Aer Lingus looks to partnerships and new smaller aircraft across the Atlantic for long-haul future

Having gone through a restructure in recent years, Aer Lingus is now focusing on growth, organic and virtual, CEO Christoph Mueller stated on the sidelines of CAPA's Airlines in Transition conference in Dublin. Long-haul of course is the focus for a European carrier given its profitability, and Aer Lingus is looking to expand frequency and overall capacity in North America by using smaller aircraft than the carrier's all-A330 long-haul fleet. Aer Lingus will target new destinations as well as look for where it can gain synergies with key codeshare partners JetBlue Airways and United Airlines.

Ireland's geography makes it a conducive hub for North America-Europe flights, but less so for flights east of Europe. Asia and Australia are home to a large but diverse Irish diaspora, which Aer Lingus will actively target for the first time through its partnership with stakeholder Etihad Airways. These destinations are locations Aer Lingus could not and would not be able to serve independently. Aer Lingus is also looking to leverage its low operating cost and seasonal demand by expanding its wet-lease portfolio, which includes short-haul flights for Virgin Atlantic and long-haul flights for Novair.