Summary
- As you almost certainly know, Aer Lingus will stop flying to London Gatwick at the tip of March.
- The airline’s history on the airport features a short-lived base with 14 routes.
- After ending Gatwick service, Aer Lingus may have 19 UK routes, with Dublin-Heathrow obviously primary by flights.
Aer Lingus is the second-largest airline operating between the Republic of Ireland and the UK. The carrier (including its Regional unit) is, after all, behind juggernaut Ryanair, whether by passengers, seats on the market, flights, or ASKs.
Gatwick going: a fast look
Aer Lingus’ exit from the West Sussex airport on March thirtieth, the last day of the northern aviation winter season, is just not news: it was discussed last week. Nonetheless, its tumultuous history at Gatwick deserves a temporary examination.
It began flying to the airport in 2007 from (you guessed it) Dublin with a four-daily service. It materialized a yr after easyJet (yes) ceased flying to the Republic, linking Gatwick with Cork, Knock, and Shannon.
Image: GCMap
All the way down to one route
By 2011, its Gatwick network had shrunk to 5 routes (Cork, Dublin, Knock, Malaga, and Shannon), three in 2013 (Belfast City, Dublin, and Knock), and two in 2017 (Dublin and Knock). It continues to serve Cork, Dublin, Knock, and Shannon from the core airport of Heathrow.
Photo: Aer Lingus
It returned to being a one-route operation (Dublin) in April 2023. And now, in January-March 2024 (Q1), it serves Dublin-Gatwick as much as 31 times weekly (max five every day), making it its fifth most-served UK route. On account of its all-A320 operation, it ranks third by seats on the market.
As compared, Ryanair is 55 weekly (max eight every day) on Dublin-Gatwick; no carrier could effectively compete with the ULCC’s frequency or prices on this airport pair.
Aer Lingus’ UK network: Q2 2024
Taking a look at April-June, after Gatwick has ended, Aer Lingus may have 19 UK routes from the Republic of Ireland, as shown below. (I even have intentionally not considered Aer Lingus Regional from Belfast City.) As compared, Ryanair may have 38 routes.
Image: GCMap
Aer Lingus’ top 10 routes by weekly departures will likely be as follows:
- Dublin-Heathrow: as much as 96 weekly A320neo/A320ceo/A321neo (+ partner BA)
- Dublin-Manchester: 40 weekly ATR 72/A320ceo
- Dublin-Edinburgh: as much as 38 weekly ATR 72
- Dublin-Glasgow: 30 weekly ATR 72
- Dublin-Birmingham: 28 weekly ATR 72/A320ceo
- Cork-Heathrow: 28 weekly A320neo
- Dublin-Bristol: 20 weekly ATR 72
- Shannon-Heathrow: 20 weekly A320ceo/A321neo
- Dublin-Leeds Bradford: 17 weekly ATR 72
- Dublin-Southampton: 13 weekly ATR 72
What do you make of all of it? Tell us within the comments section.