Aer Lingus replica Dragon visits Cork Airport for anniversaries
A restored de Havilland DH.84 Dragon in Aer Lingus colours visited Cork Airport, marking the carrier's 90th year and the airport's 65th. The replica recreates the aircraft that flew Aer Lingus's first service in 1936.
A replica de Havilland DH.84 Dragon in Aer Lingus colours flew into Cork Airport this week. The courtesy call marks two anniversaries: the airline's 90th and the airport's 65th year.
The biplane is named Iolar, Irish for eagle, and is a faithful copy of the machine that flew Aer Lingus's first route in May 1936, from Baldonnell in Dublin to Whitchurch Airport in Bristol. That inaugural trip carried five passengers and took three hours, averaging 110 mph. An Aer Lingus Airbus A320 today cruises at 515 mph.
The original Iolar was lost off the English coast during the Second World War. The restored aircraft joined the Aer Lingus fleet in 1986, when the company marked 50 years.
Darran Dineen, Cork Airport's general manager for operations, safety, IT and facilities, called the visit unique and historic and noted the double anniversary. Aer Lingus has been the airport's longest-standing airline customer, he said, with a presence there since 1961.
Aer Lingus currently operates non-stop services from Cork to 15 destinations in the UK and Europe, among them four daily flights to London Heathrow, where passengers can connect onward.
Sources
- airport-world.comHistoric occasion for Aer Lingus and Cork Airport