"The Irish flag carrier has told staff it will begin formal consultations in the coming days on "mitigating job losses which would occur in the event of a base closure", while simultaneously confirming it will stop selling tickets for its long-haul routes from Manchester after 31 March. Flights from Manchester Airport to New York JFK, Orlando and Barbados will no longer be available to book beyond that date, a move that industry sources say strongly points towards the base being wound down."
"Although Aer Lingus has stopped short of formally confirming closure, internal communications seen by staff underline the airline's position. While the Manchester operation is profitable, Aer Lingus said its margins are "far below" those achieved elsewhere in the business. "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," the airline told employees in a memo."
Aer Lingus will begin formal consultations on mitigating job losses and will stop selling tickets for long‑haul routes from Manchester after 31 March. Flights to New York JFK, Orlando and Barbados will no longer be available to book beyond that date. The Manchester base is profitable but delivers margins far below other parts of the business, and options to improve margins have been judged not viable. Services between Ireland and Manchester operated by Aer Lingus and Aer Lingus Regional will not be affected. The UK subsidiary‑run base employs about 200 staff, including nearly 130 cabin crew, and operates transatlantic services with two aircraft. Staff may be offered redeployment within Aer Lingus or parent group IAG or redundancy. The potential closure follows months of industrial tension, including Unite cabin‑crew strikes in October and November and disputes with the Irish Airline Pilots' Association.
Read at Business Matters
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]