EI-LAX, an Airbus A330-200 that maybe doesn’t quite represent the ‘luck of the Irish’. The Aer Lingus aircraft had more than its fair share of incidents between 2010 and 2015. However, it’s still flying and we photographed the airliner while plane spotting at Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ) on August 25, 2017.
For full-size, high resolution versions of any of the photos in the image gallery, simply click on the individual pictures. See below for more detailed information on EI-LAX, the Airbus A330-200 model in general and the airline.
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EI-LAX
Airbus A330-200
Aer Lingus
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EI-LAX Aer Lingus Airbus A330-200 Image Gallery
EI-LAX
EI-LAX took its first flight on April 13, 1999 and was delivered to Aer Lingus on April 29, 1999. The A332 is named St. Mella. On December 1, 2013, the airliner was leased to Novair, returning to service with Aer Lingus on April 1, 2014. Novair is a charter airline founded in 1997 and headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden. Currently, they have a fleet of three aircraft flying to 17 destinations in the Mediterranean and Canary Islands.
This Airbus A330-200 is one of four in the Aer Lingus fleet and is configured for maximum total of 271 passengers. There are 23 seats in business class an 248 more in economy class.
On May 13, 2010, EI-LAX was flying from Orlando, Florida to Dublin, Ireland. Just after takeoff, an emergency was declared when the left side engine failed due to a massive oil loss. Passengers were rebooked onto a flight the following day.
On April 16, 2012, the A332 was flying from Madrid, Spain to Washington, DC. On the initial climb out of Madrid, a problem with the flaps was detected. The climb stopped at 12,000 feet and the aircraft returned to Madrid.
Once again, on March 11, 2013, an initial climb was stopped due to a problem with the flaps. This time, EI-LAX was flying from Dublin to Boston, MA and the climb was stopped at 10,000 feet.
Move ahead to February 2, 2015, after a year and half or so without any major problems. The Airbus A330-200 was flying from Dublin to Chicago, Illinois. On final approach, the crew determined that the nose wheel steering might not be functioning. The airliner landed safely despite the nose wheel steering failing.
Airbus A330-200
The Airbus A330-200 is a shortened but longer flying version of the A330-300, the original variant in the family. The first A332 entered service with Korean Air in 1998. The aircraft is 59 metres or 193 feet in length, 16 feet shorter than the A333. The wingspan is share with its older sibling at 60 metres or 198 feet. At the tail, the A332 is actually taller by two feet at 17 metres or 57 feet in height. The flight range is 13,450 kilometres, around 1,500 KM more than than the Airbus A330-300.
Aer Lingus
Aer Lingus was founded in 1936 and is now owned by the International Airlines Group, owners of British Airways, Vueling and Iberia. More recently, there have been three unsuccessful takeover attempts by ultra low cost carrier Ryanair. The airline is headquartered in Dublin Ireland on the grounds of the Dublin Airport (DUB).
Currently, there are nearly 50 airplanes in the fleet and the airline flies to 91 destinations around the world. The Airbus A330-300 is the largest in the fleet with the A330-200 the longest flier. On order are Airbus A321LR and Airbus A350-900 models.
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