An Aer Lingus filing with the US Department of Transportation (DOT) dated 9 December revealed planned UK-Flights from Manchester to Boston, New York and Orlando year-round with a joint application by Aer Lingus and its new subsidiary Aer Lingus (U.K.) Limited with four based Airbus A321LR/330 aircraft.
The airline sees a market opportunity in Manchester following the collapse of Thomas Cook Airlines with all routes to be served by one carrier and 70% of the peak summer capacity is anticipated to be operated by Virgin Atlantic.
In the first year of operations it anticipates to operate daily flights to New York (JFK), daily summer flights and four flights per week in the winter to Orlando, and daily summer flights to Boston. The carrier has applied for US DOT approval to code-share with its IAG sister company British Airways on the routes.
The authority requested by Aer Lingus (U.K.) Limited is consistent with the UK & US Open Skies agreement which comes into effect from the 1st January 2021, enabling carriers to operate scheduled and charter service from points behind the territory of the United Kingdom via the territory of the United Kingdom and intermediate points to any point or points in the territory of the United States and beyond.
Aer Lingus (U.K.) Limited is 100 percent owned by its parent company Aer Lingus Limited based at Belfast City Airport. The carrier has formally applied to the UK Civil Aviation Authority for an Air Operator Certificate, an Operating License, and a Route License. It anticipates the CAA will issue its AOC and licenses in or around February 2021.
The carrier itends to transfer EI-EDY Airbus A330-302 c/n 1025 and EI-ELA Airbus A330-302 c/n 1106 and two Airbus A321-253NX aircraft, due to be delivered in February and March 2021 to the UK registry.
Irish Aviation Research Institute © 10 December 2020 All Rights Reserved
