Summary Eagle-eyed Ryanair fans spotted aircraft with the wrong registration, EI-EBS, displaying an Ivory Coast flag. Each aircraft must have a unique code marked on it, indicating its country of registration, similar to a license plate on a vehicle. There are airports globally with similar names causing confusion; always double-check the destination when booking tickets.
We've all heard the horror stories of passengers booking tickets to the wrong destinations of the same name, Sydney, Australia, versus Sydney, Halifax, for example. But how common is it that an airline registration is done incorrectly? Eagle-eyed Ryanair fans have spotted one of its aircraft with a Côte d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast) flag on its fuselage, similar to the Irish flag but the other way around. EI-EBS Ryanair, one of Europe's largest and most popular airlines, operates an extensive network through its subsidiaries to connect budget travelers across the continent.
Of a fleet of 300 aircraft, plus many more on order, predominantly are of the Boeing 737 variant, to which it is one of the plane makers largest customers. EI-EBS is a 15.4-year-old Boeing 737 NG aircraft with the manufacturer serial number (MSN) 35001.
It first flew for Boeing on March 18, 2009, before being delivered to the European ultra-low-cost carrier on March 31, 2009, later that month. It remains active in the Ryanair fleet and can accommodate up to 189 passengers in an all- economy configuration. To help the aircraft take flight, it is powered by two CFMI CFM56-7B26 engines.
This data was retrieved from ch-aviation . To celebrate the anniversary, the low-cost carrier has launched a sale for its passengers. Have you heard the Simple Flying podcast recently? Looking at the aircraft's tail When an aircraft is delivered to its new owner, it is required by international convention to have the unique code (registration) marked on the exterior of the aircraft.
This registration indicates the country of registration and functions similar to a license plate on a car or a ship registration. This code must also appear in its Certificate of Registration, issued by the countries' relevant Civil Aviation Authority . Each aircraft can only have one registration in one jurisdiction.
However, this can be changed over the life of the aircraft when sold to various owners. In most cases, aircraft are registered to the jurisdiction where the carrier is based and enjoy preferential rights as a flag carrier for that country's international flight operations. Carriers in some markets see their registration as representing where they are leased or purchased from by banks or financial centers.
However, the Chicago convention sets out country-specific prefixes used in the registration marks and makes provisions for how these must be displayed. Many commercial aircraft also include the flag of the registration country. In the case of EI-EBS, this faux-pas appears to have occurred when the registration and flag were applied to the aircraft, and it only appears incorrect on the right-hand side of the aircraft.
Different flags for different nations When comparing Ireland to the Côte d'Ivoire, it is certainly not apples for apples. Ireland, a country in Europe, is home to more than 5.1 million people, a shadow of the population in Côte d'Ivoire, which surpassed 28 million in 2022.
Ireland is an English and Gaelic-speaking nation, while French is the primary spoken language for those in the Côte d'Ivoire. However, how similar are their flags, and what does each resemble? Côte d'Ivoire This tricolor flag has three vertical stripes. Orange (at the hoist), white, and green, and each color symbolizes something different: Orange - representing savannas in the north and the fertility of the land White - representing peace and purity Green - signifies hope for the future Republic of Ireland This is compared to the Irish flag, a symbol for the Irish people.
It is made of green (at the hoist), white, and orange. These colors resemble: Green - the Gaelic tradition White - signifies a lasting truce between the orange and the green Orange - represents support of William of Orange For those unfamiliar, William III (also known as William of Orange) was the sovereign Prince of Orange since birth, the Stadtholder of Holland, Zeeland, Utrecht, Guelders, and Overijssel in the Dutch Republic from the 1670s, and also King of England, Ireland, and Scotland from 1689 until he died in 1702. Ryanair warned that any further delivery delays could worsen its situation in an already difficult fare environment.
Get all the latest airline route news right here Easily confused travelers Fortunately for passengers on the Côte d'Ivoire flag-bearing Ryanair aircraft, it does not affect the overall registration of the aircraft or where it flies. However, for some unlucky passengers, it is more common than you may think to book yourself to the wrong airport. Across the world, several cities and airports bear the same name, and you could be forgiven for booking your ticket to the wrong one.
Simple Flying looked into a couple of airports to keep a close eye on for the next time you are booking a trip: Sydney Kingsford Smith International Airport (SYD), in Australia, and JA Douglas McCurdy Sydney Airport (YQY), in Nova Scotia, Canada Maurice Bishop International Airport (GND), in the Caribbean nation of Grenada, and Federico García Lorca Granada Airport (GRX), in Grenada, Spain Arturo Michelena International Airport (VLN), in Valencia, Venezuela, and Valencia Airport (VLC), Spain Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport (SJU), in San Juan, Puerto Rico, and Domingo Faustino Sarmiento Airport (UAQ), in the San Juan province of Argentina Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport (BHM), in Birmingham, Alabama, United States, and Birmingham Airport (BHX), in Birmingham, United Kingdom To make it easier to remember, check out the map below: A New York man must have been incredibly confused upon landing in Sidney, Montana, as his intended destination was Sydney, Australia..
