Aer Lingus celebrates two years of direct transatlantic services from Manchester Airport

Irish carrier, Aer Lingus, is celebrating two years of transatlantic flights from Manchester Airport, with up to half a million passengers served since direct services first took off in October 2021.

The direct flights were introduced in response to increased customer demand and over the last two years have increased in capacity as Aer Lingus has captured more of the market. Aer Lingus has since increased seat capacity by 63,000 additional seats in April 2023 by adding a second widebody Airbus A330 on its Manchester fleet. When Aer Lingus first began operations from Manchester, it did so operating with a single A330 and one Airbus A321LR.

The two A330 aircraft serve direct daily flights to New York’s JFK and operate four times a week to Orlando, Florida from the end of October. The carrier’s winter schedule will be boosted by the return of Caribbean flights direct to Barbados, with the seasonal service starting on 1 November, operating three times a week.

Susanne Carberry, Aer Lingus Chief Customer Officer, said:

“We’re proud to have increased choice for consumers in the North of England, who can now travel directly to destinations as diverse as New York, Orlando and Barbados, in addition to the eleven flights a day operated by Aer Lingus from Manchester to Dublin and Belfast.

“We look forward to developing our offering and providing great value for our customers, combined with great service and a warm Irish welcome.” 

Andrew Cowan, CEO of Manchester Airport, said:

“We’re proud to serve the people of the North by connecting them to the places they want to go with a route network unrivalled outside London. 

“Few places epitomise the glamour, excitement and fun of international travel quite like New York and Orlando and it’s great to think that over half a million people in the last two years will have experienced them through our partnership with Aer Lingus.

“Passengers in the North are able to fly directly from Manchester to destinations as varied as America, Barbados and, of course, Dublin with Aer Lingus. This partnership helps us connect the North with the world and we’re looking forward to continuing and building on this in the years to come.”

The success of Aer Lingus’ Manchester based long-haul operations has contributed towards its ambitious network expansion to North American destinations, offering yet more choice to its customers. In August, the airline announced a new direct service to Denver, Colorado and revealed the re-launch of the Minneapolis-St. Paul route from Dublin as part of its summer 2024 programme.