EI-CFD "St. Senan" - Saab 340 - Aer Lingus Commuter

Built: 1991
S/N: 257
Status: Active

Operations:

EI-CFD like its sister ships was a straight out of production purchase by Aer Lingus for its Commuter fleet flying short domestic and UK hops. It also left the airline 4 years after its purchase in 1995. Like 2 of its 3 sister ships it ended up being sold to Detroit-based Northwest Airlink flying regional hops around small US cities as N257PX.

Our aircraft spent nearly exactly 1 year at Northwest Airlink before being sold to Australian carrier Kendell Airlines in 1996 as VH-EKX. It was best in South-East Australia, flying regularly from both Sydney and Melbourne to smaller destinations. The aircraft remained in Kendell until the company was merged with Hazelton Airlines.

The merger of Kendell Airlines and Hazelton Airlines resulted in what is now Australia's biggest regional airline outside the Qantas group, Regional Air Express, or as its more commonly known, REX. Thankfully, the aircraft remains there today as part of a thriving fleet of Saab 340s in Australia. The airline currently operates 50 Saab 340s flying to destinations throughout Australia, so the future is bright for our old aircraft in Australia, 19 years after its arrival there.

EI-CFC "St. Finbarr" - Saab 340 - Aer Lingus Commuter

Built: 1991
S/N: 255
Status:Active

Operations:

Like its sister ships CFA,CFB and CFD, CFC began life as an Aer Lingus Commuter Saab 340A, coming straight off the production line to Ireland. Unfortunately however it too was removed from the fleet in 1995.

EI-CDC left Aer Lingus and joined Finnaviation, a now defunct Finnish commuter carrier with a fleet solely made up of Saab 340s. In Finnaviation it took up the registration OH-FAH and sported Santa Claus across its side for a time, promoting the "home" of Santa Claus, Rovaniemi in Northern Finland.

The aircraft didn't last long in Finland, in fact two years later it made its way across the Baltic to start its new life as LY-SBB, operated by Lithuania Airlines. It began its time there in May 1997 and remained there until October 2002, in which time it flew mostly to Eastern and Northern European destinations including its old home in Helsinki. 

In 2002, our aircraft joined its sister ships once more, CFA and CFB in Mexico with Aerolitoral as XA-TTW. It remained in Aerolitoral colours until 2007 when the airline changed to Aeromexico Connect. 

When Aeromexico Connect began moving to an all-jet, all-Embraer fleet, our aircraft too got the chop. Thankfully though it was then bought by Thai airline Happy Air to be the airline's one and only aircraft. The aircraft remains there today as HS-HPA, Over 20 years after its construction and still going strong proving to be the backbone once again of an airline. The airline and aircraft are based in Bangkok Suvarnabhumi where it operates scheduled services to 2 domestic cities as well as charter services. 

EI-CFB "St. Aoife" - Saab 340 - Aer Lingus Commuter

First Flight: May 1991
S/N: 251
Current Status: Stored

Operations:

EI-CFB began its life as an Aer Lingus Commuter aircraft doing short domestic hops across Ireland and to regional airports in the UK.

It spent about 4 years in Ireland before being sold to Detroit based Northwest Airlink in 1995 to join one of the largest Saab 340 fleets in the world at that time. It took on the new US registration N251PX.

Then after just a year in Northwest, the aircraft was once again sold. This time to Aerotaca Colombia in September 1996 and became HK-4088X.

In December 1999 however, the aircraft was on the move again. This time to Mexico to Aerolitoral (later to become Aeromexico Connect). It spent 5 years in Mexico as XA-TQO doing domestic hops around Mexico while making the odd trip to the border cities of Texas and Arizona. 

After its stint in Mexico it was time for S/N 251 to head back stateside and it was bought by American Commuter airline Colgan Air which operated as Continental Express and later as United Express post-merger. The aircraft was registered N251CJ in its time at Colgan Air and was primarily based in Washington Dulles and Houston where it once flew in as XA-TQO. The aircraft remained at Colgan Air until its operations were shut down in 2012 and all its assets were transferred to other United Express subsidiaries. Unfortunately for our aircraft, the end was nigh, and the aircraft was placed into storage where it has remained for the past 3 years.

Below is a photo of the aircraft in its last operational scheme.