Aer Lingus is now in discussions with parent company IAG International Airlines Group regarding the acquisition of four A321-200NY(XLR) aircraft
The company’s chief executive Lynne Embleton said during IAG’s 2024 second-quarter investors call that she is reengaging with Luis Gallego and Nicholas Cadbury (the group’s CEO and CFO, respectively) “on the possibilities of A321neo(XLR). This the type would bring new opportunities for Aer Lingus, but it also means we get more productivity for the pilots who are flying between Europe so that they can do European flights and then they can do transatlantic flights.”
Aer Lingus had been named as the global launch operator of the XLR. However, due to the pilot pay dispute, IAG dropped Aer Lingus and instead opted for Iberia to take the role of receiving the first A321neo(XLR), which is set to be introduced into commercial service in mid-November when the Spanish airline deploys it from Madrid to Boston. Luis Gallego said that IAG was still considering what to do with the XLRs. The group ordered eight XLRs from Airbus. The first two, msn 11348 and 11504, were due to Aer Lingus but are now set to be delivered to Iberia, and both have been seen with the Spanish carrier’s livery on their tails and engines.
Irish Air Line Pilots’ Association (IALPA) has voted to accept a Labour Court proposal for a 17.7pc pay increase over four years for Aer Lingus pilots, which also increases single aisle hours from 600 a year to 800.
