart what’s the point.

13-12-2020 3:54pm

Stovepipe wrote: »

Stobart laid off their apprentices recently. If you can't or won't keep on your cheapest people, what chance is there?

I’m sure other senior engineers have gone too so probably worth reporting the whole pictures not selective pieces

As poster above said apprentices carry hidden costs such as senior engineers time to train, review, sign off and document so they are a lot more expensive than just their wage. Apprentices are an investment with the usual 3 year payback, in the current situation I’d imagine that maths don’t add up to keep them. That might sound harsh but when your patent company is bailing you out to the extent of £15m in just 9 months and you know you won’t be around in the long term it’s probably justified

“ Stobart Group said last month that Stobart Air and Propius have burned through almost £15m (€16.6m) in cash since they were reacquired by the UK’s Stobart Group in April.”

Stovepipe · 14-12-2020 5:10am

I was told about the aptces getting the door as a single piece of information. Most of the experienced people are already gone. They are down to a handful of certifiers. The end is nigh.

mr.anonymous · 06-09-2021 10:24am

Emerald granted their AOC after DUB-ORK demo flight and inspections by IAA.

kevinandrew · 14-11-2021 1:34pm

EI-GPP, the first ATR72 for Emerald, is currently completing a flight from Exeter to Norwich.

It’s been at Exeter Aerospace, a facility of Dublin Aerospace, for a couple of months reviving work and carrying out test flights.

Norwich is home to Air Livery aircraft painting services, maybe we could be seeing the first Emerald ATR in Aer Lingus colours soon?

jucylucy · 15-11-2021 9:40am

It’s due in today for a paint job…usually takes about 7 days!

kevinandrew · 17-12-2021 1:43am

With the announcement today of their March 17 launch, Emerald have also said they’ve set up a company in NI and applied for a UK AOC with the intent to begin operations from Belfast City under Aer Lingus Regional as soon as possible in 2022.

17-12-2021 1:25pm

Would they operate from ORK/SNN as well?

SNN base closed back in 2015 for EIR but they still operated BHX/EDI on W rotation from ORK

kevinandrew · 17-12-2021 3:36pm

They probably will return at some point but at the moment the focus will understandably be on the larger network at Dublin, and the reliable domestic UK routes from Belfast City.

Ryanair has filled the gap on some UK regional routes from Cork and Shannon, at relatively poor frequencies at first but will increase them. If Ryanair eventually get bored (as they’ve done many times before) and see opportunities elsewhere, that’ll leave room for Emerald.

Irish Steve · 20-12-2021 12:27am

I suspect that Exeter could get a better service than many are expecting, in that Dublin Aerospace have bought the maintenance operation that was Flybe, so I could see things like Belfast Exeter Dublin Exeter Belfast being a more frequent rotation, with airframe changes happening to get aircraft in and out of maintenance, rather than having to operate ferry flights. Might be guessing here, but as both Belfast and Dublin had services to Exeter, it would seem to me to be a logical choice and facilitate airframe swaps without too much inconvenience.

goingnowhere · 20-12-2021 8:32pm

The AOC comes into play here

UK AOC -> UK G reg -> UK pilots licence

IE AOC -> IE EI reg -> EASA pilots licence

The questions is NI in EASA or not as EI mainline is flying EI reg UK domestic, whereas FR got into hot water. So if EI is currently able to operate what accounts to UK domestic (where every flight either starts or ends in NI) who needs a UK AOC for EI regional ? Or is EI at Belfast actually wet leased to BA?

basill · 20-12-2021 10:28pm

EI has an exemption to operate the UK to UK flights with its Irish reg till next year. It is my understanding that they will then fly G reg on those routes. Nothing to see here.

kevinandrew · 20-12-2021 10:42pm

Aer Lingus is still flying for BA as a wet lease operator at Belfast City. I believe three A320s were assigned to the job back in January when the Brexit transition period ended and it was initially to last just until March but with no realistic solution apart from permanently moving some A320s to the UK register (and thus severely limiting their fleet flexibility) they’ve instead continued the wet lease flying.

I think they get away with this because by appearing to wet lease to BA, they’re operating for an airline with the majority of its aircraft on the UK register whereas Ryanair UK just had one token aircraft and the majority of its planned flying used non-UK registered aircraft.

Aer Lingus would run into the same problem if they leased to Aer Lingus UK, the majority of their flying in the UK wouldn’t be UK reg aircraft anymore.

Masala · 07-01-2022 5:03pm

Emerald win the Donegal - Dublin PSO contract for next 4 years....

It's a start ......... well done them.

https://www.gov.ie/en/press-release/77190-ministers-ryan-and-naughton-announce-emerald-airlines-as-the-new-operator-on-the-government-funded-donegal-dublin-pso-air-route/#

07-01-2022 5:08pm

225km approx as the crow flies to Dublin Airport and not particularly close to any population centre.

That's the price you pay if you want to keep a TD in the Constituency.

L1011 · 07-01-2022 5:11pm

225km but over 4 hours drive. Most of the voters would prefer a Derry PSO, CFN is there to support the IDA business park and hence jobs.

Flight times still support a day in Dublin from Donegal; not the other way around as they also did when there was a night stopping frame + Glasgow flights in between. Used to use that in an old job, don't need it now though.

07-01-2022 5:24pm

"CFN is there to support the IDA business park and hence jobs." at what cost, at what cost...it's on a fecking peninsula facing out on to the Atlantic Ocean. Cool airport and surroundings but..Jesus wept!

marno21 · 07-01-2022 5:53pm

EI website says they will be operated by an ATR 72. Wonder if Emerald will eventually take on a 42 for this route/Isle of Man.

EI-GEV, the AT46 formally of Stobart is now flying for Loganair as G-LMSA

PinOnTheRight · 11-01-2022 2:11pm

I see EI-GPN is up doing training at CFN today as EAI3T

theskeptic · 12-01-2022 10:23am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118455145#Comment_118455145

From "Donegal Spotter" https://youtu.be/BoKfs7585rE

AMKC · 13-01-2022 2:03pm

Are turbines more efficient than jet engines or cheaper to run or why is it that some planes still use them. Would it just not be practical for a jet engine on that route or is it its just cheaper to build a turbine engined plane so cheaper for the airline to buy and operate on certain routes where a jet engined plane would be to expensive?

Chris_5339762 · 13-01-2022 2:09pm

Turbines are way more efficient. I remember hearing once that some jets use as much fuel taxiing than a turbine does on a sector.

Noxegon · 13-01-2022 4:54pm

Apropos of nothing, I've decided to bite the bullet and do a quick trip to Donegal to experience the "little Fokker" before Amapola leave the route.

I wonder how much the taxpayer is paying to subsidise the ATR72 – seems like way too much capacity for a small airport in the middle of nowhere.

Masala · 13-01-2022 5:33pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118468586#Comment_118468586

Am sure the taxpayer are subsidising Bus Eireann to Donegal as well...... and irish Rail... if there was a train service.

kevinandrew · 13-01-2022 7:19pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118468586#Comment_118468586

Stobart Air was seeing impressive year on year growth on its CFN/KIR routes before the pandemic, no doubt helped by the Aer Lingus Regional franchise with its brand power, Stobart was expecting to carry upwards of 100k on CFN/KIR by now. The ATR42 was probably ideally suited to CFN in terms of capacity but I believe the overall operating costs are quite similar so for Emerald the advantages of operating a sole 42 model would have been slim and if the recovery gathers pace, the ATR72 should be well positioned for future demand.

https://www.stobartair.com/passengers-dublin_kerry-donegal/

In the continued absence of suitable rail infrastructure, an air route will continue to be an important link for the region.

kevinandrew · 13-01-2022 7:31pm

Emerald has confirmed it will launch a base at Belfast City Airport under its Aer Lingus Regional franchise, it will serve six destinations in Britain;

https://www.emeraldairlines.com/article/more-flights-and-lower-fares-passengers-set-to-benefit-as-emerald-airlines-and-george-best-belfast-city-airport-announce-new-long-term-partnership

It will use a British operating certificate and has more routes planned for later in 2022. Interestingly, no start date has been included with the announcement which suggests to me it's a pre-emptive move ahead of the Flybe 2.0 return which has apparently chosen Birmingham and Belfast City has its launch bases.

Emerald Airlines.... new kid in town!

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