Aer Lingus will cut back the number of Dublin–London Heathrow services from this winter but the Irish airline could get up to six new aircraft that will potentially boost its North American network.
The airline agreed to increase pilots’ pay by 17.75 per cent last month following a bitter dispute that sparked industrial action and cancelled flights.
Management told staff on Monday that it planned to cut its Dublin-London Heathrow services by about two flights a day from this winter. Passenger numbers on the route have failed to recover after the Government rolled back Covid-19 travel curbs, largely because business people are flying less.
That, and a controversial planning condition limiting passenger numbers at Dublin Airport to 32 million a year, prompted the decision, the airline said.
Aer Lingus will cut winter services to nine or 10 flights daily from between 11 and 12 in 2023-2024, with summer 2025 capacity coming back to 11 or 12 trips instead of the 13 or 14 a day it is operating this year.
The airline said it was assessing damage caused by the dispute against a background of increased competition and the passenger cap.
“This includes a review of the weaker parts of the airline’s network and its cost base,” a statement added.
The company blamed increased competition on North American routes for a fall in profits for the six months to June 30th to €9 million this year from €31 million in 2023.
All Heathrow flights from Cork, Shannon and Knock airports will continue.
The company also confirmed that it will get two Airbus A321 extra-long-range (XLR) jets from its owner, International Airlines Group (IAG), this year. The aircraft can fly distances between Ireland and North America at a lower cost than most long-haul jets, opening potential new transatlantic opportunities for Aer Lingus.
IAG could allocate up to six XLRs to the Irish carrier altogether, with the remaining four arriving next year.
XLRs originally destined for the Irish airline were allocated to one of IAG’s its other carriers, Spanish company Iberia, as the dispute with pilots heated up this summer.
Luis Gallego, IAG chief executive and his Aer Lingus counterpart, Lynne Embleton, warned that the pilots’ strike could hinder the allocation of new aircraft to the carrier earlier this year.
However, it has emerged that the Irish airline will get all six, as originally planned, following talks between Aer Lingus management and its parent.
The Labour Court recommended deal on pilots’ pay capped salaries for flying narrow-body aircraft, a category that includes the new Airbus.
Aer Lingus indicated that this gave certainty on the cost of operating the XLRs.
The Irish carrier has leased the take-off and landing slots at Heathrow airport that it will not use from this winter to fellow IAG subsidiary, British Airways, a move requiring Irish Government permission.
IAG had to agree that Aer Lingus would maintain services between the Republic and Heathrow as a condition of the State selling its stake to the group in 2015, allowing its takeover.
That agreement lasted to 2022, but the condition requiring permission to lease the slots remained.
Along with the lag in business flights’ post-Covid recovery, demand for Heathrow has fallen as Aer Lingus and other carriers increased services to North America from Dublin.
Irish people flying to Asia, Australia and the Pacific Rim have more options as Turkish Airlines and the three Gulf carriers, Emirates, Etihad and Qatar, all connect to those regions via their hubs.
