Aer Lingus cuts Dublin-Heathrow routes but lines up new aircraft

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% 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 32m 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 E9m this year from E31m in 2023. All Heathrow flights from Cork, Shannon and Knock airports will continue.<br/>