Aer Lingus prepares to stop long-haul flights from major city airport as major update issued
A major city airport has issued a statement following the confirmation that Aer Lingus plans to fully cease its transatlantic operations by the end of March. On Wednesday the airline announced that it would withdraw its routes from Manchester to New York, Orlando and Barbados.Aer Lingus announced that its Manchester to New York route would cease from February 23, while the long-haul routes will cease completely by March 31, MEN reports.It said that it plans to “operate a service from Dublin to Barbados (subject to receipt of necessary approvals) during the months of April and May to reaccommodate affected customers.”The airline stated that its Aer Lingus and Aer Lingus Regional flights between Manchester and Ireland will not be impacted. Customers affected by the announcement will be contacted directly with “reaccommodation and refund options”.Aer Lingus added: “Aer Lingus will continue to engage with staff representative groups to discuss the phased reduction in operations, redeployment opportunities and the terms of a severance package at the Manchester Base.“Aer Lingus acknowledges that this is a very difficult time for colleagues based in Manchester and will seek to ensure that colleagues are kept informed and supported as discussions evolve during the next phase of the consultation.”Manchester Airport has reassured passengers that the routes to New York, Orlando and Barbados are already served by other airlines. Responding to the news, a Manchester Airport spokesperson said: “Aer Lingus has taken the decision to stop offering long haul flights from its Manchester base – but it is important to be clear it will retain a significant presence here in Manchester thanks to its short-haul network.“All Aer Lingus’s long-haul routes from Manchester – New York, Orlando and Barbados – are also served by other airlines operating here so it doesn’t affect our overall connectivity meaning Northern passengers still have the full benefit of the greatest international route network of any UK airport outside London.”The official confirmation of the end of Aer Lingus’ transatlantic routes from Manchester Airport comes after weeks of growing uncertainty. In November the M.E.N reported that the company was moving to close its operating base at Manchester Airport, affecting around 200 jobs.At the time, the firm said that its Manchester long-haul operating margin performance 'continues to significantly lag behind that of Aer Lingus's Irish long-haul operating margin' and that they were assessing the base's 'long-term viability.' They said they were entering a consultation period with affected staff.On January 8 the airline said that it would no longer be offering tickets for transatlantic flights from Manchester from March 31 this year, in order to 'minimise customer disruption in the event of a closure of the Manchester base.'
