Aer Lingus fleet: the aircraft Ireland's flag carrier flies

Aer Lingus and Ryanair are Dublin Airport's two biggest customers [13], but their fleets could hardly be more different. Where Ryanair flies Boeing 737s, Aer Lingus flies Airbus jets from the A320, A321 and A330 families [1] [2]. Its regional flights, under the Aer Lingus Regional brand, are ATR turboprops flown by Emerald Airlines [10].

Exact counts move as aircraft arrive and leave, so the numbers here carry the date they were true. Where our sources only give a rough figure, we say "about".

Short haul: the A320 family

The short-haul workhorse is the Airbus A320 [2]. The fleet had about 27 of the original A320s in July 2026 [1] [2]. Since 2022 they have been joined, and gradually replaced, by the A320neo: about 8 by July 2026 [1] [2]. The first, with 186 seats, entered service on 28 September 2022 as flight EI152 from Dublin to London Heathrow, and two older A320s were retired as the first two neos arrived [6].

To tell the two apart from the ground, look at the engines and the wingtips: a neo's engines are much larger, and every neo has tall Sharklets. The A320neo article explains both. If you are not sure it is an Airbus at all, see Airbus A320 vs Boeing 737.

Across the Atlantic on one aisle

Aer Lingus also flies the Atlantic on a single aisle. It took its first A321LR in July 2019, with 16 business and 168 economy seats [7]. By May 2026 it had eight A321LRs and six of the longer-range A321XLRs in service, 14 A321neos in all [3]. Its first two XLRs, EI-XLR and EI-XLT, arrived in December 2024 [8], and the sixth and last, EI-XLX, was delivered from Hamburg to Dublin on 30 January 2026 [4].

In summer 2026 its A321neos flew 13 transatlantic routes, 11 from Dublin and two from Shannon [3]. All of them are covered in the library's A320neo article.

The widebodies: A330

The biggest aircraft in the fleet is the Airbus A330. Aer Lingus flies both the A330-200 and the A330-300 [1] [2]; Aerospace Global News counted 14 A330s in May 2026 [3]. One of them, the A330-300 EI-GAJ Saint Carthage, joined in May 2017 with 313 seats, 30 in business and 283 in economy [9].

One A330 has come home. Aer Lingus UK, the Manchester-based long-haul arm, had ceased operations by April 2026, and its A330-302 G-EILA flew back to Dublin on 31 March to rejoin the main fleet as EI-ELA [5].

Aer Lingus Regional: the ATR

The turboprops in Aer Lingus colours belong to Emerald Airlines, which flies franchise services under the Aer Lingus Regional brand, connecting the island of Ireland with the UK regions and the Channel Islands [10]. Its aircraft are ATR 72-600s with up to 72 seats [10]. Emerald's first Aer Lingus Regional flight was Dublin to Donegal on 26 February 2022 [11].

What is coming

In May 2025 Aer Lingus's parent, IAG, ordered 21 Airbus A330-900neos, which may be assigned to Aer Lingus, Iberia or LEVEL [12]. How many will wear Aer Lingus colours had not been said in the sources we read, so we leave the number out.

In photographs

Look closer at the shapes, details and liveries. Every photograph links to its original and credits its creator.

Drawings and original documents

Existing published drawings are credited below. These are reference illustrations, not manufacturing blueprints. Manufacturer planning drawings are linked below. Reproduction rights are retained by the publisher.

• A320 and A320neo airport planning drawings, July 2026

  The manufacturer reference covers both original and neo powerplants, with engine-specific ground clearances and drawings for fences and Sharklets.

• A320neo development timeline, June 2026

  Airbus’s official backgrounder traces the neo launch, certification and first delivery, then follows the LR and XLR developments.

• A330 airport and maintenance planning drawings, December 2025

  Airbus’s technical planning reference brings together dimensions, passenger and cargo arrangements, ground manoeuvring and servicing drawings for the family.

• A330 Family facts and programme timeline, June 2026

  The official backgrounder follows the original passenger jets through the freighter, tanker, passenger-to-freighter and neo programmes.

• ATR 72-600 manufacturer brochure

  ATR’s official product sheet includes a 72-seat cabin plan and a dimensioned cabin cross-section on page 2, alongside aircraft dimensions, engine information and performance assumptions.

• ATR’s history of innovation

  The manufacturer’s illustrated retrospective explains the high wing, propeller technology, carbon-fibre structure and propeller-brake hotel mode.