Earlier this week, Aer Lingus confirmed that it would be withdrawing from its Manchester base. Its main long-haul rival from Manchester, Virgin Atlantic, announced that it would be expanding capacity in light of the Irish carrier’s exit.

“Manchester really matters to us,” Virgin Atlantic Airways CEO Corneel Koster said, announcing the news. The airline will be adding capacity on its Orlando route this summer and has committed to further growth from summer 2027.

Manchester primarily caters to leisure traffic, evidenced by the long-haul network that Aer Lingus and Virgin currently have. They both fly to Orlando, Barbados and New York-JFK. Virgin also operates to Atlanta.

Virgin Atlantic grows Manchester flights

Virgin Atlantic revealed that it would be growing its Manchester base this week. It will increase Orlando capacity by 12% in peak summer 2026 with seven weekly additional frequencies, according to this week’s long-haul schedule update.

“Manchester really matters to us. So when the news broke that an Irish airline was withdrawing long-haul flying from Manchester Airport, our creative team knew exactly what to do to send a clear signal of Virgin Atlantic’s commitment to customers in the region,” Koster said on social media, referring to Aer Lingus’ exit.

The carrier will also be expanding capacity in winter. Seats on flights to Orlando will rise by 17% thanks to the deployment of the Airbus A350-1000 on the sector.

Dave Geer, Chief Commercial Officer at Virgin Atlantic, said: “Manchester has been our home in the North for thirty years and we’re in it for the long haul. Increasing capacity on our Orlando services is a clear signal of that commitment, ensuring customers can continue to travel across the Atlantic from their local airport.

Aer Lingus exits Manchester long-haul operations completely

Aer Lingus announced it would be exiting Manchester completely after its base failed to achieve the desired results. Around 200 jobs will be lost as the company withdraws from the English airport at the end of March 2026.

This comes after it emerged in November that Aer Lingus was weighing the closure of its Manchester base as the performance continued to “significantly lag behind” its primary network from Ireland.

“Despite all of the work and best efforts of the team, the Manchester long-haul operating margin performance continues to significantly lag behind that of Aer Lingus’s Irish long-haul operating margin,” the company said in a statement at the time. “This situation has prompted a necessary consideration of the long-term viability of the Manchester base.”

In January, it confirmed it was in discussions with staff about the possible closure of its base. It removed all flights from sale as the consultation process with employees took place.

Data from the UK Civil Aviation Authority shows the airline had load factors of 74.5%, transporting just over 320,000 passengers. 

Aer Lingus says it wants to fly between Dublin and Barbados in April and May 2026, subject to approval to reaccommodate affected customers.

Featured image: russell102 | stock.adobe.com

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