- Aer Lingus halts transatlantic ticket sales from Manchester beyond March 31.
- Closure consultations aim to mitigate job losses for 200 staff.
- Operating margins at Manchester lag behind Irish long-haul operations.
- Services to Barbados, Orlando, and New York affected by decision.
- About 40 pilots employed, with 30 potentially returning to Ireland operations.
Aer Lingus confirmed plans to consult on closing its Manchester base after halting ticket sales for transatlantic flights from the city beyond March 31. The move affects about 200 staff members employed at the operation launched in 2021. The airline aims to minimise job losses through consultations exploring alternatives to redundancies.
Services to Barbados, Orlando, and New York operate from Manchester, but sales for travel after the end of March have ceased. The airline revealed that operating margins on these long-haul routes lag behind those from Ireland. Initial talks with staff and unions began in November.
The base remains profitable, yet margins fall below comparable parts of the business. Options to improve margins proved unviable despite efforts by the Manchester team. Consultations will cover phased reductions, resourcing, employment opportunities within Aer Lingus or the IAG group, and severance terms.
Aer Lingus shared in a written statement “While consideration of proposals for avoiding and/or reducing redundancies will continue, it is important to also address contingencies in the event that the base closes.
The airline has emphasised throughout the consultation process that whilst the Manchester base is profitable, the margins at the base are significantly below that in other comparable parts of Aer Lingus’ business. During the consultation processes, the airline has explored various options for increasing the margin at the Manchester Base, but unfortunately to date these options do not appear to be viable. This is despite all of the committed work and best efforts of the Manchester team, a commitment that continues to be seen and is much appreciated, including throughout a Christmas period which has been very challenging from an operational perspective.
It is our intention to consult over issues, such as what a phased reduction in the operation would look like, both in terms of dates and resourcing, what opportunities exist within Aer Lingus, or indeed within or outside of the IAG group for alternative employment and the possible terms of a severance package at the Manchester base including any arrangements in relation to notice.”
