Aer Lingus (EI, Dublin International) is not planning to change its expansion plans because of the risk of the delays in deliveries of A321neo(LR)s scheduled tentatively for the next summer, the Irish Independent has reported.

According to the newspaper's sources, the deliveries of the eight Airbus narrowbodies might be delayed by up to six months, although so far the manufacturer has not officially confirmed this.

"Whilst Airbus is experiencing some production delays on the A321neo(LR) aircraft, we will work with our leasing partner and with Airbus to minimise any delays to deliveries to Aer Lingus. We do not expect our first deliveries to be delayed to the third quarter of 2019. Similarly, we expect there to be no impact on the timing of any announcements of new routes," Chief Corporate Officer Donal Moriarty has said.

The Irish flag carrier, an IAG International Airlines Group subsidiary plans to deploy the new narrowbodies on transatlantic routes, among others. Specific routes have not been announced yet.

According to the ch-aviation fleets module, Aer Lingus currently operates a total of thirty-seven A320ceo Family jets, including thirty-four A320-200s and three A321-200s.