Aer Lingus Manchester: Major airline to shutdown operations from UK airport - cancelling all transatlantic flights
Aer Lingus will shut its Manchester Airport base from March 31st, it confirmed to staff on Wednesday.
The Irish airline flies to US cities and Barbados from the British airport, where it employs around 200 pilots and cabin crew. Unions have signalled that they would seek to have staff from the base redeployed to Ireland following the announcement.
In a statement, Aer Lingus said, “Manchester-New York operations will cease from February 23rd, 2026”. The airline ”plans to operate a service from Dublin to Barbados (subject to receipt of necessary approvals) during the months of April and May to re-accommodate affected customers".
The operator cancelled all scheduled journeys between the two cities on 23 February, and plans to cease all its transatlantic operations from Manchester on 31 March. A replacement service between Dublin and Barbados will run between April and May to accommodate those affected.
Services between Ireland and Manchester, including Aer Lingus Regional flights, will not be affected, the airline added. Aer Lingus is informing customers their flights have been cancelled and providing them with re-accommodation or refund options.
The airline said it would continue talks with workers and unions on the “reduction in operations redeployment opportunities and the terms of a severance package at the Manchester base”. Passengers whose flights were cancelled have been told directly and provided with options for a refund or to rearrange flights.
The airline added: "We appreciate our customers' patience and cooperation during this time, as we contact customers directly regarding their flights. If you have already contacted us to request an alternative flight or refund, please be assured that we are working on your request and will be in touch in due course."