Here’s a summary of the key information from the provided text:
* Aer Lingus is closing its Manchester base on March 31st, 2026. This was confirmed to staff on Wednesday.
* Impacted Routes: Manchester-New York flights will cease on February 23rd, 2026. Aer Lingus plans to offer Dublin-Barbados flights to re-accommodate affected customers. Services between Ireland and Manchester are not affected.
* Staffing: around 200 pilots and cabin crew are employed at the Manchester base.
* Union Response: Unions are seeking redeployment of staff to Ireland. IALPA (pilots’ union) believes pilots have a right to redeployment to Dublin, though the company disputes this. Unite (cabin crew union) is negotiating redundancy terms and redeployment.
* Customer Impact: Aer Lingus is cancelling flights scheduled after March 31st and offering refunds or re-accommodation.
* Reasoning: Aer Lingus CEO Lynne Embleton stated the base was underperforming, despite the airline maintaining it is profitable. The base was initially established in 2021 to utilize aircraft during the slow recovery of travel post-COVID-19 in Ireland.
* Consultation: Aer Lingus has been consulting with staff since November about the potential closure.