Aer Lingus has started the recruitment process for a new chief financial officer (CFO) following the recent resignation of Nessa McNeela, who will leave the role after just over a year in post. Reid Moody, chief strategy and planning officer, will be appointed as interim CFO from next month, alongside his current responsibilities.
New senior level opportunity
McNeela joined the airline’s parent, International Airlines Group (IAG) in 2021 and has held roles at British Airways and International Airlines Group Cargo. She will leave Aer Lingus to “pursue a new senior-level opportunity” at an as-yet-unspecified company in London.
An unnamed Aer Lingus spokesperson confirmed the move in a statement, reporting that an internal staff communication sent by chief executive Lynne Embleton, had thanked McNeela for her ‘significant contribution’ to the airline and IAG.
The move comes at a turbulent time for the airline which announced a significant restructuring plan in July this year, following a 103 million euro first-quarter loss. The sweeping plan to reduce up to 500 jobs and reduce flight capacity by 6% was followed by news of an overall operating loss of €34 million for the first half of 2026.
Stalemate situation
Whilst the airline confirmed the recruitment process for a new CFO is under way, another pressing human resources issue is the 500 proposed job redundancies, which includes 70 pilots. Initial management negotiations with the Irish Air Line Pilots’ Association (IALPA) broke down after just 12 minutes last month. The European Works Council (EWC) which represents workers across the IAG had asserted it felt it had a legal right to be consulted on the restructuring plan. This was rejected by the airline on the grounds that its proposals will only affect domestic-based staff and therefore would be subject to Irish legislation.
Despite the stalemate situation around this European Union jurisdiction debate, Aer Lingus has already begun consultations with the two Irish trade unions representing the 290 head-office roles. A further 140 proposed job redundancies will affect cabin crew.
Continue to watch this space for future developments within Aer Lingus and let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
