Aer Lingus posted a robust operating profit of €250 million for the third quarter of 2025, more than doubling the €102 million earned during the same period a year earlier, driven by the deployment of its new Airbus A321XLR fleet across transatlantic markets.
The Dublin-based carrier, part of International Airlines Group (IAG), attributed the €102 million year-on-year improvement to increased transatlantic capacity and the strong performance of new long-range A321XLR operations. Aer Lingus expanded North Atlantic capacity by 7.6%, leveraging the A321XLR’s flexibility to add frequencies on existing routes and open new secondary city routes.
According to IAG, the new A321XLR services to Indianapolis, Nashville, and Minneapolis have delivered “good profit improvement,”.
Aer Lingus has so taken delivery of five Airbus A321neo-XLR aircraft, with the final aircraft EI-XLX (msn 12549) scheduled to join the fleet by year-end. The airline’s strategy allows enable flexing capacity to match market demand, with its widebody A330 operations with narrowbody A321LR/XLR, optimizing fleet deployment across Europe and North America markets to meet varying seasonal and passenger demand.
The A321XLR’s economic profile is proving pivotal not just for Aer Lingus but across the IAG portfolio. At the group’s June Investor Day, Iberia highlighted the type as a “superb market opener,” citing unit costs comparable to new-generation widebodies and fuel savings of 20–30%, alongside a double-digit improvement in passenger unit revenue.
Image Credit: Nashville International Airport (BNA)
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