De Havilland DH84 Dragon AI-ABI

Flying past Otterspool ready to land at Liverpool John Lennon.

This aircraft commemorates the original Dragon EI-ABI which operated Aer Lingus’ first service from Dublin (Baldonnel) to Bristol on 27 May 1936.

Aer Lingus decided to make the aircraft airworthy again in time for the airline's 75th anniversary celebrations on 27 May 2011, and so a major restoration effort commenced in January 2010, again undertaken by a team of volunteers. Every effort was made to have the restored aircraft in as close to the condition as it was for the passengers in 1936! The aircraft took to the air again on February 24th 2011 in good time for the important events in May

EI-ABI is one of only two Dragons still airworthy in Europe, and in fact is the only UK-built example still active, as the other example is an Australian-built aircraft which was produced in 1942.