Aer Lingus has formally entered a consultation process that could lead to the closure of its Manchester Airport (MAN) base, placing more than 200 jobs at risk.
The move, confirmed in late November 2025, follows months of disruptive industrial action by Manchester-based cabin crew and comes after the airline concluded that its long-haul operations from the UK are significantly underperforming compared with its Irish base.
If approved, the decision would effectively shut down Aer Lingus UK, the subsidiary operating transatlantic services from Manchester, and could end the carrier’s direct flights to New York, Orlando and Barbados from Northern England.
Strikes and Underperformance Prompt Review
The consultation follows a prolonged pay dispute between Aer Lingus and Unite, the union representing around 130 Manchester-based cabin crew.
Staff staged multiple strike days in October and November after rejecting a proposed pay deal of 9% in 2025 and 3% in 2026. Crew argued that, despite the headline increase, base salaries — reported to start at around £17,640 — were insufficient to meet the cost of living in Manchester.
A key issue in the dispute was a pay and allowance gap between UK-based and Dublin-based crew, including lower overnight allowances paid to Manchester staff on US routes.
In a statement to employees, Aer Lingus said that despite “the best efforts of the team,” the Manchester long-haul operation continues to “significantly lag” behind the airline’s Irish long-haul margins. The carrier said this has prompted a “necessary consideration of the long-term viability” of the Manchester base.
The consultation will examine all options but explicitly includes the possibility of closure and redundancies affecting cabin crew, pilots and ground staff.
Fleet Redeployment Under Consideration
Aer Lingus UK was established in 2021 and operates two Airbus A330-300 aircraft from Manchester.
Industry analysts suggest the aircraft could be redeployed to Dublin Airport (DUB), where Aer Lingus benefits from stronger feeder traffic and higher-yielding transatlantic demand. An internal memo cited in reports questioned whether “better alternative uses” exist for the two aircraft currently based in Manchester.
A closure would remove direct competition with Virgin Atlantic on several Manchester–US routes and significantly reduce long-haul connectivity from Northern England.
Unite has criticised the move, accusing Aer Lingus of pursuing “union-busting” tactics during the dispute. General Secretary Sharon Graham described the proposal as “outrageous” and called on the airline to provide full financial transparency to justify the potential closure.
What impact do you think a potential Aer Lingus exit from Manchester would have on competition and travel options in Northern England? Share your views in the comments below.
The service on board is poor, paying for alcohol and only one bar service. Virgin offer a better service for the same price. Only one bar service is basic. Even TUI give the drinks complimentary and they are budget charter for long haul.
Most crew on our flight were miserable, they should be grateful to have a job instead of striking and moaning about a contract that they signed and agreed.
We always use Virgin as Aer Lingus are always dogged by cancellations all the time leaving people stranded.
It would be a shame if Air Lingus pulled out of Manchester, but there are a few comments I would like to make , firstly the c e o of Air lingus stated only a few months ago that she was delighted with the load factors on flights out of Manchester and they were above expectation .
Now she says they are underperforming and that she is considering closing the Manchester base because of the industrial action . How can she expect her employees in Manchester to be paid less money than there counterparts in Ireland for doing the same job , this is discrimination and totally disrespectful for the Manchester based staff .
The c e o of Air Lingus has a short memory of what she has said then and now.
This seems to be the unfortunate outcome when all parties, company, employees and passengers, will be losers.
As a travel agent I have welcomed having an alternative to Virgin Atlantic. The loss of the 3 shared routes to JFK, MCO and BGI will give Virgin license to set fare levels as it wishes, and that will not be good for future passengers.
I see Lisa’s comments regarding free drinks but, with respect, Aer Lingus does not charge for seat assignments. On comparable fare types with Virgin and TUI one can pay up to £45 per person EACH WAY. Virgin can extract up to £360 extra for a family of 4 on the Orlando route!
Personally I have had no issues on any of the Manchester based EI flights I have taken and will miss having the competitive value and additional capacity EI has provided. I will also miss flying into Orlando’s Terminal C which, compared to Virgin’s antiquated terminal and TUI, who land some 60 miles away in Melbourne is another EI bonus.
One way or another EI needs to make a firm announcement as soon as possible. With the current indecision no one in their right mind is going to book with an airline that appears hell bent on closing down a viable service.
I certainly hope that Aer Lingus and Unite the Union can find some common ground and bury the hatchet that started all of this.