Aer Lingus prepares to exit Manchester as long-haul flights go off sale
January 9, 2026
Aer Lingus has taken a step towards withdrawing its long-haul presence from Manchester, stopping the sale of tickets for transatlantic routes beyond the end of March and signalling that the closure of its UK base at the airport is increasingly likely.
From April, the Irish carrier will no longer sell seats on flights from Manchester to New York, Orlando or Barbados, a move it says is designed to minimise disruption to customers as it reassesses the future of the operation.
The decision follows weeks of internal consultation and comes after the airline confirmed it would begin formal discussions with staff about mitigating potential job losses.
Aer Lingus stops selling Manchester long-haul flights from April
While Aer Lingus has stopped short of formally announcing the closure of the Manchester base, the latest developments point clearly in that direction.
The airline has been evaluating the sustainability of the operation since late 2025, a review that has been underway for around two months and has been the subject of industry speculation about what it would mean for the Irish flag carrier’s UK operation.
Virgin Atlantic also operates a number of long-haul flights from the UK’s third busiest airport, with a mix of Airbus A330 and A350 equipment. Both airlines serve similar routes, so there is some overlap.
In an internal communication to staff reported by the Irish Times, Aer Lingus acknowledged that it had explored a range of measures to raise returns at Manchester, but said none had proved viable.
Manchester jobs at risk as Aer Lingus begins staff consultations
The airline said it now needs to prepare for the possibility that the base will close, as it continues to consider alternatives that could limit redundancies.
The base is reported to be money making for Aer Lingus. However the airline said that the performance of the Manchester base was below that of its Irish operation.
As Aer Lingus’ long-haul destinations from Manchester are more leisure-focused, yields are most probably lower with a lack of corporate traffic.
“Despite all of the work and best efforts of the team, the Manchester longhaul operating margin performance continues to significantly lag behind that of Aer Lingus’s Irish longhaul operating margin, the airline said in a statement sent to Aerospace Global News in November. “This situation has prompted a necessary consideration of the long-term viability of the Manchester base.”
Industrial disputes add pressure to Aer Lingus UK operations
Around 200 staff are employed at the Manchester base. The airline has said it will enter a consultation process in the coming days, in line with UK employment law and existing collective agreements.
Employees may be offered opportunities to transfer elsewhere within Aer Lingus or across parent company International Airlines Group (IAG).
The Irish Airline Pilots’ Association (Ialpa) told the Irish times: “Ialpa will be working closely with Aer Lingus management to find solutions and options to mitigate any potential redundancies in the Manchester base.”
The news comes after strikes by crew at the Manchester base impacted operations. In October, a four-day strike impacted 18 flights and 4,000 flights. Disruption continued throughout the weeks that followed, further hurting the performance of certain routes.
What remains unaffected from Aer Lingus’ UK flights?
The airline has emphasised that any changes at Manchester will not affect its core short-haul services between Ireland and the city.
Flights operated by Aer Lingus and Aer Lingus Regional linking Manchester with Irish cities will continue as normal, regardless of the outcome of the long-haul review.
For now, the carrier continues to operate its existing schedule through to the end of March, with customers holding tickets beyond that date to be rebooked or refunded in line with standard policies.
What is Aer Lingus UK?
Aer Lingus UK was set up in 2012, but remained dormant until 2020 when Aer Lingus announced the opening of a base at Manchester airport as of October 2021.
It has two A330-300s listed under its register according to planespotters.net.
Featured image: Carlos Yudica | stock.adobe.com
