Aer Lingus UK
IATA ICAO Callsign
EG EUK GREEN FLIGHT
Founded25 May 2012 (25 May 2012)[1]
Commenced operations20 October 2021 (2021-10-20)
AOC #GB 2471
Operating basesManchester Airport
Frequent-flyer programAerClub (Avios)[2]
Fleet size2
Destinations4
Parent companyAer Lingus
HeadquartersBelfast, Northern Ireland, UK
Key peopleEamon Kierans (Director) [3]
Websitewww.aerlingus.com

Aer Lingus (U.K.) Limited is a British airline and wholly owned subsidiary of Aer Lingus, the flag carrier of the Republic of Ireland. It is headquartered in Belfast, Northern Ireland, with its operations based at Manchester Airport. The airline's operations launched on 20 October 2021, with its inaugural flight from Manchester to Bridgetown, Barbados.

History

Aer Lingus UK was founded on 25 May 2012 with its headquarters in Belfast, Northern Ireland, as a United Kingdom-based company.[1] The company then remained dormant until 2020. In November 2020, plans for the airline involved launching the operation of transatlantic flights from the UK to the United States[4] with the initial planned destinations being Boston, New York JFK, and Orlando from its Manchester base, followed by flights during the winter season to Bridgetown (Barbados).[5][6] The airline's initial fleet plans consisted of two Airbus A321LRs and two Airbus A330-300s, all to be transferred from parent company Aer Lingus.[5][6] The airline would conceptually compete with Virgin Atlantic, another British airline operating transatlantic flights from Manchester, as well as fill in part of the void left by Manchester-based and headquartered Thomas Cook Airlines, which ceased operations in September 2019.[7]

In December 2020, the airline applied with the United States Department of Transportation (USDOT) for a foreign air carrier permit,[7] which was approved in March 2021.[8] Parent company Aer Lingus subsequently announced on 24 March 2021 that flights from Manchester Airport operated by Aer Lingus UK would launch to New York JFK and Orlando on 29 July 2021, to Barbados on 20 October 2021, and to Boston during summer 2022.[9][10] In June 2021, the airline announced that the commencement of services to the United States would be postponed until 30 September 2021. This was due to international borders between the UK and the United States reopening later than expected.[11]

On 8 July 2021, Aer Lingus UK was granted its air operator's certificate (AOC) by the UK CAA.[12][13] The airline also submitted its AOC to the USDOT for the approval of its application.[13] In the days prior to receiving its AOC, the airline officially transferred one Airbus A330-300 from parent company Aer Lingus, with the transfer of one Airbus A321LR and a further Airbus A330-300 following.[14] On 25 August 2021, the airline's services to the United States were again postponed to December 2021 as a result of the continued delay of UK-US border restrictions being lifted.[15] The airline's services to Barbados were unaffected, which launched on 20 October 2021 as planned.[16] While the airline's routes to New York JFK and Orlando launched in December 2021, plans for the airline's Boston services were dropped.[17]

In September 2022, Aer Lingus UK was the first airline to operate a flight into the then new Terminal C at Orlando International Airport.[18]

In October 2022, it was announced that Aer Lingus' operations between Belfast City and London Heathrow would transfer to Aer Lingus UK due to Brexit related requirements that a European carrier could no longer fly domestic routes within the United Kingdom. These flights were operated by British Airways under wet-lease terms using the Aer Lingus UK flight numbers and callsigns.[19][20] British Airways would later take over full operation of the route from Aer Lingus UK.

Also in October 2022, Aer Lingus UK announced that its Manchester-New York JFK service would be operated by the Airbus A330-300 instead of the Airbus A321LR from April 2023. Subsequently increasing capacity on this route, the returning of a second A330-300 to the UK fleet and the return of the A321LR to its Irish parent.[21]


Destinations

Aer Lingus UK operates to the following destinations as of March 2023:

Country City Airport Start date End date Notes Refs
BarbadosBridgetownGrantley Adams International Airport20 October 2021PresentSeasonal[10]
United KingdomBelfastGeorge Best Belfast City Airport30 October 202222 March 2023Terminated[19][20]
LondonHeathrow Airport30 October 202222 March 2023Terminated[19][20]
ManchesterManchester Airport20 October 2021PresentBase[10]
United StatesNew York CityJohn F. Kennedy International Airport1 December 2021Present[15]
OrlandoOrlando International Airport11 December 2021Present[15]

Fleet

As of March 2023, Aer Lingus UK operates the following aircraft:[22][23]

Aer Lingus UK fleet
Aircraft In
service		 Orders Passengers Notes
J Y Total
Airbus A330-300 2 — 30 287 317 Transferred from Aer Lingus.
Total 2 —

Frequent-flyer programme

AerClub is Aer Lingus' frequent-flyer programme, which consists of four tiers: the entry-level Green, Silver, Platinum, and Concierge.[2] The club uses Avios points as its member currency.

References

  1. 1 2 "Aer Lingus (U.K.) Limited filing history". gov.uk. Retrieved 15 January 2023.
  2. 1 2 "AerClub - Aer Lingus". www.aerlingus.com. Retrieved 23 March 2023.
  3. ↑ "Aer Lingus (U.K.) Limited people". gov.uk.
  4. ↑ O'Connor, Fearghal (1 November 2020). "Aer Lingus in British government talks on direct UK-US flights". Irish Independent. Independent News & Media. Retrieved 24 March 2021.
  5. 1 2 Miller, Seth (10 December 2020). "Aer Lingus Launches UK subsidiary, applies for US route authorities". PaxEx.Aero. Proton Associates, LLC. Retrieved 7 January 2021.
  6. 1 2 O'Halloran, Barry (11 December 2020). "Aer Lingus to move aircraft from Ireland to UK for US flights". The Irish Times. Retrieved 24 March 2021.
  7. 1 2 Calder, Simon (4 January 2021). "UK has new low-cost transatlantic airline flying from Manchester – and it's Irish". The Independent. Independent Digital News & Media Ltd. Archived from the original on 4 January 2021. Retrieved 7 January 2021.
  8. ↑ Mulligan, John (9 March 2021). "Aer Lingus gets nod to start selling seats on UK-US services". Irish Independent. Independent News & Media. Retrieved 24 March 2021.
  9. ↑ Delahaye, Julie (24 March 2021). "Aer Lingus launches new direct UK-US flights with fares from £199 each way". Daily Mirror. MGN Limited. Retrieved 24 March 2021.
  10. 1 2 3 "Aer Lingus launches four new direct, non-stop transatlantic flights from Manchester creating up to 120 jobs" (Press release). Aer Lingus. 24 March 2021. Retrieved 24 March 2021.
  11. ↑ Goodbody, Will (16 June 2021). "Aer Lingus delays start of Manchester-US routes". Raidió Teilifís Éireann. Retrieved 16 June 2021.
  12. ↑ "Aer Lingus's British unit secures AOC". ch-aviation. 11 July 2021. Retrieved 16 July 2021.
  13. 1 2 "Supplement to Joint Application of Aer Lingus (U.K.) Limited and Aer Lingus Limited". Regulations.gov. 7 July 2021. Retrieved 16 July 2021.
  14. ↑ "Aer Lingus (UK) receives AOC". Scramble. 13 July 2021. Retrieved 16 July 2021.
  15. 1 2 3 O'Halloran, Barry (25 August 2021). "Aer Lingus delays launch of Manchester-US flights". The Irish Times. Retrieved 26 August 2021.
  16. ↑ Brandler, Hannah (21 October 2021). "Aer Lingus launches Manchester-Barbados flights". Business Traveller. Panacea Media Limited. Retrieved 21 October 2021.
  17. ↑ Caswell, Mark (29 October 2021). "Aer Lingus drops planned Manchester-Boston route". Business Traveller. Retrieved 11 April 2023.
  18. ↑ GOAA; Authority, Greater Orlando Aviation. "Orlando International Airport Terminal C Open For Business". Orlando International Airport (MCO). Retrieved 13 April 2023.
  19. 1 2 3 "Aer Lingus leasing in BA capacity for UK domestic route". ch-aviation. 1 November 2022. Retrieved 14 January 2023.
  20. 1 2 3 "Live Flight Tracker - Real-Time Flight Tracker Map". Flightradar24. Retrieved 14 January 2023.
  21. ↑ Pearson, James (28 October 2022). "Aer Lingus Swaps The A321LR For The Airbus A330 On Manchester-New York". Simple Flying. Retrieved 5 December 2022.
  22. ↑ "Aircraft register (G-INFO)". Civil Aviation Authority (United Kingdom). Retrieved 18 November 2021.
  23. ↑ "Aer Lingus UK Fleet Details and History". Planespotters.net. 2 October 2021. Retrieved 8 October 2021.
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