Aer Lingus is transferring nearer to closing its Manchester Airport base, placing round 200 jobs in danger, after concluding that efforts to enhance margins on the operation are not viable.
The Irish flag provider has advised employees it’s going to start formal consultations within the coming days on “mitigating job losses which might happen within the occasion of a base closure”, whereas concurrently confirming it’s going to cease promoting tickets for its long-haul routes from Manchester after 31 March.
Flights from Manchester Airport to New York JFK, Orlando and Barbados will not be obtainable to e book past that date, a transfer that trade sources say strongly factors in the direction of the bottom being wound down.
Though Aer Lingus has stopped in need of formally confirming closure, inner communications seen by employees underline the airline’s place. Whereas the Manchester operation is worthwhile, Aer Lingus mentioned its margins are “far beneath” these achieved elsewhere within the enterprise.
“The airline has explored numerous choices for rising the margin on the Manchester base, however sadly so far these choices don’t look like viable,” the airline advised workers in a memo.
Providers between Eire and Manchester, operated by Aer Lingus and Aer Lingus Regional, won’t be affected.
The Manchester base, run by Aer Lingus’s UK subsidiary, employs round 200 individuals, together with almost 130 cabin crew, and operates transatlantic providers utilizing two plane. Employees have been advised they could be supplied redeployment alternatives elsewhere inside Aer Lingus or its mum or dad group IAG, which additionally owns British Airways and Iberia, or the choice of redundancy.
The potential closure follows months of commercial stress on the base. Cabin crew, represented by Unite, staged strike motion in October and November in a dispute over pay, whereas Aer Lingus has additionally clashed with the Irish Airline Pilots’ Affiliation over employment points affecting Manchester-based pilots.
Unite has reacted angrily to the most recent developments, accusing the airline of “financial vandalism” and warning of additional disruption if the proposals proceed.
Aer Lingus reported an working revenue of €135 million for the three months to June 2025, almost 50 per cent increased year-on-year, and Unite claims the Manchester routes had been forecast to generate round £35 million in revenue. The airline has acknowledged the bottom is worthwhile, however argues it underperforms relative to its Irish long-haul community.
Unite normal secretary Sharon Graham mentioned: “It is a worthwhile base and Aer Lingus’ plans to shut it present a whole disregard for its loyal workforce.”
The union says it has repeatedly requested Manchester-specific monetary knowledge to justify the proposed closure, which it claims the airline has not but offered. Unite is now balloting members on industrial motion, with the vote closing on 26 January and potential strikes from late February.
John O’Neill, Unite’s regional officer, mentioned: “No stone have to be left unturned in pursuing all choices to maintain the bottom operational and protect jobs. Unite won’t again down with out a battle.”
For Aer Lingus, the scenario highlights the rising strain airways face as labour disputes, operational prices and margin expectations collide. For Manchester Airport and the area’s aviation workforce, the approaching weeks are more likely to show decisive.
