| For St. Patrick's Day what better airline to feature than Aer Lingus, an airline that festoons its tails with the shamrock? Who knows, they might even serve green beer on its flights! The airline doesn't date back to St. Patrick, though. Not even close. While Patrick was a contemporary of Augustine of Hippo (about the fourth century), Aer Lingus dates back only as far as April of 1936. In that month, in the midst of the Great Depression, Aer Lingu Teoranta was registered as a private airline company by the Irish Government. The name is an Anglicization of aer loingeas, which simply means "air fleet." Very original, eh? |
| The first Aer Lingus flight is recorded on 27 May 1936. The original name was Aer Lingus Teoranta. In November 1945 the airline began flights to London-Heathrow with new Douglas DC-3s and a number of ex-military C-47 'Dakotas' (the military version of the DC-3). In 1948 Aer Lingus launched a venture called Aerlinte Aireann (Irish Airlines) flying to New York with Constellations (commonly called "Connies"). The flights to New York would last only a few months and the Connies were sold. Aerlinte Aireann would continue until a formal merger with Aer Lingus in 1960. The combined airline was then called Aer Lingus-Irish International. |
| The original craft was a six seat De Havilland 84 Dragon biplane named Iolar ("eagle"). The first Aer Lingus flight started from Dublin's Baldonnel airfield and reached its destination of Bristol. In September 1936 Aer Lingus took delivery of a fourteen seat, four engine De Havilland 84B Dragon Express. |
| Today Aer Lingus operates from a main hub in Dublin to destinations in Europe and North America with a fleet of modern Airbus and Boeing 737 aircraft. Aer Lingus Commuter was formed in 1983 to serve United Kingdom destinations from Ireland. Previously these routes were served by mainstream Aer Lingus jetliners. The creation of Commuter allowed Aer Lingus to continue serving smaller cities more efficiently and profitably. Aer Lingus Commuter uses mainly Shorts SD-330, Shorts SD-360, and Fokker 50 aircraft, all two engine aircraft. Aer Lingus also operates Irish Helicopters as a subsidiary, but no date is given for the start of this branch of Aer Lingus. In 1983 Aer Lingus acquired a majority shareholding in a Dublin-based cargo carrier called Aer Turas. Aer Turas started as an air taxi service in 1962. The original name was Aer Turas Teo (Air Tours Ireland). So tonight, as you celebrate the exploits of Patrick of Ireland, raise a glass of green beer in toast to the airline that makes it possible to visit Patrick's adopted homeland. |
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