Aer Lingus is in talks with staff to discuss the future of the carrier’s Manchester base which it says has been underperforming. One of the options on the table, the airline confirms, is the closure of the base in its entirety.

Currently, the carrier offers a variety of long-haul flights from Manchester using its Airbus A330-300 aircraft under its Aer Lingus UK brand, operating primarily to leisure destinations. This includes flights to Bridgetown, New York and Orlando.

Virgin Atlantic also operates a number of long-haul flights from the English airport with a mix of Airbus A330 and A350 equipment. Both airlines serve similar routes, so there is some overlap.

Aer Lingus in discussions with unions

Aer Lingus says that the performance of the Manchester base is subpar. “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. “This situation has prompted a necessary consideration of the long-term viability of the Manchester base.”

The carrier confirmed that it is in discussions with staff at the Manchester base to brief them on the performance. It also confirmed that the staff would enter into a collective consultation process to explore options related to the base.

This included the possibility of a base closure.

“We acknowledge and fully appreciate that this is an uncertain and difficult time for colleagues based in Manchester and we will work closely with the management team and the staff in Manchester over the coming weeks, ensuring that they are kept fully informed and supported,” it continued.

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.

Route performance is lagging

According to information from the UK Civil Aviation Authority, in 2024 the airline had load factors of 74.5% transporting just over 320,000 passengers. This provides but an indication of the airline’s profitability from Manchester. For reference, British Airways achieved a load factor of 85% while now-defunct Blue Islands stood at 61%.

Information from the US Department of Transportation shows that its US flights to New York and Orlando from Manchester were on average 76% full during the first half of this year. Virgin Atlantic performed slightly better by this metric, with an average of 79% on its flights to Atlanta, New York and Orlando.

As Aer Lingus’ long-haul destinations from Manchester are more leisure-focused (though New York is likely a mix), yields are most probably lower with a lack of corporate traffic. Volume, therefore, is an important metric – and is somewhat missing based on load factors. It also faces competition from Virgin Atlantic on all its long-haul routes.

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: alfonsosm | stock.adobe.com

Sign up for our newsletter and get our latest content in your inbox.

Please enable JavaScript in your browser to complete this form.

First name *

Last name *

Email address *

Interests *InterestsAir TransportAviation ServicesBusiness and General AviationDefenceEvent WrapsFuture WorkforceIn the SpotlightInnovation and TechnologyLeadershipManufacturingRegulationRotorcraftSpaceSustainabilityUnmannedUrban Air Mobility

*

• I agree to Aerospace Global News' Privacy Policy

Subscribe