Aer Lingus
Encyclopedia
Aer Lingus Group Plc (an anglicisation
of the Irish
Aer Loingeas meaning grossly "air fleet") is the flag carrier
of Ireland
. It operates a fleet of Airbus
aircraft serving Europe and North America. It is Ireland's oldest extant airline, and its second largest after low-cost
rival Ryanair
. The airline's head office is located on the grounds of Dublin Airport
.
Formed in 1936, Aer Lingus is a former member of the Oneworld
airline alliance, which it left on 31 March 2007. While it is not part of an alliance, the airline has codeshares with Oneworld, Star Alliance
and SkyTeam
members, as well as interline agreements with Aer Arann
and JetBlue Airways
. The company employs 4,000 people and in 2010 had revenues of €
1.2 billion. Aer Lingus flew 9.3 million passengers in 2010. It has a mixed business model, operating a low fare service on its European and North African routes and full service, two-class flights on transatlantic routes.
Aer Lingus is 29.4% owned by its rival, Ryanair
, and 25.4% owned by the Government of Ireland. The airline was floated on the Dublin
and London Stock Exchange
s on 2 October 2006, following prior government approval (the government previously owned 85% of the airline).
The principal group companies include Aer Lingus Limited, Aer Lingus Beachey Limited, Aer Lingus (Ireland) Limited and Dirnan Insurance Company Limited, all of which are wholly owned.
Aer Lingus celebrated its 75th anniversary in 2011. On 26 March, the company presented her latest aircraft which has been painted in the 1960s livery
and the crew was wearing a selection of the historical uniform
s.
Aer Lingus was founded on 15 April 1936, with a capital of £100,000. Its first chairman was Seán Ó hUadhaigh. Pending legislation for Government investment through a parent company, Aer Lingus was associated with Blackpool and West Coast Air Services which advanced the money for the first aircraft, and operated with Aer Lingus under the common title "Irish Sea Airways". Aer Lingus Teoranta was registered as an airline on 22 May 1936. The name Aer Lingus is an anglicisation
of the Irish
form Aer Loingeas, which means Air Fleet. The name was proposed by Richard F O'Connor, who was County Cork
Surveyor, as well as an aviation enthusiast. Aer Lingus was originally pronounced 'air ling-us' (as the Irish Aer Loingeas is pronounced) and only later did the pronunciation change to the 'air ling-gus' used now.
On 27 May 1936, five days after being registered as an airline, its first service began between Baldonnel Airfield
in Dublin and Whitchurch in Bristol
, United Kingdom, using a six-seater De Havilland
84 Dragon
(registration EI-ABI) biplane, named Iolar (Eagle).
The original aircraft acquired by Aer Lingus (DH.84 Dragon MK2) was later sold to an English company in 1938 as the airline expanded.
The original aircraft is believed to have been shot down and lost in 1941 near the scilly isles during WW2.
Later that year, the airline acquired its second aircraft, a four-engined biplane De Havilland 86 Express
named "Éire", with a capacity of 14 passengers. This aircraft provided the first air link between Dublin and London by extending the Bristol service to Croydon. At the same time, the DH84 Dragon was used to inaugurate an Aer Lingus service on the Dublin-Liverpool route.
The airline was established as the national carrier under the Air Navigation and Transport Act (1936). In 1937, the Irish government created Aer Rianta (now called Dublin Airport Authority
), a company to assume financial responsibility for the new airline and the entire country's civil aviation infrastructure. In April 1937, Aer Lingus became wholly owned by the Irish government via Aer Rianta.
The airline's first General Manager was Dr JF (Jeremiah known as 'Jerry') Dempsey, a chartered accountant, who joined the company on secondment from Kennedy Crowley & Co (predecessor to KPMG) as Company Secretary in 1936 (aged 30) and was appointed to the role of General Manager in 1937. He retired 30 years later in 1967 at the age of 60.
In 1938, Iolar was replaced by a de Havilland DH.89 Dragon Rapide
, and a second DH86B was also purchased. Two Lockheed 14
s arrived in 1939, Aer Lingus' first all-metal aircraft.
In January 1940, a new airport was completed in the Dublin suburb of Collinstown and Aer Lingus moved their operations there. A new DC-3
was bought and new services to Liverpool
and an internal service to Shannon
were inaugurated. The airline's services were curtailed during World War II with the sole route being to Liverpool or Barton Aerodrome Manchester depending on the fluctuating security situation.
s, were painted in a silver and green livery. The airline's first flight attendants were introduced.
In 1946, a new Anglo-Irish agreement gave Aer Lingus exclusive UK traffic rights from Ireland in exchange for a 40% holding by BOAC
and British European Airways
(BEA). Because of Aer Lingus' growth the airline bought seven new Vickers Viking
planes in 1947, however, these proved to be uneconomical and were soon sold.
In 1947, Aerlínte Éireann came into existence with the purpose of operating transatlantic flights to New York from Ireland. Five new Lockheed L-749 Constellation
s were ordered but a change of government and a financial crisis prevented the service from starting. John A Costello, the incoming Fine Gael
Taoiseach
(Prime Minister), was not a keen supporter of air travel and thought that flying the Atlantic was too grandiose a scheme for a small airline from a small country like Ireland. The Constellations were then sold to BOAC
.
During the late 1940s and early 1950s, Aer Lingus introduced routes to Brussels
, Amsterdam and Rome. Because of the expanding route structure the airline became one of the first to order Vickers Viscount 700s
in 1951, which were placed in service in April 1954. In 1952 the airline expanded its all-freight services and acquired a small fleet of Bristol 170 Freighters, which remained in service until 1957.
In 1954, Prof. Patrick Lynch
was appointed chairman of Aer Lingus and Aer Rianta at the young age of 38, taking on the task of turning the £60,000 deficit of the companies into a profit. He was Chairman for 21 years to 1975, and retired from that position at his own request to the government of the day. Even with changes of government, they retained him in this position. In 1956, Aer Lingus introduced a new, green-top livery with a white lighting flash down the windows and the Irish flag displayed on the fin.
On 28 April 1958, Aerlínte Éireann operated their first transatlantic service from Shannon
to New York. Three Lockheed L-1049 Super Constellation
s were used for the twice-weekly service. The aircraft were leased from the American airline Seaboard and Western
while Irish cabin crews were used. This arrangement continued until 1 January 1960 when Aerlínte Éireann was renamed Aer Lingus – Irish International Airlines.
Aer Lingus bought seven Fokker F27 Friendships, which were delivered between November 1958 and May 1959. These were used in short-haul services to the UK, gradually replacing the Dakotas, until Aer Lingus disposed of them during 1966 in favour of secondhand Viscount 800s.
The airline entered the jet age on 14 December 1960 when three Boeing 720s
were delivered for use on the New York route and the newest Aer Lingus destination Boston
.
In 1963, Aer Lingus added Carvairs
to the fleet. With this aircraft, five cars could be transported by loading them into the fuselage through the nose of the aircraft. The Carvair proved to be uneconomic for the airline partly due to the rise of car ferry services by sea, and the aircraft were then used for freight services until disposed of.
The Boeing 720s proved to be a success for the airline on the transatlantic routes. To supplement these, Aer Lingus took delivery of their first larger Boeing 707 in 1964, and the type continued to serve the airline until 1986.
Conversion of the European fleet to jet equipment began in 1965 when the BAC One-Eleven
started services from Dublin and Cork
to Paris and via Manchester
to Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Düsseldorf and Frankfurt. A new livery was adopted in the same year, with a large green shamrock on the fin and titles of Aer Lingus-Irish International just above the plane's windows. In 1966, the remainder of the company's shares held by Aer Rianta
were transferred to the Minister for Finance
.
In 1966, the route from Shannon to Montreal
and onward to Chicago was inaugurated. Also, in 1968, flights from Belfast
, in Northern Ireland
, to New York were started. The service was soon suspended, due to the beginning of the Troubles
in the area. 1969 saw the introduction of Boeing 737
s to the Aer Lingus fleet, to cope with the high demand for flights between the cities of Dublin and London. Later, Aer Lingus extended the 737 flights to all of their European network.
In 1967, after 30 years of service, General Manager Dr J F Dempsey signed the contract for the airline's first two Boeing 747 aircraft (Jumbo Jets) before he retired that year.
In 1970, Aer Lingus took delivery of two Boeing 747
s for use on the transatlantic routes. A third was later added to the fleet but one was leased out because it was not profitable at first for the company to fly 747s across the Atlantic Ocean. In 1974, a new livery was unveiled and the word International disappeared from the fuselage titles. The livery included two colors of blue and one green, plus the white shamrock on the fin.
In 1977, Aer Lingus recruited its first female pilot, Gráinne Cronin – the airline was the second in Europe (after SAS) to introduce female pilots.
In September 1979, Aer Lingus became the first airline other than Alitalia
to be used by Pope John Paul II
, when he flew aboard a specially modified Boeing 747 (EI-ASI or St. Patrick) from Rome to Dublin and later from Shannon to Boston
. In the early 1980s the 707s were phased out.
In 1984, a fully owned subsidiary, Aer Lingus Commuter, was formed so that Aer Lingus could fly to larger cities in Ireland and Britain whose flying time from Dublin did not require jet planes. These services were operated primarily by five of the Belfast-built Short 360 after conducting a trial with the Short 330. Around this time Aer Lingus purchased a majority sharehold in the cargo airline
Aer Turas
, owner of some DC-8
freighter jets.
Between 1987 and 1989, new Boeing 737
s arrived to replace the older ones, and six Fokker 50s were added to the Commuter fleet. During 1990, after the passage of the deregulation act for the airline industry in Ireland, Aer Lingus had to reconsider its operational policies. The BAC One-Elevens were retired and five new 737s arrived. In 1991, four Saab 340
Bs arrived at the commuter division to replace the Short 360 planes. By 1992 Aer Lingus's entire original 737-200 fleet had been replaced and was now the first operator in the world of all three versions of the second generation 737. These were the −300, −400 and −500 series, although the −300 did not stay long in Aer Lingus service.
In 1994, Aer Lingus started direct services between Dublin and the United States using the Airbus A330
and in May of that year Aer Lingus operated the first A330-300 ETOPS service over the North Atlantic. This led to the phasing out of the Boeing 747
and the briefly operated Boeing 767
-300ER. On 2 October 1995, the Boeing 747 service ceased operations after twenty-five years of service. By that time, over eight million people had travelled across the Atlantic in Aer Lingus Boeing 747s. The late 1990s saw Aer Lingus return to Belfast
with a service to New York via Shannon. Newark Liberty International Airport
was also added as a destination, but these flights stopped in 2001.
The first Airbus
short-haul aircraft arrived in 1998 in the form of the A321
, initially to mainly operate the Dublin-Heathrow route. Six were delivered in 1998 and 1999 and continue in service today. The first A320
was delivered in 2000, with three more added to the fleet by 2001.
On 1 February 2001, Aer Lingus Commuter was merged back into the mainline operation. Business was severely affected by the 11 September attacks. Staff numbers were cut, destinations were dropped and the fleet was reduced. The airline has since weathered the storm and is back in profit. This has largely been achieved through a strategy of lowering the airline's cost base, updating the fleet with modern Airbus equipment and developing new routes to mainland European destinations. Aer Lingus had previously largely neglected mainland Europe in favour of US and British destinations. They are positioning themselves as competition to the European no-frills
airlines while offering intercontinental flights as well. Business class travel for short haul flights has been phased out. Cargo services remain on a small number of routes.
A large order for A320 aircraft saw deliveries commencing in 2004 and continuing to the present. The delivery of these aircraft allowed the withdrawal of the Boeing 737
to begin and on 29 October 2005, Aer Lingus withdrew its last two 737 aircraft from service, one of which was used on the Dublin to Nice
route. This marked the end of the use of Boeing aircraft at Aer Lingus and made the fleet all Airbus.
On 27 October 2005, Aer Lingus announced their first scheduled service to Asia from March 2006 as Dubai International Airport
in the United Arab Emirates
, where Chief Executive Dermot Mannion
was based when at Emirates Airline
. Despite the Aer Lingus press release describing it as the first long haul service outside the United States, there had in fact been a previous service to Montreal
from 1966–1979. The great circle
distance of 5926 kilometres (3,682.3 mi) is comparable to the service to Chicago. At the same time Mr. Mannion linked the funding of new long haul aircraft to replace the A330 fleet with the privatisation of the airline. The Dubai service ceased in March 2008 as the airline sought to increase its market share in the newly liberalised transatlantic market.
On 6 June 2007, Aer Lingus strengthened its relationship with the European manufacturer by ordering six of the new A350 XWB as well as six A330-300E aircraft. These will be used to expand long haul operations as well as replacement aircraft for three older models. Deliveries of the A330E began in February 2009 and the A350 XWB is expected to begin in 2014.
In preparation for the commercial flotation of Aer Lingus on the Dublin stock market, the Irish government agreed to abolish the Shannon Stopover
from the end of 2006 in stages.
The company began conditional (or "grey-market") share dealings on 27 September 2006 and was formally admitted to the Official Lists of the Irish Stock Exchange
and London Stock Exchange
on 2 October 2006. At the time of the flotation the Irish government maintained a 28% shareholding, while employees held 15%. The stock IPO offer price was E2.20. It has risen as high as E3.28(March 2007) and is now trading around E1.00, suffering from the general economic downturn, oil price hikes, and repeated staff industrial disputes.
Aer Lingus withdrew from the Oneworld airline alliance on 31 March 2007, instead entering into bilateral agreements with airlines including British Airways
, KLM and United Airlines
. The move was explained to be due to Aer Lingus' repositioning as a low-cost carrier, which did not fit with Oneworld's pitch to the premium international frequent flyer.
On 6 February 2007, however, the airline announced its intention to form a new alliance with JetBlue Airways
. This new alliance acts as a weblink between the two airlines, meaning Aer Lingus customers are able to book JetBlue destinations from the Aer Lingus website. In 2008, it also announced an alliance with United Airlines
for connecting services within the US.
With the flotation of Aer Lingus on the stock exchange, Aer Lingus had planned to expand its route network, but this is on hold due to the economic situation.
said the move was a "unique opportunity" to form an Irish airline. The "new" airline would carry over 50 million passengers a year. Ryanair said it had bought a 16% stake in Aer Lingus and was offering €2.80 for remaining shares. On the same day Aer Lingus rejected Ryanair's takeover bid. On 5 October 2006, Ryanair confirmed it had raised its stake to 19.2%, and said it had no problem in the Irish Government keeping its 28.3%. There were also reports in the Irish Times
that the Government would possibly seek judgement from the courts, and referral to competition authorities in Dublin – although this would be automatic under European regulation, as the combined group would control 78% of the Dublin – London passenger air traffic.
On 29 November 2006, Ryanair confirmed it had taken its stake to 26.2% of the airline.
On 21 December 2006, Ryanair announced it was withdrawing its current bid for Aer Lingus, with the intent of pursuing another bid in the near future after the European Commission
finishes investigating the current bid. The EC has been concerned that the takeover would reduce consumer choice and increase fares.
On 27 June 2007, the European Commission announced their decision to block the bid on competition grounds saying the two airlines controlled more than 80% of all European flights to and from Dublin airport.
in Northern Ireland
. Services from Belfast International commenced in December 2007. As of July 2008, the airline has three Airbus A320
aircraft based at the airport, serving eleven European destinations. Significantly, this move restores the Belfast International to London Heathrow Airport
link and Aer Lingus cooperates with its codeshare partner British Airways
on this route to connect with BA's network at Heathrow. In order to do so, the airline discontinued its Shannon
-Heathrow service, a move that generated political controversy in the west of Ireland, particularly as the Shannon-London route was still profitable. The airline predicted that this move would add one million additional passengers annually. The Shannon to Heathrow service has since been reinstated.
, Aer Lingus announced three new long-haul services to the United States. From Autumn 2007, Aer Lingus commenced direct flights to Orlando
, San Francisco and Washington, D.C.-Dulles
. These services were facilitated by the arrival of two new Airbus A330 aircraft in May 2007. The airline also serves Boston
(Logan International Airport
), Chicago (O'Hare International Airport
), and New York (JFK Airport
). Aer Lingus ended its Middle-Eastern Route to Dubai in March 2008, ended its Los Angeles route in November 2008. The Washington
and the San Francisco routes have since been discontinued as of 24 October 2009. Services from Washington
resumed on 28 March 2010 when the airline began flights from Washington D.C. to Madrid
, Spain in a joint venture with United Airlines.
In December 2008, Aer Lingus announced that the Shannon – Heathrow service would resume from 29 March 2009 following new arrangements with the trade unions on staff costs and the Shannon Airport Authority on airport charges.
However at the end of June 2009 the company had accumulated losses of €93 million euro and Chairman Colm Barrington confirmed this situation could not continue. In October 2009 newly appointed Chief Executive Christoph Mueller announced a radical cost cutting plan that would lead to the loss of 676 jobs at the company and see pay and pension reductions for those being kept on. The total plan aimed to achieve savings of €97 million euro between then and 2011. As a 6 week consultation process began Mr. Mueller refused to rule out further cuts in the future.
748 million (£
619mil; US$950mil). The offer was a 28% premium on the value of Aer Lingus stock during the preceding 30 days. Ryanair said, "Aer Lingus, as a small, stand alone, regional airline has been marginalised and bypassed as most other EU flag carriers consolidate." The two airlines would operate separately and Ryanair claimed that they would double the Aer Lingus short haul fleet from 33 to 66 and create 1,000 new jobs. The Aer Lingus Board rejected the offer and advised its shareholder
s to take no action. The offer was eventually rejected by a majority of the other shareholders. It was the second failed attempt by Michael O'Leary to take over the national flag carrier. Ryanair initially left the offer open to Aer Lingus until they withdrew their bid on 30 January 2009. The Irish Government slammed O'Leary's offer as "undervaluing the airline" and stated that a Ryanair takeover would have a "significant negative impact" on competition in the industry and on the Irish consumer. Ryanair has repeatedly stated that another bid is unlikely, but as of October 2010 it still had a stake in Aer Lingus, prompting an investigation by competition regulators in the UK.
As of 6 June 2009, the airline based an additional A320 aircraft at Gatwick, bringing the total number of aircraft based there to five, making Gatwick its biggest base outside Ireland. This resulted in six new routes. These are Bucharest, Eindhoven, Tenerife, Lanzarote, Warsaw and Vilnius for winter 2009. The Gatwick/Nice route was suspended for the winter months.
On 8 January 2010, due to the weak demand in air travel, Aer Lingus announced that it was to reduce the number of aircraft based at Gatwick from five to three. The three remaining aircraft were to operate the carrier's services to Dublin, Knock, Malaga and a new route to Cork.
In January 2011, Aer Lingus announced a further daily service from Gatwick to Shannon starting at the end of March.
announced his resignation from the airline after four years as Chief Executive. He was replaced by German-born Christoph Müller (alternative spelling "Mueller"), former head of TUI Travel
and Sabena
, who joined Aer Lingus on 1 October 2009.
On 2 December 2009, Aer Lingus announced that talks with their unions had broken down. As a result, the board voted to reduce capacity, and with it associated jobs, as a response. According to CEO Christoph Mueller, concessions offered by unions were of a short-term nature, and the airline was asked for high compensation in return. Aer Lingus has not yet identified the routes or jobs to be cut, but they would most likely "commence immediately and will be compulsory," according to Mueller.
As of April 2010 all employess groups had passed votes on the acceptance of the 'Greenfield' cost cutting plans which are expected to save €57M annually. Once implemented the second phase of cost cutting will commence which aims to save €40M annually by reducing 'back office staff' numbers by up to 40% according to the CEO.
Mueller has indicated that Aer Lingus intends to reposition itself again, moving away from a head-to-head competition with Ryanair
in the low-cost sector to a more hybrid model with a stronger emphasis on service. As part of this move, Aer Lingus is also holding talks to join an airline alliance again, having left Oneworld in 2007.
Aer Lingus announced on 15 June 2010 that it would be suspending services from Shannon
to Boston
and New York (JFK)
for 11 weeks from January 2011.
in Fingal
, County Dublin
. The 9.9 acres (4 ha) head office site includes the head office building, the services annex, and the Iolar House. The head office is in close proximity to the Ryanair
head office. Brian Lavery of The New York Times
said in 2004 that the proximity, described by Lavery as "a few parking lots away," was "a symbol of just how close the competition is to home." In 2010 Aer Lingus announced that it surrendered the lease on its current head office building to the Dublin Airport Authority
, and that it would move its employees to Hangar 6 and other buildings in the airline's property portfolio during the year of 2011. The airline said that its current head office building, which was stated by the International Business Times
to be in need of refurbishing, is too large for the company's needs following the "Greenfield" cost reduction programme.
. Cargo services are also offered on most European routes and some routes to the UK.
about a possible commercial alliance that would see Aer Arann provide feeder services for Aer Lingus flights between Dublin/Cork and UK regional airports. Aer Lingus will not take an equity stake in Aer Arann but the deal will result in Aer Lingus bulk buying seats on Aer Arann services. The move will allow Aer Lingus to expand its operations without the need for additional aircraft plus serve airports that cannot handle their A320/321 fleet. The agreement will expand on both carriers current Interline arrangement on flights between Dublin/Cork.
It has since been announced that this service will be branded "Aer Lingus Regional" with flights operated with Aer Arann aircraft and crew. The service will include all existing Aer Lingus and Aer Arann services plus 3 new services operated by Aer Arann. Aer Lingus will receive a franchise fee from Aer Arann and all flights will be sold on the Aer Lingus website.
Aer Lingus has a short-haul European network with over 60 destinations, although some of these are offered only on a seasonal basis. There are also five long-haul destinations served in the United States.
The airline's European network has been designed to compete with low-frills budget airline Ryanair. Only one cabin class is offered in the short-haul fleet and passengers must pay for baggage carried in the hold, and for food and drink on board.
Long-haul routes
Aer Lingus serves the United States primarily as their long-haul routes with the use of the Airbus A330. Aer Lingus serves Boston
, Chicago, Orlando
, Washington DC, and New York with Orlando being its longest route.
In January 2009, the airline announced it would open a new route between Madrid
and Washington DC effective 28 March 2010. It was the airline's first transatlantic route not originating in Ireland. This route will be a codeshare with United Airlines
but operated by Aer Lingus.
Aer Lingus previously served Baltimore/Washington, Dubai
, Los Angeles, Montreal
, Newark
, and San Francisco. On 12 June 2009, Aer Lingus suspended its services between Shannon
-Chicago, and its direct route between Dublin-Washington DC for winter of 2009 due to weakening demand in air travel. It still offers a connection to Washington DC in a code-share flight operated by Jet Blue Airways and Aer Lingus via New York. The airline also stated that the Shannon-New York (JFK) route would be "kept under close review", however it is understood the airline is sustaining the route after coming under pressure from the Irish government
to keep the Shannon-New York (JFK) connection.
The airline was in talks with four major airports in California (San Francisco, San Jose, Oakland, and Los Angeles) about the possibility of reestablishing nonstop service from Dublin to the west coast of the United States. However, such service would not start until March 2012 at the earliest. However, the airline decided not to resume services in 2012.
after the alliance's inception in 1998. Aer Lingus was formally elected on board and confirmed as the ninth member of the alliance on 2 December 1999.
It left the alliance on 31 March 2007 while the then-CEO Willie Walsh was attempting to reposition Aer Lingus as a low-cost point-to-point carrier competing directly with fellow Irish airline Ryanair
. The decision to leave the alliance was due to this repositioning, which did not fit in with Oneworld's orientation towards premium international frequent flyers.
The current CEO Christoph Mueller, who joined Aer Lingus in October 2009, has indicated that he wants to move the airline away from being a pure low-cost carrier to a hybrid model with a higher emphasis on service. Mueller explained in June 2010 that, as part of this re-orientation, Aer Lingus is currently in the early stages of holding talks with SkyTeam
, Oneworld
and Star Alliance
with the goal of joining one of them. He stated that Aer Lingus, being based on an island, "need to offer our customers a global network; this is our raison d’être. But we will not fly this ourselves. We will do this through an alliance."
On 13 March 2007, Aer Lingus announced that it had made Requests For Proposals to Boeing
and Airbus for the 787 Dreamliner and the A350
XWB, and intended to make an order for 14 long haul aircraft in the second quarter of 2007.
On 27 February 2008, Aer Lingus announced the purchase of four A320
aircraft for delivery late 2010 through early 2011, bringing its short haul fleet to 40 aircraft.
On 10 April 2008, Aer Lingus shareholders approved the purchase of 18 new aircraft, valued at US$2.2 billion. The order will include the purchase of six A330-300E (Enhanced) and six A350-900s to be delivered between 2009 and 2016. These aircraft will be used in the major expansion and modernisation of the airline's long-haul fleet and increase the airlines' long-haul route network. The other aircraft purchases will primarily be Airbus A320
-200s, which will be used in the airline's European expansion plans.
Aer Lingus A330 and A350
European and commuter fleet
In June 2009 Aer Lingus re-branded its Premier Class to the new Business Class.
Anglicisation
Anglicisation, or anglicization , is the process of converting verbal or written elements of any other language into a form that is more comprehensible to an English speaker, or, more generally, of altering something such that it becomes English in form or character.The term most often refers to...
of the Irish
Irish language
Irish , also known as Irish Gaelic, is a Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family, originating in Ireland and historically spoken by the Irish people. Irish is now spoken as a first language by a minority of Irish people, as well as being a second language of a larger proportion of...
Aer Loingeas meaning grossly "air fleet") is the flag carrier
Flag carrier
A flag carrier is a transportation company, such as an airline or shipping company, that, being locally registered in a given country, enjoys preferential rights or privileges, accorded by the government, for international operations. It may be a state-run, state-owned or private but...
of Ireland
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
. It operates a fleet of Airbus
Airbus
Airbus SAS is an aircraft manufacturing subsidiary of EADS, a European aerospace company. Based in Blagnac, France, surburb of Toulouse, and with significant activity across Europe, the company produces around half of the world's jet airliners....
aircraft serving Europe and North America. It is Ireland's oldest extant airline, and its second largest after low-cost
Low-cost carrier
A low-cost carrier or low-cost airline is an airline that generally has lower fares and fewer comforts...
rival Ryanair
Ryanair
Ryanair is an Irish low-cost airline. Its head office is at Dublin Airport and its primary operational bases at Dublin Airport and London Stansted Airport....
. The airline's head office is located on the grounds of Dublin Airport
Dublin Airport
Dublin Airport, , is operated by the Dublin Airport Authority. Located in Collinstown, in the Fingal part of County Dublin, 18.4 million passengers passed through the airport in 2010, making it the busiest airport in the Republic of Ireland, followed by Cork and Shannon...
.
Formed in 1936, Aer Lingus is a former member of the Oneworld
Oneworld
Oneworld , branded as oneworld, is one of the world's three largest global airline alliances with its central management team, oneworld Management Company, based in New York City, New York, USA. Oneworld was founded in 1999 by American Airlines, British Airways, Canadian Airlines, Cathay Pacific...
airline alliance, which it left on 31 March 2007. While it is not part of an alliance, the airline has codeshares with Oneworld, Star Alliance
Star Alliance
Star Alliance is the world's first and largest airline alliance, headquartered in Frankfurt am Main, Germany . The alliance was founded in 1997 by five of the world's leading airlines: Air Canada, Lufthansa, Scandinavian Airlines, Thai Airways International and United Airlines...
and SkyTeam
SkyTeam
SkyTeam, branded as SKYTEAM, is an airline alliance with its centralised management team, SkyTeam Central, based at the World Trade Center Schiphol Airport on the grounds of Amsterdam Airport Schiphol in Haarlemmermeer, Netherlands...
members, as well as interline agreements with Aer Arann
Aer Arann
Aer Arann is a regional airline based in Dublin, Ireland. Aer Arann operates scheduled services from Ireland and the Isle of Man to destinations in Ireland, the United Kingdom, and France, with a fleet of 18 aircraft. Aer Arann has expanded from a single aircraft to Ireland's third largest airline...
and JetBlue Airways
JetBlue Airways
JetBlue Airways Corporation is an American low-cost airline. The company is headquartered in the Forest Hills neighborhood of the New York City borough of Queens. Its main base is John F. Kennedy International Airport, also in Queens....
. The company employs 4,000 people and in 2010 had revenues of €
Euro
The euro is the official currency of the eurozone: 17 of the 27 member states of the European Union. It is also the currency used by the Institutions of the European Union. The eurozone consists of Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg,...
1.2 billion. Aer Lingus flew 9.3 million passengers in 2010. It has a mixed business model, operating a low fare service on its European and North African routes and full service, two-class flights on transatlantic routes.
Aer Lingus is 29.4% owned by its rival, Ryanair
Ryanair
Ryanair is an Irish low-cost airline. Its head office is at Dublin Airport and its primary operational bases at Dublin Airport and London Stansted Airport....
, and 25.4% owned by the Government of Ireland. The airline was floated on the Dublin
Irish Stock Exchange
-History:The Irish Stock Exchange is Ireland's only stock exchange and has been in existence since 1793. It is an Irish private company limited by guarantee. It was first recognised by legislation in 1799 when the Irish Parliament passed the Stock Exchange Act...
and London Stock Exchange
London Stock Exchange
The London Stock Exchange is a stock exchange located in the City of London within the United Kingdom. , the Exchange had a market capitalisation of US$3.7495 trillion, making it the fourth-largest stock exchange in the world by this measurement...
s on 2 October 2006, following prior government approval (the government previously owned 85% of the airline).
The principal group companies include Aer Lingus Limited, Aer Lingus Beachey Limited, Aer Lingus (Ireland) Limited and Dirnan Insurance Company Limited, all of which are wholly owned.
Aer Lingus celebrated its 75th anniversary in 2011. On 26 March, the company presented her latest aircraft which has been painted in the 1960s livery
Livery
A livery is a uniform, insignia or symbol adorning, in a non-military context, a person, an object or a vehicle that denotes a relationship between the wearer of the livery and an individual or corporate body. Often, elements of the heraldry relating to the individual or corporate body feature in...
and the crew was wearing a selection of the historical uniform
Uniform
A uniform is a set of standard clothing worn by members of an organization while participating in that organization's activity. Modern uniforms are worn by armed forces and paramilitary organizations such as police, emergency services, security guards, in some workplaces and schools and by inmates...
s.
Early years
Anglicisation
Anglicisation, or anglicization , is the process of converting verbal or written elements of any other language into a form that is more comprehensible to an English speaker, or, more generally, of altering something such that it becomes English in form or character.The term most often refers to...
of the Irish
Irish language
Irish , also known as Irish Gaelic, is a Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family, originating in Ireland and historically spoken by the Irish people. Irish is now spoken as a first language by a minority of Irish people, as well as being a second language of a larger proportion of...
form Aer Loingeas, which means Air Fleet. The name was proposed by Richard F O'Connor, who was County Cork
County Cork
County Cork is a county in Ireland. It is located in the South-West Region and is also part of the province of Munster. It is named after the city of Cork . Cork County Council is the local authority for the county...
Surveyor, as well as an aviation enthusiast. Aer Lingus was originally pronounced 'air ling-us' (as the Irish Aer Loingeas is pronounced) and only later did the pronunciation change to the 'air ling-gus' used now.
On 27 May 1936, five days after being registered as an airline, its first service began between Baldonnel Airfield
Casement Aerodrome
Casement Aerodrome or Baldonnel Aerodrome is a military airbase to the south west of Dublin, Ireland situated off the N7 main road route to the south and south west. It is the headquarters and the sole base of the Irish Air Corps, and is also used for other government purposes...
in Dublin and Whitchurch in Bristol
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
, United Kingdom, using a six-seater De Havilland
De Havilland
The de Havilland Aircraft Company was a British aviation manufacturer founded in 1920 when Airco, of which Geoffrey de Havilland had been chief designer, was sold to BSA by the owner George Holt Thomas. De Havilland then set up a company under his name in September of that year at Stag Lane...
84 Dragon
De Havilland Dragon
|-See also:-References:Bibliography ISBN 0-85177-813-5...
(registration EI-ABI) biplane, named Iolar (Eagle).
The original aircraft acquired by Aer Lingus (DH.84 Dragon MK2) was later sold to an English company in 1938 as the airline expanded.
The original aircraft is believed to have been shot down and lost in 1941 near the scilly isles during WW2.
Later that year, the airline acquired its second aircraft, a four-engined biplane De Havilland 86 Express
De Havilland Express
The de Havilland Express was a four-engined passenger aircraft from the 1930s manufactured by the de Havilland Aircraft Company.-Development:...
named "Éire", with a capacity of 14 passengers. This aircraft provided the first air link between Dublin and London by extending the Bristol service to Croydon. At the same time, the DH84 Dragon was used to inaugurate an Aer Lingus service on the Dublin-Liverpool route.
The airline was established as the national carrier under the Air Navigation and Transport Act (1936). In 1937, the Irish government created Aer Rianta (now called Dublin Airport Authority
Dublin Airport Authority
Dublin Airport Authority plc is the state-owned airport authority in the Republic of Ireland. With a head office on the grounds of Dublin Airport in Fingal, County Dublin, the authority also owned the Great Southern Hotels which had nine sites throughout the island of Ireland and international...
), a company to assume financial responsibility for the new airline and the entire country's civil aviation infrastructure. In April 1937, Aer Lingus became wholly owned by the Irish government via Aer Rianta.
The airline's first General Manager was Dr JF (Jeremiah known as 'Jerry') Dempsey, a chartered accountant, who joined the company on secondment from Kennedy Crowley & Co (predecessor to KPMG) as Company Secretary in 1936 (aged 30) and was appointed to the role of General Manager in 1937. He retired 30 years later in 1967 at the age of 60.
In 1938, Iolar was replaced by a de Havilland DH.89 Dragon Rapide
De Havilland Dragon Rapide
The de Havilland DH.89 Dragon Rapide was a British short-haul passenger airliner of the 1930s.-Design and development:Designed by the de Havilland company in late 1933 as a faster and more comfortable successor to the DH.84 Dragon, it was in effect a twin-engined, scaled-down version of the...
, and a second DH86B was also purchased. Two Lockheed 14
Lockheed Model 14 Super Electra
|-See also:-References:NotesBibliography* Francillon, René J. Lockheed Aircraft since 1913. Annapolis: Naval Institute Press, 1987. ISBN 0-85177-835-6.-External links:*...
s arrived in 1939, Aer Lingus' first all-metal aircraft.
Douglas DC-3
The Douglas DC-3 is an American fixed-wing propeller-driven aircraft whose speed and range revolutionized air transport in the 1930s and 1940s. Its lasting impact on the airline industry and World War II makes it one of the most significant transport aircraft ever made...
was bought and new services to Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
and an internal service to Shannon
Shannon Airport
Shannon Airport, is one of the Republic of Ireland's three primary airports along with Dublin and Cork. In 2010 around 1,750,000 passengers passed through the airport, making it the third busiest airport in the Republic of Ireland after Dublin and Cork, and the fifth busiest airport on the island...
were inaugurated. The airline's services were curtailed during World War II with the sole route being to Liverpool or Barton Aerodrome Manchester depending on the fluctuating security situation.
Post-war expansion
On 9 November 1945, regular services were resumed with an inaugural flight to London. From this point Aer Lingus planes, initially mostly Douglas DC-3Douglas DC-3
The Douglas DC-3 is an American fixed-wing propeller-driven aircraft whose speed and range revolutionized air transport in the 1930s and 1940s. Its lasting impact on the airline industry and World War II makes it one of the most significant transport aircraft ever made...
s, were painted in a silver and green livery. The airline's first flight attendants were introduced.
In 1946, a new Anglo-Irish agreement gave Aer Lingus exclusive UK traffic rights from Ireland in exchange for a 40% holding by BOAC
British Overseas Airways Corporation
The British Overseas Airways Corporation was the British state airline from 1939 until 1946 and the long-haul British state airline from 1946 to 1974. The company started life with a merger between Imperial Airways Ltd. and British Airways Ltd...
and British European Airways
British European Airways
British European Airways or British European Airways Corporation was a British airline which existed from 1946 until 1974. The airline operated European and North African routes from airports around the United Kingdom...
(BEA). Because of Aer Lingus' growth the airline bought seven new Vickers Viking
Vickers VC.1 Viking
The Vickers VC.1 Viking was a British twin-engine short-range airliner derived from the Vickers Wellington bomber and built by Vickers Armstrongs Limited at Brooklands near Weybridge in Surrey. In the aftermath of the Second World War, the Viking was an important airliner with British airlines...
planes in 1947, however, these proved to be uneconomical and were soon sold.
In 1947, Aerlínte Éireann came into existence with the purpose of operating transatlantic flights to New York from Ireland. Five new Lockheed L-749 Constellation
Lockheed L-749 Constellation
-See also:- References :CitationsBibliography* Breffort, Dominique. Lockheed Constellation: from Excalibur to Starliner Civilian and Military Variants. Paris: Histoire and Collecions, 2006. Print. ISBN 2915239622-External Links:...
s were ordered but a change of government and a financial crisis prevented the service from starting. John A Costello, the incoming Fine Gael
Fine Gael
Fine Gael is a centre-right to centrist political party in the Republic of Ireland. It is the single largest party in Ireland in the Oireachtas, in local government, and in terms of Members of the European Parliament. The party has a membership of over 35,000...
Taoiseach
Taoiseach
The Taoiseach is the head of government or prime minister of Ireland. The Taoiseach is appointed by the President upon the nomination of Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Oireachtas , and must, in order to remain in office, retain the support of a majority in the Dáil.The current Taoiseach is...
(Prime Minister), was not a keen supporter of air travel and thought that flying the Atlantic was too grandiose a scheme for a small airline from a small country like Ireland. The Constellations were then sold to BOAC
British Overseas Airways Corporation
The British Overseas Airways Corporation was the British state airline from 1939 until 1946 and the long-haul British state airline from 1946 to 1974. The company started life with a merger between Imperial Airways Ltd. and British Airways Ltd...
.
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
, Amsterdam and Rome. Because of the expanding route structure the airline became one of the first to order Vickers Viscount 700s
Vickers Viscount
The Vickers Viscount was a British medium-range turboprop airliner first flown in 1948 by Vickers-Armstrongs, making it the first such aircraft to enter service in the world...
in 1951, which were placed in service in April 1954. In 1952 the airline expanded its all-freight services and acquired a small fleet of Bristol 170 Freighters, which remained in service until 1957.
In 1954, Prof. Patrick Lynch
Patrick Lynch
Patrick Lynch is the name of:*Patrick Neeson Lynch , Catholic bishop during the American Civil War*Patrick Lynch , Irish Roman Catholic bishop...
was appointed chairman of Aer Lingus and Aer Rianta at the young age of 38, taking on the task of turning the £60,000 deficit of the companies into a profit. He was Chairman for 21 years to 1975, and retired from that position at his own request to the government of the day. Even with changes of government, they retained him in this position. In 1956, Aer Lingus introduced a new, green-top livery with a white lighting flash down the windows and the Irish flag displayed on the fin.
First transatlantic service
Shannon Airport
Shannon Airport, is one of the Republic of Ireland's three primary airports along with Dublin and Cork. In 2010 around 1,750,000 passengers passed through the airport, making it the third busiest airport in the Republic of Ireland after Dublin and Cork, and the fifth busiest airport on the island...
to New York. Three Lockheed L-1049 Super Constellation
Lockheed L-1049 Super Constellation
The Lockheed L-1049 Super Constellation is an aircraft in the Lockheed Constellation aircraft line. The aircraft was Lockheed's response to the successful Douglas DC-6 airliner and first flew in 1950...
s were used for the twice-weekly service. The aircraft were leased from the American airline Seaboard and Western
Seaboard World Airlines
Seaboard World Airlines was an international all-cargo airline based in the United States. Its headquarters were on the grounds of John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City.- History :...
while Irish cabin crews were used. This arrangement continued until 1 January 1960 when Aerlínte Éireann was renamed Aer Lingus – Irish International Airlines.
Aer Lingus bought seven Fokker F27 Friendships, which were delivered between November 1958 and May 1959. These were used in short-haul services to the UK, gradually replacing the Dakotas, until Aer Lingus disposed of them during 1966 in favour of secondhand Viscount 800s.
The airline entered the jet age on 14 December 1960 when three Boeing 720s
Boeing 707
The Boeing 707 is a four-engine narrow-body commercial passenger jet airliner developed by Boeing in the early 1950s. Its name is most commonly pronounced as "Seven Oh Seven". The first airline to operate the 707 was Pan American World Airways, inaugurating the type's first commercial flight on...
were delivered for use on the New York route and the newest Aer Lingus destination Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
.
In 1963, Aer Lingus added Carvairs
Aviation Traders Carvair
The Aviation Traders ATL-98 Carvair was a large piston-engine transport aircraft. It was a Douglas DC-4-based air ferry developed by Freddie Laker's Aviation Traders Limited , with a capacity of 25 passengers and five cars, loaded at the front.-Design and development:Freddie Laker's idea to...
to the fleet. With this aircraft, five cars could be transported by loading them into the fuselage through the nose of the aircraft. The Carvair proved to be uneconomic for the airline partly due to the rise of car ferry services by sea, and the aircraft were then used for freight services until disposed of.
The Boeing 720s proved to be a success for the airline on the transatlantic routes. To supplement these, Aer Lingus took delivery of their first larger Boeing 707 in 1964, and the type continued to serve the airline until 1986.
Jet aircraft
BAC One-Eleven
The British Aircraft Corporation One-Eleven, also known as the BAC-111, BAC-1-11 or BAC 1-11, was a British short-range jet airliner of the 1960s and 1970s...
started services from Dublin and Cork
Cork (city)
Cork is the second largest city in the Republic of Ireland and the island of Ireland's third most populous city. It is the principal city and administrative centre of County Cork and the largest city in the province of Munster. Cork has a population of 119,418, while the addition of the suburban...
to Paris and via Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
to Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Düsseldorf and Frankfurt. A new livery was adopted in the same year, with a large green shamrock on the fin and titles of Aer Lingus-Irish International just above the plane's windows. In 1966, the remainder of the company's shares held by Aer Rianta
Dublin Airport Authority
Dublin Airport Authority plc is the state-owned airport authority in the Republic of Ireland. With a head office on the grounds of Dublin Airport in Fingal, County Dublin, the authority also owned the Great Southern Hotels which had nine sites throughout the island of Ireland and international...
were transferred to the Minister for Finance
Minister for Finance (Ireland)
The Minister for Finance is the title held by the Irish government minister responsible for all financial and monetary matters. The office-holder controls the Department of Finance and is considered one of the most important members of the Government of Ireland.The current Minister for Finance is...
.
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
and onward to Chicago was inaugurated. Also, in 1968, flights from Belfast
Belfast
Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...
, in Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
, to New York were started. The service was soon suspended, due to the beginning of the Troubles
The Troubles
The Troubles was a period of ethno-political conflict in Northern Ireland which spilled over at various times into England, the Republic of Ireland, and mainland Europe. The duration of the Troubles is conventionally dated from the late 1960s and considered by many to have ended with the Belfast...
in the area. 1969 saw the introduction of Boeing 737
Boeing 737
The Boeing 737 is a short- to medium-range, twin-engine narrow-body jet airliner. Originally developed as a shorter, lower-cost twin-engine airliner derived from Boeing's 707 and 727, the 737 has developed into a family of nine passenger models with a capacity of 85 to 215 passengers...
s to the Aer Lingus fleet, to cope with the high demand for flights between the cities of Dublin and London. Later, Aer Lingus extended the 737 flights to all of their European network.
In 1967, after 30 years of service, General Manager Dr J F Dempsey signed the contract for the airline's first two Boeing 747 aircraft (Jumbo Jets) before he retired that year.
1970s to present
Boeing 747
The Boeing 747 is a wide-body commercial airliner and cargo transport, often referred to by its original nickname, Jumbo Jet, or Queen of the Skies. It is among the world's most recognizable aircraft, and was the first wide-body ever produced...
s for use on the transatlantic routes. A third was later added to the fleet but one was leased out because it was not profitable at first for the company to fly 747s across the Atlantic Ocean. In 1974, a new livery was unveiled and the word International disappeared from the fuselage titles. The livery included two colors of blue and one green, plus the white shamrock on the fin.
In 1977, Aer Lingus recruited its first female pilot, Gráinne Cronin – the airline was the second in Europe (after SAS) to introduce female pilots.
In September 1979, Aer Lingus became the first airline other than Alitalia
Alitalia
Alitalia - Linee Aeree Italiane S.p.A. , in its later stages known as Alitalia - Linee Aeree Italiane S.p.A. in Extraordinary Administration, was the former Italian flag carrier...
to be used by Pope John Paul II
Pope John Paul II
Blessed Pope John Paul II , born Karol Józef Wojtyła , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church and Sovereign of Vatican City from 16 October 1978 until his death on 2 April 2005, at of age. His was the second-longest documented pontificate, which lasted ; only Pope Pius IX ...
, when he flew aboard a specially modified Boeing 747 (EI-ASI or St. Patrick) from Rome to Dublin and later from Shannon to Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
. In the early 1980s the 707s were phased out.
In 1984, a fully owned subsidiary, Aer Lingus Commuter, was formed so that Aer Lingus could fly to larger cities in Ireland and Britain whose flying time from Dublin did not require jet planes. These services were operated primarily by five of the Belfast-built Short 360 after conducting a trial with the Short 330. Around this time Aer Lingus purchased a majority sharehold in the cargo airline
Cargo airline
Cargo airlines are airlines dedicated to the transport of cargo. Some cargo airlines are divisions or subsidiaries of larger passenger airlines.-Logistics:...
Aer Turas
Aer Turas
Aer Turas Teoranta was an Irish airline and later a freight operator based in Dublin, Ireland from 1962 until May 2003.-History:Aer Turas started operations in 1962 as an air taxi service from Ireland to the UK with a single de Havilland Dragon Rapide....
, owner of some DC-8
Douglas DC-8
The Douglas DC-8 is a four-engined narrow-body passenger commercial jet airliner, manufactured from 1958 to 1972 by the Douglas Aircraft Company...
freighter jets.
Between 1987 and 1989, new Boeing 737
Boeing 737
The Boeing 737 is a short- to medium-range, twin-engine narrow-body jet airliner. Originally developed as a shorter, lower-cost twin-engine airliner derived from Boeing's 707 and 727, the 737 has developed into a family of nine passenger models with a capacity of 85 to 215 passengers...
s arrived to replace the older ones, and six Fokker 50s were added to the Commuter fleet. During 1990, after the passage of the deregulation act for the airline industry in Ireland, Aer Lingus had to reconsider its operational policies. The BAC One-Elevens were retired and five new 737s arrived. In 1991, four Saab 340
Saab 340
The Saab 340 is a discontinued Swedish two-engine turboprop aircraft designed and initially produced by a partnership between Saab and Fairchild Aircraft in a 65:35 ratio...
Bs arrived at the commuter division to replace the Short 360 planes. By 1992 Aer Lingus's entire original 737-200 fleet had been replaced and was now the first operator in the world of all three versions of the second generation 737. These were the −300, −400 and −500 series, although the −300 did not stay long in Aer Lingus service.
Airbus operations
Airbus A330
The Airbus A330 is a wide-body twin-engine jet airliner made by Airbus, a division of EADS. Versions of the A330 have a range of and can accommodate up to 335 passengers in a two-class layout or carry of cargo....
and in May of that year Aer Lingus operated the first A330-300 ETOPS service over the North Atlantic. This led to the phasing out of the Boeing 747
Boeing 747
The Boeing 747 is a wide-body commercial airliner and cargo transport, often referred to by its original nickname, Jumbo Jet, or Queen of the Skies. It is among the world's most recognizable aircraft, and was the first wide-body ever produced...
and the briefly operated Boeing 767
Boeing 767
The Boeing 767 is a mid-size, wide-body twin-engine jet airliner built by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. It was the manufacturer's first wide-body twinjet and its first airliner with a two-crew glass cockpit. The aircraft features two turbofan engines, a supercritical wing, and a conventional tail...
-300ER. On 2 October 1995, the Boeing 747 service ceased operations after twenty-five years of service. By that time, over eight million people had travelled across the Atlantic in Aer Lingus Boeing 747s. The late 1990s saw Aer Lingus return to Belfast
Belfast
Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...
with a service to New York via Shannon. Newark Liberty International Airport
Newark Liberty International Airport
Newark Liberty International Airport , first named Newark Metropolitan Airport and later Newark International Airport, is an international airport within the city limits of both Newark and Elizabeth, New Jersey, United States...
was also added as a destination, but these flights stopped in 2001.
The first Airbus
Airbus
Airbus SAS is an aircraft manufacturing subsidiary of EADS, a European aerospace company. Based in Blagnac, France, surburb of Toulouse, and with significant activity across Europe, the company produces around half of the world's jet airliners....
short-haul aircraft arrived in 1998 in the form of the A321
Airbus A320 family
The Airbus A320 family is a family of short- to medium-range, narrow-body, commercial passenger jet airliners manufactured by Airbus Industrie.Airbus was originally a consortium of European aerospace companies, and is now fully owned by EADS. Airbus's name has been Airbus SAS since 2001...
, initially to mainly operate the Dublin-Heathrow route. Six were delivered in 1998 and 1999 and continue in service today. The first A320
Airbus A320 family
The Airbus A320 family is a family of short- to medium-range, narrow-body, commercial passenger jet airliners manufactured by Airbus Industrie.Airbus was originally a consortium of European aerospace companies, and is now fully owned by EADS. Airbus's name has been Airbus SAS since 2001...
was delivered in 2000, with three more added to the fleet by 2001.
On 1 February 2001, Aer Lingus Commuter was merged back into the mainline operation. Business was severely affected by the 11 September attacks. Staff numbers were cut, destinations were dropped and the fleet was reduced. The airline has since weathered the storm and is back in profit. This has largely been achieved through a strategy of lowering the airline's cost base, updating the fleet with modern Airbus equipment and developing new routes to mainland European destinations. Aer Lingus had previously largely neglected mainland Europe in favour of US and British destinations. They are positioning themselves as competition to the European no-frills
No frills
No-frills or no frills is a term used to describe any service or product for which the non-essential features have been removed to keep the price low. The use of the term "frills" refers to a style of fabric decoration...
airlines while offering intercontinental flights as well. Business class travel for short haul flights has been phased out. Cargo services remain on a small number of routes.
A large order for A320 aircraft saw deliveries commencing in 2004 and continuing to the present. The delivery of these aircraft allowed the withdrawal of the Boeing 737
Boeing 737
The Boeing 737 is a short- to medium-range, twin-engine narrow-body jet airliner. Originally developed as a shorter, lower-cost twin-engine airliner derived from Boeing's 707 and 727, the 737 has developed into a family of nine passenger models with a capacity of 85 to 215 passengers...
to begin and on 29 October 2005, Aer Lingus withdrew its last two 737 aircraft from service, one of which was used on the Dublin to Nice
Nice
Nice is the fifth most populous city in France, after Paris, Marseille, Lyon and Toulouse, with a population of 348,721 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Nice extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of more than 955,000 on an area of...
route. This marked the end of the use of Boeing aircraft at Aer Lingus and made the fleet all Airbus.
On 27 October 2005, Aer Lingus announced their first scheduled service to Asia from March 2006 as Dubai International Airport
Dubai International Airport
Dubai International Airport is an international airport serving Dubai, the largest city of the United Arab Emirates. It is a major aviation hub in the Middle East, and is the main airport of Dubai. It is situated in the Al Garhoud district, southeast of Dubai...
in the United Arab Emirates
United Arab Emirates
The United Arab Emirates, abbreviated as the UAE, or shortened to "the Emirates", is a state situated in the southeast of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia on the Persian Gulf, bordering Oman, and Saudi Arabia, and sharing sea borders with Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, and Iran.The UAE is a...
, where Chief Executive Dermot Mannion
Dermot Mannion
Dermot Mannion is the current Deputy Chairman of Royal Brunei Airlines and former Chief Executive Officer of Aer Lingus.Mannion was born in 1958 in Sligo, Ireland, one of eight children . He attended school at St. John's Boys School and Summerhill College, in Sligo...
was based when at Emirates Airline
Emirates Airline
Emirates is the airline based in the Emirate of Dubai part of the United Arab Emirates . Based at Dubai International Airport it is the largest airline in the Middle East, operating over 2,400 flights per week, from its hub at Terminal 3, to 111 cities in 62 countries across six continents...
. Despite the Aer Lingus press release describing it as the first long haul service outside the United States, there had in fact been a previous service to Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
from 1966–1979. The great circle
Great circle
A great circle, also known as a Riemannian circle, of a sphere is the intersection of the sphere and a plane which passes through the center point of the sphere, as opposed to a general circle of a sphere where the plane is not required to pass through the center...
distance of 5926 kilometres (3,682.3 mi) is comparable to the service to Chicago. At the same time Mr. Mannion linked the funding of new long haul aircraft to replace the A330 fleet with the privatisation of the airline. The Dubai service ceased in March 2008 as the airline sought to increase its market share in the newly liberalised transatlantic market.
On 6 June 2007, Aer Lingus strengthened its relationship with the European manufacturer by ordering six of the new A350 XWB as well as six A330-300E aircraft. These will be used to expand long haul operations as well as replacement aircraft for three older models. Deliveries of the A330E began in February 2009 and the A350 XWB is expected to begin in 2014.
Flotation
Shannon Airport
Shannon Airport, is one of the Republic of Ireland's three primary airports along with Dublin and Cork. In 2010 around 1,750,000 passengers passed through the airport, making it the third busiest airport in the Republic of Ireland after Dublin and Cork, and the fifth busiest airport on the island...
from the end of 2006 in stages.
The company began conditional (or "grey-market") share dealings on 27 September 2006 and was formally admitted to the Official Lists of the Irish Stock Exchange
Irish Stock Exchange
-History:The Irish Stock Exchange is Ireland's only stock exchange and has been in existence since 1793. It is an Irish private company limited by guarantee. It was first recognised by legislation in 1799 when the Irish Parliament passed the Stock Exchange Act...
and London Stock Exchange
London Stock Exchange
The London Stock Exchange is a stock exchange located in the City of London within the United Kingdom. , the Exchange had a market capitalisation of US$3.7495 trillion, making it the fourth-largest stock exchange in the world by this measurement...
on 2 October 2006. At the time of the flotation the Irish government maintained a 28% shareholding, while employees held 15%. The stock IPO offer price was E2.20. It has risen as high as E3.28(March 2007) and is now trading around E1.00, suffering from the general economic downturn, oil price hikes, and repeated staff industrial disputes.
Aer Lingus withdrew from the Oneworld airline alliance on 31 March 2007, instead entering into bilateral agreements with airlines including British Airways
British Airways
British Airways is the flag carrier airline of the United Kingdom, based in Waterside, near its main hub at London Heathrow Airport. British Airways is the largest airline in the UK based on fleet size, international flights and international destinations...
, KLM and United Airlines
United Airlines
United Air Lines, Inc., is the world's largest airline with 86,852 employees United Air Lines, Inc., is the world's largest airline with 86,852 employees United Air Lines, Inc., is the world's largest airline with 86,852 employees (which includes the entire holding company United Continental...
. The move was explained to be due to Aer Lingus' repositioning as a low-cost carrier, which did not fit with Oneworld's pitch to the premium international frequent flyer.
On 6 February 2007, however, the airline announced its intention to form a new alliance with JetBlue Airways
JetBlue Airways
JetBlue Airways Corporation is an American low-cost airline. The company is headquartered in the Forest Hills neighborhood of the New York City borough of Queens. Its main base is John F. Kennedy International Airport, also in Queens....
. This new alliance acts as a weblink between the two airlines, meaning Aer Lingus customers are able to book JetBlue destinations from the Aer Lingus website. In 2008, it also announced an alliance with United Airlines
United Airlines
United Air Lines, Inc., is the world's largest airline with 86,852 employees United Air Lines, Inc., is the world's largest airline with 86,852 employees United Air Lines, Inc., is the world's largest airline with 86,852 employees (which includes the entire holding company United Continental...
for connecting services within the US.
With the flotation of Aer Lingus on the stock exchange, Aer Lingus had planned to expand its route network, but this is on hold due to the economic situation.
Ryanair takeover bid
On 5 October 2006, Ryanair launched a bid to buy Aer Lingus. Ryanair CEO Michael O'LearyMichael O'Leary (Ryanair)
Michael O'Leary is an Irish businessman and the Chief Executive Officer of the Irish airline Ryanair. He is one of Ireland's wealthiest businessmen.-Early life:...
said the move was a "unique opportunity" to form an Irish airline. The "new" airline would carry over 50 million passengers a year. Ryanair said it had bought a 16% stake in Aer Lingus and was offering €2.80 for remaining shares. On the same day Aer Lingus rejected Ryanair's takeover bid. On 5 October 2006, Ryanair confirmed it had raised its stake to 19.2%, and said it had no problem in the Irish Government keeping its 28.3%. There were also reports in the Irish Times
The Irish Times
The Irish Times is an Irish daily broadsheet newspaper launched on 29 March 1859. The editor is Kevin O'Sullivan who succeeded Geraldine Kennedy in 2011; the deputy editor is Paul O'Neill. The Irish Times is considered to be Ireland's newspaper of record, and is published every day except Sundays...
that the Government would possibly seek judgement from the courts, and referral to competition authorities in Dublin – although this would be automatic under European regulation, as the combined group would control 78% of the Dublin – London passenger air traffic.
On 29 November 2006, Ryanair confirmed it had taken its stake to 26.2% of the airline.
On 21 December 2006, Ryanair announced it was withdrawing its current bid for Aer Lingus, with the intent of pursuing another bid in the near future after the European Commission
European Commission
The European Commission is the executive body of the European Union. The body is responsible for proposing legislation, implementing decisions, upholding the Union's treaties and the general day-to-day running of the Union....
finishes investigating the current bid. The EC has been concerned that the takeover would reduce consumer choice and increase fares.
On 27 June 2007, the European Commission announced their decision to block the bid on competition grounds saying the two airlines controlled more than 80% of all European flights to and from Dublin airport.
Cross border expansion
On 7 August 2007 the airline announced that it was to establish its first base outside of the Republic of Ireland at Belfast International AirportBelfast International Airport
Belfast International Airport is a major airport located northwest of Belfast in Northern Ireland. It was formerly known and is still referred to as Aldergrove Airport, after the village of the same name lying immediately to the west of the airport. Belfast International shares its runways with...
in Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
. Services from Belfast International commenced in December 2007. As of July 2008, the airline has three Airbus A320
Airbus A320 family
The Airbus A320 family is a family of short- to medium-range, narrow-body, commercial passenger jet airliners manufactured by Airbus Industrie.Airbus was originally a consortium of European aerospace companies, and is now fully owned by EADS. Airbus's name has been Airbus SAS since 2001...
aircraft based at the airport, serving eleven European destinations. Significantly, this move restores the Belfast International to London Heathrow Airport
London Heathrow Airport
London Heathrow Airport or Heathrow , in the London Borough of Hillingdon, is the busiest airport in the United Kingdom and the third busiest airport in the world in terms of total passenger traffic, handling more international passengers than any other airport around the globe...
link and Aer Lingus cooperates with its codeshare partner British Airways
British Airways
British Airways is the flag carrier airline of the United Kingdom, based in Waterside, near its main hub at London Heathrow Airport. British Airways is the largest airline in the UK based on fleet size, international flights and international destinations...
on this route to connect with BA's network at Heathrow. In order to do so, the airline discontinued its Shannon
Shannon Airport
Shannon Airport, is one of the Republic of Ireland's three primary airports along with Dublin and Cork. In 2010 around 1,750,000 passengers passed through the airport, making it the third busiest airport in the Republic of Ireland after Dublin and Cork, and the fifth busiest airport on the island...
-Heathrow service, a move that generated political controversy in the west of Ireland, particularly as the Shannon-London route was still profitable. The airline predicted that this move would add one million additional passengers annually. The Shannon to Heathrow service has since been reinstated.
Open Skies
On 22 March 2007, as a result of the Open Skies AgreementOpen skies
Open skies is an international policy concept which calls for the liberalization of rules and regulations on international aviation industry most specially commercial aviation - opening a free market for the airline industry...
, Aer Lingus announced three new long-haul services to the United States. From Autumn 2007, Aer Lingus commenced direct flights to Orlando
Orlando, Florida
Orlando is a city in the central region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat of Orange County, and the center of the Greater Orlando metropolitan area. According to the 2010 US Census, the city had a population of 238,300, making Orlando the 79th largest city in the United States...
, San Francisco and Washington, D.C.-Dulles
Washington Dulles International Airport
Washington Dulles International Airport is a public airport in Dulles, Virginia, 26 miles west of downtown Washington, D.C. The airport serves the Baltimore-Washington-Northern Virginia metropolitan area centered on the District of Columbia. It is named after John Foster Dulles, Secretary of...
. These services were facilitated by the arrival of two new Airbus A330 aircraft in May 2007. The airline also serves Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
(Logan International Airport
Logan International Airport
General Edward Lawrence Logan International Airport is located in the East Boston neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts . It covers , has six runways, and employs an estimated 16,000 people. It is the 19th busiest airport in the United States.Boston serves as a focus city for JetBlue Airways...
), Chicago (O'Hare International Airport
O'Hare International Airport
Chicago O'Hare International Airport , also known as O'Hare Airport, O'Hare Field, Chicago Airport, Chicago International Airport, or simply O'Hare, is a major airport located in the northwestern-most corner of Chicago, Illinois, United States, northwest of the Chicago Loop...
), and New York (JFK Airport
John F. Kennedy International Airport
John F. Kennedy International Airport is an international airport located in the borough of Queens in New York City, about southeast of Lower Manhattan. It is the busiest international air passenger gateway to the United States, handling more international traffic than any other airport in North...
). Aer Lingus ended its Middle-Eastern Route to Dubai in March 2008, ended its Los Angeles route in November 2008. The Washington
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
and the San Francisco routes have since been discontinued as of 24 October 2009. Services from Washington
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
resumed on 28 March 2010 when the airline began flights from Washington D.C. to Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
, Spain in a joint venture with United Airlines.
Effects of Global Financial Crisis
After reporting losses of €22 million for the first half of the year, in October 2008, Aer Lingus announced a €74 million cost saving plan. This was to involve up to 1500 job cuts including the loss of cabin crew bases in Shannon and Heathrow. The airline planned to scale back ground operations in Cork and Shannon Airport as well as outsourcing check-in, baggage handling, cargo and catering services in Dublin. Transatlantic services were to be reduced and staff were to be replaced with US-based cabin crew. A pay freeze was introduced to run until the end of 2009. This met with a largely negative response particularly from trade unions. These cut backs have since been cancelled, and new cut backs including lower pay and a change in working conditions for ground staff have been implemented.In December 2008, Aer Lingus announced that the Shannon – Heathrow service would resume from 29 March 2009 following new arrangements with the trade unions on staff costs and the Shannon Airport Authority on airport charges.
However at the end of June 2009 the company had accumulated losses of €93 million euro and Chairman Colm Barrington confirmed this situation could not continue. In October 2009 newly appointed Chief Executive Christoph Mueller announced a radical cost cutting plan that would lead to the loss of 676 jobs at the company and see pay and pension reductions for those being kept on. The total plan aimed to achieve savings of €97 million euro between then and 2011. As a 6 week consultation process began Mr. Mueller refused to rule out further cuts in the future.
Second Ryanair takeover bid
On 1 Dec 2008, Ryanair launched a second takeover bid of Aer Lingus, making an all-cash offer of €Euro
The euro is the official currency of the eurozone: 17 of the 27 member states of the European Union. It is also the currency used by the Institutions of the European Union. The eurozone consists of Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg,...
748 million (£
Pound sterling
The pound sterling , commonly called the pound, is the official currency of the United Kingdom, its Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, British Antarctic Territory and Tristan da Cunha. It is subdivided into 100 pence...
619mil; US$950mil). The offer was a 28% premium on the value of Aer Lingus stock during the preceding 30 days. Ryanair said, "Aer Lingus, as a small, stand alone, regional airline has been marginalised and bypassed as most other EU flag carriers consolidate." The two airlines would operate separately and Ryanair claimed that they would double the Aer Lingus short haul fleet from 33 to 66 and create 1,000 new jobs. The Aer Lingus Board rejected the offer and advised its shareholder
Shareholder
A shareholder or stockholder is an individual or institution that legally owns one or more shares of stock in a public or private corporation. Shareholders own the stock, but not the corporation itself ....
s to take no action. The offer was eventually rejected by a majority of the other shareholders. It was the second failed attempt by Michael O'Leary to take over the national flag carrier. Ryanair initially left the offer open to Aer Lingus until they withdrew their bid on 30 January 2009. The Irish Government slammed O'Leary's offer as "undervaluing the airline" and stated that a Ryanair takeover would have a "significant negative impact" on competition in the industry and on the Irish consumer. Ryanair has repeatedly stated that another bid is unlikely, but as of October 2010 it still had a stake in Aer Lingus, prompting an investigation by competition regulators in the UK.
Gatwick base
On 19 December 2008, Aer Lingus announced that it will be opening up a base at Gatwick Airport. Four aircraft were based there from April 2009, serving eight destinations. The destinations included Faro, Malaga, Munich, Nice, Vienna, Dublin, Warsaw, Knock and Zurich. CEO Dermot Mannion also said the company expects to increase the number of planes based at Gatwick to eight within 12 months.As of 6 June 2009, the airline based an additional A320 aircraft at Gatwick, bringing the total number of aircraft based there to five, making Gatwick its biggest base outside Ireland. This resulted in six new routes. These are Bucharest, Eindhoven, Tenerife, Lanzarote, Warsaw and Vilnius for winter 2009. The Gatwick/Nice route was suspended for the winter months.
On 8 January 2010, due to the weak demand in air travel, Aer Lingus announced that it was to reduce the number of aircraft based at Gatwick from five to three. The three remaining aircraft were to operate the carrier's services to Dublin, Knock, Malaga and a new route to Cork.
In January 2011, Aer Lingus announced a further daily service from Gatwick to Shannon starting at the end of March.
Appointment of Christoph Mueller as CEO
On 6 April 2009, CEO Dermot MannionDermot Mannion
Dermot Mannion is the current Deputy Chairman of Royal Brunei Airlines and former Chief Executive Officer of Aer Lingus.Mannion was born in 1958 in Sligo, Ireland, one of eight children . He attended school at St. John's Boys School and Summerhill College, in Sligo...
announced his resignation from the airline after four years as Chief Executive. He was replaced by German-born Christoph Müller (alternative spelling "Mueller"), former head of TUI Travel
TUI Travel
TUI Travel PLC is a FTSE 250 international leisure travel group listed on the London Stock Exchange. It was formed on 3 September 2007 by the merger of First Choice Holidays PLC and the Tourism Division of TUI AG, which owns 55.09% of the company, operating in 180 countries and serving 30m...
and Sabena
Sabena
SABENA was the national airline of Belgium from 1923 to 2001, with its base at Brussels National Airport. After its bankruptcy in 2001, the newly formed SN Brussels Airlines took over part of SABENA's assets in February 2002, which then became Brussels Airlines...
, who joined Aer Lingus on 1 October 2009.
On 2 December 2009, Aer Lingus announced that talks with their unions had broken down. As a result, the board voted to reduce capacity, and with it associated jobs, as a response. According to CEO Christoph Mueller, concessions offered by unions were of a short-term nature, and the airline was asked for high compensation in return. Aer Lingus has not yet identified the routes or jobs to be cut, but they would most likely "commence immediately and will be compulsory," according to Mueller.
As of April 2010 all employess groups had passed votes on the acceptance of the 'Greenfield' cost cutting plans which are expected to save €57M annually. Once implemented the second phase of cost cutting will commence which aims to save €40M annually by reducing 'back office staff' numbers by up to 40% according to the CEO.
Mueller has indicated that Aer Lingus intends to reposition itself again, moving away from a head-to-head competition with Ryanair
Ryanair
Ryanair is an Irish low-cost airline. Its head office is at Dublin Airport and its primary operational bases at Dublin Airport and London Stansted Airport....
in the low-cost sector to a more hybrid model with a stronger emphasis on service. As part of this move, Aer Lingus is also holding talks to join an airline alliance again, having left Oneworld in 2007.
Aer Lingus announced on 15 June 2010 that it would be suspending services from Shannon
Shannon Airport
Shannon Airport, is one of the Republic of Ireland's three primary airports along with Dublin and Cork. In 2010 around 1,750,000 passengers passed through the airport, making it the third busiest airport in the Republic of Ireland after Dublin and Cork, and the fifth busiest airport on the island...
to Boston
Logan International Airport
General Edward Lawrence Logan International Airport is located in the East Boston neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts . It covers , has six runways, and employs an estimated 16,000 people. It is the 19th busiest airport in the United States.Boston serves as a focus city for JetBlue Airways...
and New York (JFK)
John F. Kennedy International Airport
John F. Kennedy International Airport is an international airport located in the borough of Queens in New York City, about southeast of Lower Manhattan. It is the busiest international air passenger gateway to the United States, handling more international traffic than any other airport in North...
for 11 weeks from January 2011.
Head office
The Aer Lingus head office is located on the grounds of Dublin AirportDublin Airport
Dublin Airport, , is operated by the Dublin Airport Authority. Located in Collinstown, in the Fingal part of County Dublin, 18.4 million passengers passed through the airport in 2010, making it the busiest airport in the Republic of Ireland, followed by Cork and Shannon...
in Fingal
Fingal
Fingal is a county in Ireland. It is one of three smaller counties into which County Dublin was divided in 1994. With its county seat located in Swords, it has a population of 239,992 according to the 2006 census...
, County Dublin
County Dublin
County Dublin is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Dublin Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the city of Dublin which is the capital of Ireland. County Dublin was one of the first of the parts of Ireland to be shired by King John of England following the...
. The 9.9 acres (4 ha) head office site includes the head office building, the services annex, and the Iolar House. The head office is in close proximity to the Ryanair
Ryanair
Ryanair is an Irish low-cost airline. Its head office is at Dublin Airport and its primary operational bases at Dublin Airport and London Stansted Airport....
head office. Brian Lavery of The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
said in 2004 that the proximity, described by Lavery as "a few parking lots away," was "a symbol of just how close the competition is to home." In 2010 Aer Lingus announced that it surrendered the lease on its current head office building to the Dublin Airport Authority
Dublin Airport Authority
Dublin Airport Authority plc is the state-owned airport authority in the Republic of Ireland. With a head office on the grounds of Dublin Airport in Fingal, County Dublin, the authority also owned the Great Southern Hotels which had nine sites throughout the island of Ireland and international...
, and that it would move its employees to Hangar 6 and other buildings in the airline's property portfolio during the year of 2011. The airline said that its current head office building, which was stated by the International Business Times
International Business Times
The International Business Times is an online global business newspaper, published in 17 editions in 10 languages across 13 countries. The publication, sometimes called IBTimes, offers news, analysis and editorial commentary on business and business related stories...
to be in need of refurbishing, is too large for the company's needs following the "Greenfield" cost reduction programme.
Strategy
Aer Lingus adopted a "some frills" strategic approach – a hybrid between a traditional legacy airline and a low cost carrier. The difference lies in the services offered on short-haul and long-haul flights with meals and seat assignment offered free on the latter only. The new strategy required considerable negotiation with the unions and a consensus was reached that lower costs and a reinvention of the airline was necessary for its survival. The union concessions that arose from the negotiations were detrimental to their airline's image however, by 2003 the wage freeze had been lifted and there were 3800 voluntary redundancies with no forced layoffs. These factors contributed to the airline's reported profits in 2002, 2003 and 2005, with only a small loss recorded in 2004.Financial performance
| Year Ended | Passengers Flown |
Passenger Load Factor (%) |
Revenue (€m) |
Profit / (Loss) Before Tax (€m) |
Net Profit / (Loss) (€m) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 31 December 2010 | 9,346,000 | 76.1 | 1,215.6 | 30.4 | 46.5 |
| 31 December 2009 | 10,382,000 | 74.5 | 1,205.7 | (154.8) | (130.1) |
| 31 December 2008 | 10,001,000 | 72.8 | 1,357.4 | (95.9) | (107.8) |
| 31 December 2007 | 9,305,000 | 75.4 | 1,284.9 | 124.8 | 105.3 |
| 31 December 2006 | 8,631,000 | 77.6 | 1,115.8 | (79.4) | (69.9) |
| 31 December 2005 | 8,044,000 | 81.4 | 1,002.7 | 100.0 | 88.9 |
| 31 December 2004 | 6,959,000 | 82 | 906.8 | 1.1 | 1.2 |
| 31 December 2003 | 6,595,000 | 81 | 888.3 | 79.4 | 69.2 |
| 31 December 2002 | 6,211,000 | 78 | 958.6 | 15.1 | 16.8 |
| 31 December 2001 | 6,600,000 | 72 | 1,097.2 | (167.4) | (149.7) |
Aer Lingus Cargo
Aer Lingus Cargo is the airline's cargo division. It uses reserved areas of passenger aircraft cargo-holds. Aer Lingus Cargo is available on all routes to US from Dublin and ShannonShannon Airport
Shannon Airport, is one of the Republic of Ireland's three primary airports along with Dublin and Cork. In 2010 around 1,750,000 passengers passed through the airport, making it the third busiest airport in the Republic of Ireland after Dublin and Cork, and the fifth busiest airport on the island...
. Cargo services are also offered on most European routes and some routes to the UK.
Aer Lingus Regional
In January 2010 Aer Lingus announced that the carrier was in advanced talks with Irish regional airline Aer ArannAer Arann
Aer Arann is a regional airline based in Dublin, Ireland. Aer Arann operates scheduled services from Ireland and the Isle of Man to destinations in Ireland, the United Kingdom, and France, with a fleet of 18 aircraft. Aer Arann has expanded from a single aircraft to Ireland's third largest airline...
about a possible commercial alliance that would see Aer Arann provide feeder services for Aer Lingus flights between Dublin/Cork and UK regional airports. Aer Lingus will not take an equity stake in Aer Arann but the deal will result in Aer Lingus bulk buying seats on Aer Arann services. The move will allow Aer Lingus to expand its operations without the need for additional aircraft plus serve airports that cannot handle their A320/321 fleet. The agreement will expand on both carriers current Interline arrangement on flights between Dublin/Cork.
It has since been announced that this service will be branded "Aer Lingus Regional" with flights operated with Aer Arann aircraft and crew. The service will include all existing Aer Lingus and Aer Arann services plus 3 new services operated by Aer Arann. Aer Lingus will receive a franchise fee from Aer Arann and all flights will be sold on the Aer Lingus website.
Destinations
Short-haul routesThe airline's European network has been designed to compete with low-frills budget airline Ryanair. Only one cabin class is offered in the short-haul fleet and passengers must pay for baggage carried in the hold, and for food and drink on board.
Long-haul routes
Aer Lingus serves the United States primarily as their long-haul routes with the use of the Airbus A330. Aer Lingus serves Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
, Chicago, Orlando
Orlando, Florida
Orlando is a city in the central region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat of Orange County, and the center of the Greater Orlando metropolitan area. According to the 2010 US Census, the city had a population of 238,300, making Orlando the 79th largest city in the United States...
, Washington DC, and New York with Orlando being its longest route.
In January 2009, the airline announced it would open a new route between Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
and Washington DC effective 28 March 2010. It was the airline's first transatlantic route not originating in Ireland. This route will be a codeshare with United Airlines
United Airlines
United Air Lines, Inc., is the world's largest airline with 86,852 employees United Air Lines, Inc., is the world's largest airline with 86,852 employees United Air Lines, Inc., is the world's largest airline with 86,852 employees (which includes the entire holding company United Continental...
but operated by Aer Lingus.
Aer Lingus previously served Baltimore/Washington, Dubai
Dubai
Dubai is a city and emirate in the United Arab Emirates . The emirate is located south of the Persian Gulf on the Arabian Peninsula and has the largest population with the second-largest land territory by area of all the emirates, after Abu Dhabi...
, Los Angeles, Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
, Newark
Newark, New Jersey
Newark is the largest city in the American state of New Jersey, and the seat of Essex County. As of the 2010 United States Census, Newark had a population of 277,140, maintaining its status as the largest municipality in New Jersey. It is the 68th largest city in the U.S...
, and San Francisco. On 12 June 2009, Aer Lingus suspended its services between Shannon
Shannon Airport
Shannon Airport, is one of the Republic of Ireland's three primary airports along with Dublin and Cork. In 2010 around 1,750,000 passengers passed through the airport, making it the third busiest airport in the Republic of Ireland after Dublin and Cork, and the fifth busiest airport on the island...
-Chicago, and its direct route between Dublin-Washington DC for winter of 2009 due to weakening demand in air travel. It still offers a connection to Washington DC in a code-share flight operated by Jet Blue Airways and Aer Lingus via New York. The airline also stated that the Shannon-New York (JFK) route would be "kept under close review", however it is understood the airline is sustaining the route after coming under pressure from the Irish government
Irish Government
The Government of Ireland is the cabinet that exercises executive authority in Ireland.-Members of the Government:Membership of the Government is regulated fundamentally by the Constitution of Ireland. The Government is headed by a prime minister called the Taoiseach...
to keep the Shannon-New York (JFK) connection.
The airline was in talks with four major airports in California (San Francisco, San Jose, Oakland, and Los Angeles) about the possibility of reestablishing nonstop service from Dublin to the west coast of the United States. However, such service would not start until March 2012 at the earliest. However, the airline decided not to resume services in 2012.
Airline alliance membership
Although Aer Lingus is currently not a member of any airline alliance, it was previously one of the first additional airlines to join OneworldOneworld
Oneworld , branded as oneworld, is one of the world's three largest global airline alliances with its central management team, oneworld Management Company, based in New York City, New York, USA. Oneworld was founded in 1999 by American Airlines, British Airways, Canadian Airlines, Cathay Pacific...
after the alliance's inception in 1998. Aer Lingus was formally elected on board and confirmed as the ninth member of the alliance on 2 December 1999.
It left the alliance on 31 March 2007 while the then-CEO Willie Walsh was attempting to reposition Aer Lingus as a low-cost point-to-point carrier competing directly with fellow Irish airline Ryanair
Ryanair
Ryanair is an Irish low-cost airline. Its head office is at Dublin Airport and its primary operational bases at Dublin Airport and London Stansted Airport....
. The decision to leave the alliance was due to this repositioning, which did not fit in with Oneworld's orientation towards premium international frequent flyers.
The current CEO Christoph Mueller, who joined Aer Lingus in October 2009, has indicated that he wants to move the airline away from being a pure low-cost carrier to a hybrid model with a higher emphasis on service. Mueller explained in June 2010 that, as part of this re-orientation, Aer Lingus is currently in the early stages of holding talks with SkyTeam
SkyTeam
SkyTeam, branded as SKYTEAM, is an airline alliance with its centralised management team, SkyTeam Central, based at the World Trade Center Schiphol Airport on the grounds of Amsterdam Airport Schiphol in Haarlemmermeer, Netherlands...
, Oneworld
Oneworld
Oneworld , branded as oneworld, is one of the world's three largest global airline alliances with its central management team, oneworld Management Company, based in New York City, New York, USA. Oneworld was founded in 1999 by American Airlines, British Airways, Canadian Airlines, Cathay Pacific...
and Star Alliance
Star Alliance
Star Alliance is the world's first and largest airline alliance, headquartered in Frankfurt am Main, Germany . The alliance was founded in 1997 by five of the world's leading airlines: Air Canada, Lufthansa, Scandinavian Airlines, Thai Airways International and United Airlines...
with the goal of joining one of them. He stated that Aer Lingus, being based on an island, "need to offer our customers a global network; this is our raison d’être. But we will not fly this ourselves. We will do this through an alliance."
Codeshare agreements
Aer Lingus has codeshare agreements and interline agreements with the following airlines:
|
Current
As of October 2011, the Aer Lingus fleet consists of the following aircraft with an average age of 6.1 years:| Aircraft | Total | Orders | Passengers | Notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C | Y | Total | ||||
| Airbus A319-100 Airbus A320 family The Airbus A320 family is a family of short- to medium-range, narrow-body, commercial passenger jet airliners manufactured by Airbus Industrie.Airbus was originally a consortium of European aerospace companies, and is now fully owned by EADS. Airbus's name has been Airbus SAS since 2001... |
2 (Stored) | 2 | — | 144 | 144 | entering service from March 2012 |
| Airbus A320-200 Airbus A320 family The Airbus A320 family is a family of short- to medium-range, narrow-body, commercial passenger jet airliners manufactured by Airbus Industrie.Airbus was originally a consortium of European aerospace companies, and is now fully owned by EADS. Airbus's name has been Airbus SAS since 2001... |
34 | — | — | 174 | 174 | |
| Airbus A321-200 Airbus A320 family The Airbus A320 family is a family of short- to medium-range, narrow-body, commercial passenger jet airliners manufactured by Airbus Industrie.Airbus was originally a consortium of European aerospace companies, and is now fully owned by EADS. Airbus's name has been Airbus SAS since 2001... |
3 | — | — | 212 | 212 | |
| Airbus A330-200 Airbus A330 The Airbus A330 is a wide-body twin-engine jet airliner made by Airbus, a division of EADS. Versions of the A330 have a range of and can accommodate up to 335 passengers in a two-class layout or carry of cargo.... |
3 | — | 24 | 248 251 |
272 275 |
|
| Airbus A330-300 Airbus A330 The Airbus A330 is a wide-body twin-engine jet airliner made by Airbus, a division of EADS. Versions of the A330 have a range of and can accommodate up to 335 passengers in a two-class layout or carry of cargo.... |
4 | — | 24 | 298 | 322 | |
| Airbus A350-900 Airbus A350 The Airbus A350 is a family of long-range, wide-body jet airliners under development by European aircraft manufacturer Airbus.A consortium originally comprising European aerospace companies from the UK, France, Spain and West Germany, Airbus is now fully owned by EADS and since 2001 has been known... |
— | 9 | TBA | 4 in 2015 2 in 2016 3 in 2018 |
||
| Total | 46 | 11 | ||||
On 13 March 2007, Aer Lingus announced that it had made Requests For Proposals to Boeing
Boeing
The Boeing Company is an American multinational aerospace and defense corporation, founded in 1916 by William E. Boeing in Seattle, Washington. Boeing has expanded over the years, merging with McDonnell Douglas in 1997. Boeing Corporate headquarters has been in Chicago, Illinois since 2001...
and Airbus for the 787 Dreamliner and the A350
Airbus A350
The Airbus A350 is a family of long-range, wide-body jet airliners under development by European aircraft manufacturer Airbus.A consortium originally comprising European aerospace companies from the UK, France, Spain and West Germany, Airbus is now fully owned by EADS and since 2001 has been known...
XWB, and intended to make an order for 14 long haul aircraft in the second quarter of 2007.
On 27 February 2008, Aer Lingus announced the purchase of four A320
Airbus A320 family
The Airbus A320 family is a family of short- to medium-range, narrow-body, commercial passenger jet airliners manufactured by Airbus Industrie.Airbus was originally a consortium of European aerospace companies, and is now fully owned by EADS. Airbus's name has been Airbus SAS since 2001...
aircraft for delivery late 2010 through early 2011, bringing its short haul fleet to 40 aircraft.
On 10 April 2008, Aer Lingus shareholders approved the purchase of 18 new aircraft, valued at US$2.2 billion. The order will include the purchase of six A330-300E (Enhanced) and six A350-900s to be delivered between 2009 and 2016. These aircraft will be used in the major expansion and modernisation of the airline's long-haul fleet and increase the airlines' long-haul route network. The other aircraft purchases will primarily be Airbus A320
Airbus A320 family
The Airbus A320 family is a family of short- to medium-range, narrow-body, commercial passenger jet airliners manufactured by Airbus Industrie.Airbus was originally a consortium of European aerospace companies, and is now fully owned by EADS. Airbus's name has been Airbus SAS since 2001...
-200s, which will be used in the airline's European expansion plans.
Aer Lingus A330 and A350
- On 6 June 2007, Aer Lingus announced the purchase of six Airbus A330Airbus A330The Airbus A330 is a wide-body twin-engine jet airliner made by Airbus, a division of EADS. Versions of the A330 have a range of and can accommodate up to 335 passengers in a two-class layout or carry of cargo....
-300E aircraft for delivery from 2009 and six A350-900 aircraft with deliveries beginning from 2014. Aer Lingus says that by 2014 will have doubled its long-haul fleet. : - On 4 August 2009, a rescheduling of aircraft deliveries was announced;
- Other new A330 aircraft delivery dates are deferred until 2013.
- Delivery of the first A350 is scheduled for 2014.
- On 28 February 2011, Aer Lingus announced that they would exercise an option to defer three A330 aircraft due for delivery in 2013 and 2014 and replace them with an order for three A350 aircraft for delivery no earlier than 2018.
Retired
Transatlantic fleet- Boeing 707–320Boeing 707The Boeing 707 is a four-engine narrow-body commercial passenger jet airliner developed by Boeing in the early 1950s. Its name is most commonly pronounced as "Seven Oh Seven". The first airline to operate the 707 was Pan American World Airways, inaugurating the type's first commercial flight on...
1964–1986 - Boeing 720Boeing 707The Boeing 707 is a four-engine narrow-body commercial passenger jet airliner developed by Boeing in the early 1950s. Its name is most commonly pronounced as "Seven Oh Seven". The first airline to operate the 707 was Pan American World Airways, inaugurating the type's first commercial flight on...
1960–1971 - Boeing 747–100Boeing 747The Boeing 747 is a wide-body commercial airliner and cargo transport, often referred to by its original nickname, Jumbo Jet, or Queen of the Skies. It is among the world's most recognizable aircraft, and was the first wide-body ever produced...
1971–1995 - Boeing 767-300ERBoeing 767The Boeing 767 is a mid-size, wide-body twin-engine jet airliner built by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. It was the manufacturer's first wide-body twinjet and its first airliner with a two-crew glass cockpit. The aircraft features two turbofan engines, a supercritical wing, and a conventional tail...
1991–1994 - Lockheed L-749 ConstellationLockheed L-749 Constellation-See also:- References :CitationsBibliography* Breffort, Dominique. Lockheed Constellation: from Excalibur to Starliner Civilian and Military Variants. Paris: Histoire and Collecions, 2006. Print. ISBN 2915239622-External Links:...
1948 (Aerlínte Éireann) - Lockheed L-1049 Super ConstellationLockheed L-1049 Super ConstellationThe Lockheed L-1049 Super Constellation is an aircraft in the Lockheed Constellation aircraft line. The aircraft was Lockheed's response to the successful Douglas DC-6 airliner and first flew in 1950...
1958–1960 - Lockheed L-1011 TriStarLockheed L-1011The Lockheed L-1011 TriStar, commonly referred to as the L-1011 or TriStar, is a medium-to-long range, widebody passenger trijet airliner. It was the third widebody airliner to enter commercial operations, following the Boeing 747 and the McDonnell Douglas DC-10. Between 1968 and 1984, Lockheed...
summer 1989 leased from American Trans AirATA AirlinesATA Airlines, Inc., formerly known as American Trans Air, was an American low-cost scheduled service and charter airline based in Indianapolis, Indiana. ATA operated scheduled passenger flights throughout the US mainland and Hawaii, as well as military and commercial charter flights around the world...
and again in 1996–1998, leased from Caledonian AirwaysCaledonian AirwaysCaledonian Airways was a wholly private, independentindependent from government-owned corporations Scottish charter airline formed in April 1961. It began with a single Douglas DC-7C leased from Sabena. Caledonian grew rapidly over the coming years to become the leading transatlantic "affinity... - McDonnell Douglas MD-11McDonnell Douglas MD-11The McDonnell Douglas MD-11 is a three-engine medium- to long-range widebody jet airliner, manufactured by McDonnell Douglas and, later, by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. Based on the DC-10, it features a stretched fuselage, increased wingspan with winglets, refined airfoils on the wing and smaller...
1998–2001, leased from World AirwaysWorld AirwaysWorld Airways, Inc. is an American airline headquartered at the HLH Building in Peachtree City, Georgia. For the most part, the company operates non-scheduled services. Its main aircraft and maintenance base is Tampa International Airport.-History:...
during summer season
European and commuter fleet
- Airspeed ConsulAirspeed Consul-See also:-References:...
1948–1950 - Aviation Traders CarvairAviation Traders CarvairThe Aviation Traders ATL-98 Carvair was a large piston-engine transport aircraft. It was a Douglas DC-4-based air ferry developed by Freddie Laker's Aviation Traders Limited , with a capacity of 25 passengers and five cars, loaded at the front.-Design and development:Freddie Laker's idea to...
1963–1968 - BAC One-ElevenBAC One-ElevenThe British Aircraft Corporation One-Eleven, also known as the BAC-111, BAC-1-11 or BAC 1-11, was a British short-range jet airliner of the 1960s and 1970s...
1965–1990 - BAe 146–300BAe 146The British Aerospace 146 is a medium-sized commercial airliner formerly manufactured in the United Kingdom by British Aerospace, later part of BAE Systems. Production ran from 1983 until 2002. Manufacture of an improved version known as the Avro RJ began in 1992...
1995–2003 - Boeing 737–200Boeing 737The Boeing 737 is a short- to medium-range, twin-engine narrow-body jet airliner. Originally developed as a shorter, lower-cost twin-engine airliner derived from Boeing's 707 and 727, the 737 has developed into a family of nine passenger models with a capacity of 85 to 215 passengers...
1969–1992 - Boeing 737–300Boeing 737 ClassicThe Boeing 737 Classic is the name given to the -300/-400/-500 series of the Boeing 737 following the introduction of the -600/-700/-800/-900 series. They are short- to medium- range, narrow-body jet airliners produced by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. The Classic series was introduced as the 'new...
1987–1993 - Boeing 737–400Boeing 737 ClassicThe Boeing 737 Classic is the name given to the -300/-400/-500 series of the Boeing 737 following the introduction of the -600/-700/-800/-900 series. They are short- to medium- range, narrow-body jet airliners produced by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. The Classic series was introduced as the 'new...
1989–2005 - Boeing 737–500Boeing 737 ClassicThe Boeing 737 Classic is the name given to the -300/-400/-500 series of the Boeing 737 following the introduction of the -600/-700/-800/-900 series. They are short- to medium- range, narrow-body jet airliners produced by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. The Classic series was introduced as the 'new...
1990–2005 - de Havilland DH.84 DragonDe Havilland Dragon|-See also:-References:Bibliography ISBN 0-85177-813-5...
1936–1938 - de Havilland DH.86 ExpressDe Havilland ExpressThe de Havilland Express was a four-engined passenger aircraft from the 1930s manufactured by the de Havilland Aircraft Company.-Development:...
1936–1946 - de Havilland DH.89 Dragon RapideDe Havilland Dragon RapideThe de Havilland DH.89 Dragon Rapide was a British short-haul passenger airliner of the 1930s.-Design and development:Designed by the de Havilland company in late 1933 as a faster and more comfortable successor to the DH.84 Dragon, it was in effect a twin-engined, scaled-down version of the...
1938–1940 - Douglas DC-3Douglas DC-3The Douglas DC-3 is an American fixed-wing propeller-driven aircraft whose speed and range revolutionized air transport in the 1930s and 1940s. Its lasting impact on the airline industry and World War II makes it one of the most significant transport aircraft ever made...
1940–1964 - Fokker F27Fokker F27The Fokker F27 Friendship is a turboprop airliner designed and built by the Dutch aircraft manufacturer Fokker.-Design and development:Design of the Fokker F27 started in the 1950s as a replacement to the successful Douglas DC-3 airliner...
1958–1966 - Fokker 50 1989–2001
- Lockheed Super ElectraLockheed Model 14 Super Electra|-See also:-References:NotesBibliography* Francillon, René J. Lockheed Aircraft since 1913. Annapolis: Naval Institute Press, 1987. ISBN 0-85177-835-6.-External links:*...
1939–1940 - Saab 340Saab 340The Saab 340 is a discontinued Swedish two-engine turboprop aircraft designed and initially produced by a partnership between Saab and Fairchild Aircraft in a 65:35 ratio...
1991–1995 - Short 330 1983
- Short 360 1984–1991
- Vickers VikingVickers VC.1 VikingThe Vickers VC.1 Viking was a British twin-engine short-range airliner derived from the Vickers Wellington bomber and built by Vickers Armstrongs Limited at Brooklands near Weybridge in Surrey. In the aftermath of the Second World War, the Viking was an important airliner with British airlines...
1947 - Vickers Viscount 700Vickers ViscountThe Vickers Viscount was a British medium-range turboprop airliner first flown in 1948 by Vickers-Armstrongs, making it the first such aircraft to enter service in the world...
1954–1960 - Vickers Viscount 800Vickers ViscountThe Vickers Viscount was a British medium-range turboprop airliner first flown in 1948 by Vickers-Armstrongs, making it the first such aircraft to enter service in the world...
1957–1973
Services
| Routes, aircraft and class services: | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Route | Aircraft | Economy Class Service | Business Class Service |
| Europe & North Africa & West Asia | All A320 & A321 Aircraft, with occasional A330 aircraft |
|
|
| North America & Europe | All A330 Aircraft |
Video on demand Video on Demand or Audio and Video On Demand are systems which allow users to select and watch/listen to video or audio content on demand... , showing 12 movies, 50 TV programmes, 30 interactive games and dozens of music videos and CD albums to choose from. |
Video on demand Video on Demand or Audio and Video On Demand are systems which allow users to select and watch/listen to video or audio content on demand... , offering 12 movies, 50 TV programmes, 30 interactive games and dozens of music videos and CD albums. |
In June 2009 Aer Lingus re-branded its Premier Class to the new Business Class.
Gold Circle Club
The Gold Circle Club is Aer Lingus' Frequent Flyer Programme. The Gold Circle Club consists of three tiers, Gold Circle, Gold Circle Prestige and Gold Circle Elite. A Membership card is provided by Aer Lingus for various benefits.Incidents and accidents
Aer Lingus has had 11 incidents, including seven accidents which left aircraft written-off (of which three were fatal) and one hijacking. The last crash accident was a non-fatal crash in 1986, when a Short 360 hit high-tension power lines after the pilots lost control of the aircraft due to airframe icing. The 2005 Logan Airport runway incursion is the last known incident and was investigated by the American NTSB.- On 10 January 1952, a Douglas DC-3Douglas DC-3The Douglas DC-3 is an American fixed-wing propeller-driven aircraft whose speed and range revolutionized air transport in the 1930s and 1940s. Its lasting impact on the airline industry and World War II makes it one of the most significant transport aircraft ever made...
(actually a civilianised ex-military Dakota) registered EI-AFL and named "St. Kevin" was en route from NortholtRAF NortholtRAF Northolt is a Royal Air Force station situated in South Ruislip, east by northeast of Uxbridge in the London Borough of Hillingdon, West London. Approximately north of London Heathrow Airport, the station also handles a large number of private civil flights...
to Dublin. It flew into a mountain wave triggered by SnowdonSnowdonSnowdon is the highest mountain in Wales, at an altitude of above sea level, and the highest point in the British Isles outside Scotland. It is located in Snowdonia National Park in Gwynedd, and has been described as "probably the busiest mountain in Britain"...
and an area of extreme turbulence, then crashed in a peat bog near Llyn GwynantLlyn GwynantLlyn Gwynant is a lake in Snowdonia, Wales.Llyn Gwynant lies on the River Glaslyn, in the Nant Gwynant valley, and is about 2 km north east of Llyn Dinas; the village of Bethania lies between them....
in SnowdoniaSnowdoniaSnowdonia is a region in north Wales and a national park of in area. It was the first to be designated of the three National Parks in Wales, in 1951.-Name and extent:...
, killing all 20 passengers and 3 crew. It was the company's first fatal accident.
- On 22 June 1967, a Vickers ViscountVickers ViscountThe Vickers Viscount was a British medium-range turboprop airliner first flown in 1948 by Vickers-Armstrongs, making it the first such aircraft to enter service in the world...
registered EI-AOF on a pilot-training flight stalled and spun into the ground near AshbourneAshbourne, County MeathAshbourne, historically called Killeglan or Kildeglan , is a town in County Meath, Ireland. It is about 20 km north of Dublin city centre and is bypassed by the M2 motorway.-History:...
, killing all three crew.
- On 21 September 1967, Vickers ViscountVickers ViscountThe Vickers Viscount was a British medium-range turboprop airliner first flown in 1948 by Vickers-Armstrongs, making it the first such aircraft to enter service in the world...
EI-AKK flying from Dublin to Bristol scraped its wing on the runway and crashed on landing at the destination airport. All of the passengers and crew survived. The aircraft was later written off.
- In 1968, a Viscount EI-AOM "St. Phelim" en route from CorkCork (city)Cork is the second largest city in the Republic of Ireland and the island of Ireland's third most populous city. It is the principal city and administrative centre of County Cork and the largest city in the province of Munster. Cork has a population of 119,418, while the addition of the suburban...
to London crashed near Tuskar Rock in the waters off the southeast coast of Ireland. All 57 passengers and four crew perished. The crash is generally known as the Tuskar Rock Air DisasterAer Lingus Flight 712Flight 712, operated by Aer Lingus crashed en route from Cork to London on 24 March 1968 killing 61 passengers and crew. The plane, a Vickers Viscount 803 named "St. Phelim", crashed into the sea off Tuskar Rock, County Wexford. Although the investigation into the crash lasted two years, a cause...
in Ireland. The aircraft's elevator trim tab was found some distance from the rest of the wreckage, suggesting that it had become detached at an earlier stage. However, the accident report reached no definitive conclusion about the cause of the crash, but did not exclude the possibility that another aircraft or airborne object was involved. Following persistent rumours that the aircraft's demise was linked with nearby British military exercises, a review of the case files by the Air Accident Investigation UnitAir Accident Investigation UnitThe Air Accident Investigation Unit is part of the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport of the Republic of Ireland, and is responsible for the investigation of aircraft accidents and serious incidents within Ireland and in some cases to Irish registered aircraft elsewhere.The Air Accident...
took place in 1998. This review identified a number of maintenance and record-keeping failures and concluded that the original report failed to adequately examine alternative hypotheses not involving other aircraft. A subsequent investigation concluded that the accident happened following a structural failure of the port tailplane, and ruled out the possibility that another aircraft was involved.
- In 1981, an Aer Lingus flight from Dublin to London was hijacked and diverted to Le Touquet - Côte d'Opale AirportLe Touquet - Côte d'Opale Airport-Flight school & clubs:*Pig Club is a helicopter piloting school.*Le Touquet Opal Coast Flying Club is a helicopter school and club, owned by leading English school heli flight....
in France. While authorities negotiated with the hijacker by radio in the cockpit, French special forces entered the rear of the aircraft and overpowered him. None of the passengers or crew were injured during the hijacking. The official record shows the reason as One hijacker demanded to be taken to Iran. Plane stormed/hijacker arrested. Duration of the hijacking: less than 1 day. while various media reports indicated that the man, Laurence Downey (a former TrappistTrappistsThe Order of Cistercians of the Strict Observance , or Trappists, is a Roman Catholic religious order of cloistered contemplative monks who follow the Rule of St. Benedict...
monk), demanded that the PopePopeThe Pope is the Bishop of Rome, a position that makes him the leader of the worldwide Catholic Church . In the Catholic Church, the Pope is regarded as the successor of Saint Peter, the Apostle...
release the third secret of Fátima.
- On 31 January 1986, Aer Lingus Flight 328 a Short 360 registration EI-BEM on a flight from Dublin to East Midlands Airport struck power lines and crashed short of the runway. None of the 36 passengers and crew died but two passengers were injured in the accident.
See also
- Aer Lingus RegionalAer Lingus RegionalAer Lingus Regional is an Aer Lingus brand used for commuter and regional flights operated by Aer Arann on behalf of Aer Lingus. Aer Lingus Regional operates scheduled passenger services primarily from Ireland to the UK, France and the Channel Islands...
- Transport in IrelandTransport in IrelandMost of the transport system in Ireland is in public hands, either side of the Irish border. The Irish road network has evolved separately in the two jurisdictions Ireland is divided up into, while the Irish rail network was mostly created prior to the partition of Ireland.In the Republic of...