asked the Minister for Transport and Power when the BAC 111 aircraft recently purchased by Aer Lingus will be in service; and on what routes they will operate.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Aer Lingus BAC Aircraft.
4.
I am informed that the first of the BAC 111 aircraft is expected to be in service on 3rd June, 1965 and that the remaining BAC 111 aircraft on order by Aer Lingus are expected to be in service on 22nd June, 1965, 23rd July, 1965 and 8th August, 1965. It is the intention of the company to operate the aircraft on all their continental routes progressively with the exception of Dublin-Manchester-Amsterdam, Dublin-Jersey-Rennes and Dublin-Cherbourg.
Could the Minister state whether these aircraft will be flying on approved journeys with BEA Tridents?
I do not follow the Deputy. BEA are employing a large number of Tridents. I am not aware of any exact occasions on which they will be flying in parallel.
I take it the Tridents would be flying the same route as the BAC 111 aircraft.
Not necessarily. It depends on the time it takes to do the journey. I do not follow the Deputy.
I do not mean the aircraft flying together, alongside each other. Would they be flying on the same continental route as the BAC 111s.
In some cases they may be, but in other cases they may not. There is no Trident on the Dublin-Paris or on the Dublin-Manchester-Frankfurt route. I fail to understand the Deputy but no doubt they will be competing on some of the routes.
Would the Minister not agree that the Trident aircraft are considerably faster than the BAC 111s?
I have already dealt with that; the BAC 111s were an excellent choice by Aer Lingus.
Time will tell.