Aer Lingus deploys Airbus A330 widebody to Brussels

Brussels Airport welcomed an unusual Aer Lingus widebody on Wednesday, 9 September, when the Irish carrier deployed an Airbus A330-300 on its morning service between Dublin and the Belgian capital.

The long-haul aircraft operated the Dublin–Brussels rotation and returned to Ireland as flight EI631. It left Brussels at 11:39 and arrived in Dublin at 11:50 local time, around ten minutes behind schedule.

Aer Lingus normally serves the 784-kilometre route with a single-aisle Airbus A320, configured with approximately 174 seats. The A330-300 used on Wednesday offered around 315 seats, including 30 business-class seats, providing substantially more capacity than usual.

The reason for the one-off substitution has not been officially confirmed. It may have reflected operational requirements, aircraft positioning or stronger passenger demand rather than a permanent capacity increase. Published schedules show the route returning to A320 operation on 10 September, although another A330-300 rotation was listed for 20 September.

Despite initial reports identifying the aircraft as an A330-200, flight records classify the aircraft operating the 9 September service as an A330-300. The appearance of an Aer Lingus widebody at Brussels nevertheless provided an uncommon sight, as the airline’s A330 fleet is primarily deployed on transatlantic services.