Flight restrictions at Dublin International may force Aer Lingus (EI, Dublin International) to add more capacity out of its UK base at Manchester International, according to Chief Executive Officer Lynne Embleton.

Speaking during a recent IAG International Airlines Group 3Q23 earnings call, she expressed frustration over the Dublin Airport Authority (DAA) having requested Aer Lingus to reduce its ad-hoc flights from Dublin next year so the airport does not exceed its annual passenger limits. "We don't find it acceptable at all that we would be asked to curtail from 2% of our flying at the same time as the airport encouraging and marketing themselves at various routes conferences," Embleton was quoted by Ireland's national Raidió Teilifís Éireann (RTÉ).

According to the report, Dublin Airport is approaching its maximum limit of 32 million passengers annually, and while it seeks to raise the cap, it is discussing ways to avoid breaching it in the interim.

Embleton stressed that scheduled flights would not be affected and that negotiations with the DAA would continue through 2024. "The dialogue with the DAA is over 2024 and the ad hoc movements, and we'll be making our views known to them in the meetings over the coming weeks," she said. However, should capacity restrictions persist, Aer Lingus may consider expanding its operations from its Manchester base, she said. "Yes, we've got our UK base and…it's made a profit and …that's an option for growth as well," she said. "But we do have aircraft coming, and I'm confident that we will be able to grow our core schedule. These ad hoc movements are an issue that needs to be resolved."

Aer Lingus currently runs transatlantic services out of Manchester using its Aer Lingus (United Kingdom) (EG, Belfast City) subsidiary's pair of A330-300s.

Embleton was also critical of restrictions on using the second runway at the airport. "The airport spent EUR320 million euros (USD337 million) on a new runway, and we're not able to fly as much as we should be able to fly with that. So it's not proving a good investment right now."

Despite higher operating costs, continued high fuel prices, increased seasonality, and business travel yet to recover fully, Aer Lingus reported an operating profit of EUR196 million (USD206 million) for the third quarter of 2023, driven by robust travel demand over the summer. The airline remained focused on strengthening its balance sheet for future investment. It expanded capacity on short-haul and long-haul routes by 14% and 15% in 3Q23, respectively. It plans to add new direct services to the United States for Summer 2024, serving Denver International and Minneapolis St. Paul International.