LONDON – Emerald Airlines, one of Ireland’s newest airlines welcomed its 6th ATR72-600 from Limerick based aircraft leasing giant, Nordic Aviation Capital (NAC).
The latest aircraft (pictured) is registered as EI-HDK. This positions Emerald Airlines (EAI) to later operate their ATR 72 on behalf of Ireland’s flag carrier Aer Lingus.
The welcoming of the 6th ATR raises the total fleet of Ireland’s newest airline to 13. The ATR is considered to be the spine of Emerald Airline’s ever-expanding fleet of regional aircraft, and it is considered to be a very important asset.
In fact, Richard Spencer, Director of Engineering and Fleet at Emerald Airlines, said while accepting the new aircraft from NAC in Toulouse, France: “We are delighted to have accepted our 6th ATR72 aircraft from NAC.”
“The ATR 72 is an essential part of our strategy at Emerald Airlines – offering high frequency, convenient, and affordable air travel across Ireland and the U.K. We would like to thank the team at NAC for their belief and support and look forward to adding this aircraft to our growing fleet.”
The ATR 72 family is very popular for regional carriers like Emerald Airlines and is often the go-to aircraft for many. The ATR 72 is equipped with an efficient turboprop Pratt & Whitney Canada PW100 and emits the lowest greenhouse gases of any aircraft in its category.
This means that the ATR 72 regional aircraft burns 40% less fuel than its direct competitor. This translates to the ATR having a smaller carbon footprint compared to other regional light jets with 4,000 tonnes less CO2 per aircraft per annum.
This makes the ATR 72 a very sensible and cost-effective choice for regional routes and for new airlines, like Emerald Airlines.
Emanuele Andreta, SVP Marketing at NAC said, “NAC is very proud to be a partner with Emerald Airlines. In delivering our 6th aircraft to Emerald, we are grateful to have built a strong relationship over a short period with Emeralds Technical and Management Team.”
Air Lingus contracts Emerald Airlines to supply their complement of ATR 72s for their regional flights from Dublin (DUB) and Belfast City Airport (BHD) in Northern Ireland.
This translates to the ATR operating over 430 flights per week on 18 routes from 14 airports including destinations in the United Kingdom such as Bristol, Birmingham, Exeter, Edinburgh, Newcastle, Isle of Man, and Newquay among others.
Before Emerald Airlines existed, Aer Lingus Regional flights were performed by leased ATRs from Stobart Air, until the airline ceased its operations in mid-June 2021 due to financial hardship earlier in 2020.
Emerald Airline bid to fulfil a regional tender to Aer Lingus, and won the contract to carry on from Stobart Air. This gives Aer Lingus an upper hand in controlling its regional aircraft assets and thus diversifying risk as a whole.
