Union anger: Aer Lingus could close its Manchester Airport base

The union is also balloting for industrial action over the proposed redundancies

Unite, the leading union representing workers in the civil air transport industry, has today (9 January) responded to Aer Lingus’s proposals to potentially close its Manchester Airport base.

The Irish flag carrier currently operates three long-haul routes from Manchester to Barbados, Orlando, and New York JFK. In November, it announced it was considering scrapping these routes, putting 200 jobs at risk, including almost 130 cabin crew.

While it has still not confirmed to Unite whether it will definitely close the base, Aer Lingus has said it will not be selling tickets for these routes beyond 31 March. This has left workers with no clarity on the future of their jobs.

According to Irish Independent, 30 of the 40 Aer Lingus pilots will be offered jobs from Ireland.

Aer Lingus is a very profitable airline. In 2025, it reported an operating profit of €135 million for the three months to June, up nearly 50 percent compared to the same period last year.

It also had projected profits of around £35 million from just two aircraft operating the three long-haul routes at Manchester Airport. While the airline has admitted the Manchester base is profitable, it claims the base has underperformed compared to its Irish long-haul routes.

Unite General Secretary Sharon Graham said: “This is a profitable base, and Aer Lingus’ plans to close it amount to simple economic vandalism, while showing a complete disregard for its loyal workforce.”

Since the plans were announced in November, Unite has constantly attempted to engage with Aer Lingus through requesting information, including the full business rationale and Manchester-specific financials, which it has not received despite being legally entitled to receive them.

The union has made it very clear to Aer Lingus that if it is talking seriously about the possibility of closure, it must be prepared to give Unite this information as well as a proper timeline and details of what ending routes at the base will mean for workers.

Unite will also ballot members on taking industrial action over the proposals. The ballot closes on 26 January and strikes could begin in late February, causing major disruption to flights on the long-haul routes.

Previous strike action last year by Aer Lingus cabin crew over pay caused disruption to flights, with delays and hundreds of passengers being flown to Dublin for connecting flights to the US and Barbados.

Unite Regional Officer John O’Neill said: “Unite has made it very clear to Aer Lingus that if it is talking about the possibility of closure, it must give us proper information, rather than hiding from us. No stone must be left unturned in pursuing all options in keeping the base operational and preserving jobs.

“Unite will not back down from this crisis without a fight, and we are confident a strong ballot result will show this.”

Pic: Aer Lingus