Aer Lingus marks its 75th anniversary

Aer Lingus recently celebrated its 75th anniversary with fanfare. To mark the occasion, the airline unveiled a new retro painted aircraft in the former 1960s ‘Irish International’ livery.

An Airbus A320- El-DVM, MSN 4634 series, named ‘St Coleman’, especially painted for the occasion, was the newest addition to the fleet.

To trace the 75 years of its journey, cabin crew of Aer Lingus were dressed in vintage uniforms designed by acclaimed designer Louise Kennedy. The cabin crew donned vintage uniforms, from each decade beginning 1945 through to the current uniform of the airline.

Christoph Mueller, CEO of Aer Lingus, while speaking at the 75th anniversary celebrations, said, “The 2011 is a very special year for Aer Lingus as it marks the airline’s 75th anniversary. Since the early days of 1936, Aer Lingus has grown to become a flag carrier with a worldwide reputation for our friendly staff, our high quality of service, value for money and innovation. Throughout the 75 years we have carried out our mission of connecting Ireland with the world, transporting millions of customers annually. We look forward to continuing to fly the shamrock for the next 75 years.”

The first ever flight was launched by Aer Lingus between Baldonnel and Bristol on May 27, 1936. The flight with five passengers was operated on a six-seater aircraft De Havilland 84 Dragon named Iolar, meaning ‘eagle’ in Irish.

To celebrate the 75th anniversary, the sister aircraft of the Iolar had undergone a restoration project, and would be once again be airworthy partaking at celebratory events throughout the year.

Aer Lingus, in its inaugural year, operated three routes. It carried 892 passengers and had a total of 12 staff working for it.

As the airline completed its 75th year of service in 2010, Aer Lingus carried 9.4 million passengers. It is currently flying to over 100 routes to 75 destinations in 22 countries. Presently, the airline has nearly 4,000 staff working for it.